Where to start...at the end.

Hard as it is to believe, 2017 is nearly over.  I know many people do the bulk of their charitable giving in this season, and I also know many of you have given generously throughout this year of unprecedented need, events, disasters, and policy shifts.

As I get ready to do my own final charitable giving, I am hard-pressed to know where to start.

I am a big fan of monthly giving to organizations whose missions I strongly support.  As such, there are about a half-dozen organizations to which I make a modest monthly donation through a credit card. This works for the nonprofit, because they know they can count on the money coming in (you can stop these payments any time). Also, that way I know I am supporting those orgs, and don't have to remember to write a check once a year, and I'm racking up miles on this card, so....win-win. As you think about the causes you care about, I would urge to consider signing up to be a monthly donor.

But, we also know that life is messy (and boy howdy did this year illustrate that!), so I'm also a fan of being nimble in times of crisis or emergent need. And this year gave us no end to situations that needed response, and that still need responses.

Some organizations to consider as we wind down 2017.

Crisis response (hurricanes, fires, floods, oh my!)
Center for Disaster Philanthropy has a number of disaster funds to which you can contribute. CDP focuses on the mid- and long-range recovery, and brings a wealth of resources to the table.

Save the Children continues to impress me with both their immediate responses to disasters, as well as the way they stay in communities for long-term recovery.

World Food Programme is working across the globe in many disaster and humanitarian crisis zones. As their name suggests, they focus on hunger in disaster zones, and ongoing work around food access and nutrition.

Oxfam also works world-wide, and has an approach deeply rooted in cultivating capacity in local communities. Of note is that while they generally work in deeply impoverished developing nations, they are continuing to respond in Puerto Rico, particularly around access to clean water.

Doctors Without Borders likely needs no introduction, but I will note that they are responding to the Rohingya crisis, as well as in Yemen.

There are several different California wild-fire funds, including:
United Way of Greater Los Angeles
United Way of Ventura County (other parts of SoCal)
North Bay Fire Relief (Northern Cal)

The needs in Puerto Rico, and for the diaspora, continue to be overwhelming:
Heart of FL United Way
Give Directly
Hispanic Federation Relief Fund


Civil Rights / systems change
There has been what feels like a concerted effort to attack civil rights and liberties. Advocacy organizations are critical in responding to these attacks. In addition, we continue to need work to fundamentally shift the way our systems work. Some organizations to consider:

The ACLU is active in defending free speech rights, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and other vulnerable populations. Please note that the ACLU is a c4, which means that donations to them are not deductible. They have an associated 501(c)(3) foundation, to which donations are deductible, but from my perspective (YMMV), it's the c4 work that is so needed.

National Advocates for Pregnant Women does outstanding work advocating for the reproductive rights of all women.

National LQBTQ Task Force focuses on building a future where everyone is free to be themselves in all aspects of their lives. They are focused particularly on building a diverse, young cadre of activist leaders.

Full Frame Initiative is a fantastic organization that is helping public systems rethink and reframe how they are delivering services so that people can be seen in the "full frame" of their lives, recognizing the messiness inherent in all of our circumstances.


Some of my favorite Boston area organizations
I live in the greater Boston area, and am committed to making my giving local, as well as national or even international.  Some organizations I love:

The Lenny Zakim Fund - doing amazing work helping to lift up, build capacity, and strengthen social justice, grassroots organizations.

Hyde Square Task Force working with young people helping them figure out their college and career paths, as well as how to be leaders.  HSTQ youth were the ones that uncovered the fact that the Boston Garden had never made the payments to support youth recreation that it should have. Read about it here

Massachusetts Bail Fund provides bails for people who have bails of $500 or less and can't afford them. In a system that literally criminalizes poverty, they are an equalizing force for equity.  And, in posting over 800 bails, they have a less and 1% no-show rate.

 Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center New England's largest Asian-serving organization.  They do smart, thoughtful multi-generation work.

As always, I welcome your suggestions of your favorite nonprofits.

Thank you for all you do. Thank you for all you have done. Thank you for being out there.

Still Talking about Puerto Rico (and Houston, and Sonoma County)

A quick update post, because I have been on travel forever (and ever and ever), and am heading out again soon, but wanted to do a quick update/reminder on Puerto Rico, and a few links for the CA wildfires.

There is still so, so much work to be done in all the areas that were hardest hit by the 2017 Hurricane season.  Top of mind, of course, is Puerto Rico.  I'm not going to be adding a ton of new links, but if you scroll through older posts (or use the tags), most of those organizations are still actively responding to the ongoing Humanitarian Crisis there.  Most of them are doing good jobs of keeping their websites up-to-date with their work, so you can see how they are helping, and how you, too, can help.

A couple new links, though:

• In addition to Save the Children (mentioned in previous posts, and an organization I still think is fantastic), UNICEF is also actively responding with a child and family focus in Puerto Rico.
• An organization that just recently crossed my radar is Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies that focuses on people with disabilities and specifically helping communities do disaster planning that takes into account people with disabilities, as well as providing replacement equipment like wheelchairs that might have been left behind or damaged in an evacuation or emergency.  They are responding across multiple disaster areas.

The California Wildfires

• The Napa Valley Community Foundation has established a disaster relief fund  As you should know by now, I'm an advocate for community foundations because they are - by and large - well-rooted in their local communities and likely to be responsive to local needs.
• There is a trouble rise in suicides among wildland firefighters. The Wildland Firefighter Foundation supports firefighters and their families.
• The California Fire Foundation has a program to get cash assistance to families who have suffered damage or loss to their homes.
• Local area shelters can still use help in supporting many displaced, or lost pets.

And don't forget to check previous posts for other ongoing work in Houston, in Somalia, with the Rohingya Refugee crisis, etc.

More to come.  Had a revelatory conversation with the Massachusetts Bail Fund yesterday that has me thinking about many many things around the criminal justice system, so a post on that still to come.  In the meantime - do good!

Puerto Rico (and other islands) - Part II

The news keeps talking about the "developing" humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, but I think it's pretty clear that it's a full-blown crisis and likely to stay that way for far too long.

Further, we must not forget that the U.S. Virgin Islands, not to mention much of the rest of the Caribbean were badly damaged by the storm season, and that rebuilding is going to take a very long time.

What can we do?

I think we can all continue to put pressure on our elected officials to make sure that aid packages for both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are put together and delivered, both this year, and in coming years.  We can also advocate for an alleviation of the debt that Puerto Rico currently faces (although it  appears to be complicated about the extent to which executive action can actually "wipe out" the debt), and/or low-interest loans to help PR rebuild.

And, we can donate.

Frequent Flyer Miles
Several airlines allow you to donate frequent flyer miles that are then used by nonprofit agencies to fly skilled workers and/or volunteers to disaster zones.  See, for example, Delta, Southwest, or United

Cash (still one of the most important resources)
There are, of course, many funds that have been set up to support the short- and long-term needs in the areas impacted by the disasters that have unfolded. Below are a few that I'm highlighting either because I know their work and/or they are areas (e.g., the Keys) that I think have been overlooked or quickly forgotten.  As ever, please feel free to add good orgs that you know in the comments.

• Both Mercy Corps and Oxfam, organizations that typically work in the developing world, have launched relief missions to Puerto Rico, recognizing the dire situation there.
• I remain a fan of the work of Save the Children who are on the ground where most of the latest disasters have occurred and are also in Mexico.
• The Hispanic Federation's UNIDOS fund will address both immediate and long-term needs in Puerto Rico.
• The Heart of FL United Way is working on behalf of the United Way of Puerto Rico, and is coordinating the collection of both cash and goods at the request of their Puerto Rican partners.
• The International Community Foundation's Barbuda Fund will address the needs on this island that was nearly wiped out.  Donations to this fund will be matched 1:1 by the Waitt Foundation, up to $250,000.
• Community Foundation of the Florida Keys will address short- and long-term needs in the Keys, which had heavy damage, and have received far less media coverage than other areas.
• The Center for Disaster Philanthropy's 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Fund will address needs in a wide range of places, and have a lot of expert advice from which to draw.

Goods
As some areas begin to slowly move toward recovery, you may see calls for donations of specific goods.  Please pay attention to what is asked for and donate only what is asked for. Relief agencies have so many horror stories about inappropriate things being donated up to and including used tea bags (you can still get another cup of tea from this, and "they" have nothing.  Um. NO.)  Be respectful and give only something that you would genuinely want yourself.

Thank you for all you are doing, and all that you will do, as we move forward through this year that doesn't seem to want to give us a break.

Puerto Rico, you lovely island . . .
Island of tropical breezes.
Always the pineapples growing,
Always the coffee blossoms blowing...
 - West Side Story (Stephen Sondheim, lyrics)

The lyrics come from the song "America" in West Side Story where the "Sharks" (the Puerto Rican gang in this re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet) debate the relative merits of Puerto Rico and America. Both locations are seen with fondness, as well as a sharp-eyed reality about their challenges.

Today, Puerto Rico faces perhaps its greatest challenge.  The island is facing a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented scale, and one local official has said the island's development has been set back "20 or 30 years."

We must not forget these American citizens. 

What can you do to help?

• First and foremost - contact your members of Congress and tell them to send aid.  There is a great script and link to find your delegation here.  I would recommend that you amend the script that they give here to add in that Congress should not only put pressure on for more aid now (and authorize the expenditures), but also begin planning and allocating funds NOW for the long-term recovery.*

• Consider donations - although here more than ever, I would look for options that will e there for the long-term. This is going to be a marathon on the rebuild front.
• Save the Children is responding
• The Center for Disaster Philanthropy's 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Fund will take the long-term view
• The Hispanic Federation's Unidos fund is focused on immediate needs.  In addition, the Federation is supporting Mexican earthquake efforts.
• United for Puerto Rico is the fund started by the First Lady of Puerto Rico, and the fund backed by the fund-raising efforts of the former US Presidents
• Keep your eye on the Heart of Florida United Way based in Orlando.  Orlando is home to the largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in Florida, and I was speaking to a key nonprofit leader there today about the expected influx of Puerto Ricans to that area. Services will be needed both on the island of PR and for those who will relocate after this disaster.  HFUW will be providing many of those services.

But, please start by calling your members of Congress.

*Good explanation of the Jones Act that is referenced in the script here

It's Not Just the Hurricanes....

While there is no question that there are near-overwhelming needs emerging in Florida and the Caribbean as the damage from Irma slowly becomes clear, it's important to remember that there are multiple disasters throughout the world that are impacting large numbers of people and can use our aid.  I'm going to talk about a couple of them, and also add some new links related to Harvey and/or Irma.  Please feel free to add good resources for any of these humanitarian crises in the comments.

Famine (and Cholera) in Yemen
The current level of hunger in Yemen is unprecedented and causing severe hardship for millions of people. Now, 17 million people in the country are food insecure, meaning they do not have enough food. Of these, 6.8 million - that is almost one in four people - are severely food insecure and rely entirely on external assistance. The rate of child malnutrition is one of the highest in the world.

The nutrition situation continues to deteriorate. A recent survey showed that almost one third of families have gaps in their diets, and hardly ever consume foods like pulses, vegetables, fruit, dairy products or meat. More than 3 million pregnant and nursing women and children under 5 need support to prevent or cure malnutrition.

Who is responding:

• World Food Programme - UN affiliated and global in its reach. It is working in 17 governorates (near as I can figure, equivalent of a state) and is trying to scale to country-wide.
• Oxfam International - Since July 2015 Oxfam has reached more than one million people in eight governorates of Yemen with water and sanitation services, cash assistance, and food vouchers. In response to a 2017 outbreak of cholera, Oxfam is delivering water, sanitation, and hygiene to help prevent the spread of the disease.
• Mercy Corps - links to a very good discussion of how famines develop, and what factors exacerbate and contribute to famine.
• Doctors without Borders (MSF)- I remain a big fan of MSF.

Rohingya Refugee Crisis
Rohingyans are a Muslim minority within Myanmar (Burma) that are systematically persecuted by the Buddhist majority.  They are denied citizenship within Myanmar, and access to education, jobs, etc.  See this article for detailed background. In recent years, there has been a mass migration/fleeing by the Rohingyans, but few countries will accept them, and many are now in refugee camps under dire conditions.

Who is responding

• Islamic Relief USA
• UNICEF
• Doctors without Borders (MSF)

Irma/Harvey updates

• The Miami Foundation has compiled a great set of links to local relief funds for Irma response and recovery.
• UNICEF is responding to Antigua and Barbuda, arguably two of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Irma
• United Methodist Committee on Relief is responding to both Hurricane Harvey and Irma.
• Mennonite Disaster Service is gearing up for long-term recovery work after Harvey and Irma.  See this article for a good description of how they work
• The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands has set up a fund for recovery and rebuilding.
• Good article from ColorLines about ways to help people of color after Irma.

Welcome to the Cranky Philanthropist Blog.

This will be a place I aggregate information about ways to support communities, peoples, and causes, both in response to disasters, and as other issues and resources come to my attention.  This is all my personal opinion and in no way connected to my professional gig.

This first post is written in the context of the twin hurricane disasters in the U.S. There are other disasters around the world, and subsequent posts will talk about some of those.

Thinking about giving in times of disaster
One of the things to keep in mind is that while there is a very real human impulse to give at the moment a disaster strikes, where money is really most needed is during the long-term recovery process.  If you can give both during and after a disaster, that is great.  If you can only give once, you might want to think about holding off and seeing where money is most needed during the rebuild phase.

Also - don't send clothes, toys, food, etc. unless a specific, credible aid agency has specifically requested them. Seriously. Disaster sites are often overwhelmed with clothes, shoes, toys that are used, dirty and just not needed.

Cash is what is most needed.

Places to consider giving in response to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma - US 2017

• Save the Children - I have been consistently impressed with their work in disasters. They take a long-term view to their work; both responding immediately, helping to set up child-safe and appropriate spaces for children in shelters, and then doing long-term recovery work with child centers and early education centers, helping them with restarting operations, as well as providing trauma-informed curricula and supports to help children deal with the effects of having been in a disaster.
• Southern Baptist Disaster Relief - Particularly for these southern-US disasters, SBDR has prepositioned crews and supplies that will be effective in immediate recovery and response, and also provide some longer-term clean up. 
• The Hurricane Relief Fund at The Greater Houston Community Foundation - They are holding the long-term recovery fund for the Greater Houston area.  Community Foundations generally have good track records of getting community voices engaged in the decisions around this kind of funding, and being accountable to donors.
• The Harvey and Irma funds at The Center for Disaster Philanthropy - CDP is stewarding funds that will focus on long-term recovery from both storms.  The Irma fund is of particular note as it will address the entire area impacted by Irma, including non-US sites.
• Oxfam - I like Oxfam's approach because they work through local partners and build capacity locally.
• Partners in Health - responding both in Haiti and in Mexico after the earthquake.
• Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services - working to deal with the environmental mess left by Harvey

Other great resources:

• How to Donate Money and Other Aid to Communities of Color in Houston - Colorlines' list of charities and organizations working to keep immigrant, Black, Latinx and other populations safe after Hurricane Harvey
• Ways to get money to marginalized communities - Very thoughtful discussion of how marginalized communities are not always well served by mainstream NGOs.
• SBP - great resources for homeowners about preparing for and dealing with clean-up, insurance, FEMA, etc. after a disaster.  SBP also does direct service, and you can donate to help their work throughout the US.