Is one charity better than all the others for donating money for Japan?

Just check with a site that authenticates charities (such as charitynavigator.org) before giving, because fake charities spring up overnight.

You are best giving to an established charity like the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross is always a safe bet, I would think.

I second @JmacOroni

The Red Cross is an amazing organization for crisis situations globally.

A caveat with the Red Cross- your money may not go to Japan. The American Red Cross (which is different from the Japanese Red Cross) sends money and supplies, but if it collects more than it dedicates to Japan, it just goes into the Red Cross pot.

Consider Caritas, Catholic Relief Services, or World Vision.

@zenvelo But the CRS will do the same thing with any “overage” they receive…it goes in the pot

Japan isn’t exactly a poor country. They can pretty much cover the cost. Nobody will starve or go without clean water like they still do in Haiti.

It is great you want to help. But, Sony and Nissan will make sure Japan is OK.

@charity So, your name is Charity, but your advising against me giving to charity? Doea anyone else see the irony in this?

@MyNewtBoobs i thought it was ironic that “charity” is new…and this is the “first” post made

Yeah, because it isn’t like the US doesn’t accept charitable donations and assistance in times of crisis. What a sad, sad thing to say. People are people, who cares where the borders fall? That really upset me to read.

@MyNewtBoobs you may also be interested in the Save The Children Federation, who are apparently sending an emergency team to Japan, specifically to help young victims of the devastation.

@JmacOroni Ooo indeed I am. Children tug at my heartstrings.

@MyNewtBoobs – I was saying that dropping a 20 on a internet form isn’t going to help much. They really don’t need money. They need people and equipment. Money isn’t a factor when it comes to getting that stuff. And a good chunk of the people that are good at recovering people are still in New Zealand. Japan sent most of their people there and they are still there.

It is great that you want to help. But Japan is pretty low on the list of places that need (feel-good) help.

People & equipment don’t mobilize themselves. Funding helps get the goods & people where they are needed…FAST

@charity How does one get equipment without money? And no, $20 doesn’t do much. But 40000 students donating 20 each starts to add up to relief for a few people. Obama financed his campaign through small donations, and ended up having more money than Clinton and her traditional big donations.

Really, why shouldn’t I give to Japan? I’m not giving to them in lieu of New Zealand or Haiti, but in addition to, so what’s the worry? That it’s one less Chipotle burrito for me?

@charity_1 The US is one of the richest countries in the world, yet after Katrina people donated thousands to help people affected by the hurricane.

Your argument is invalid.

Here is some information about where your donation may be going charity

When researching the charity as @marinelife abd others suggested, look at the percentage of each dollar collected that goes to administrative costs. Even some of the well-recognized charities use a disturbing amount of each dollar they collect to pay themselves for their “good works” and to advertise for more donations. You want to give to one you know will do the maximum abount of actual work helping the Japanese people.