Haiti Relief: Best Ways to Donate

A devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake has caused unimaginable destruction, death and suffering in Haiti.  Tens of thousands have been killed and hundreds of thousands left homeless.  Many want to assist with the relief effort, and this is a critical time to show solidarity and aid the devastated island nation. 


#1 Donate $5 and Get a Free Round-trip Flight!*

Donate $5 or more to one of three relief organizations, and get free 5,000 miles on Spirit Airlines.  Hurry, offers expires January 18th!  Donate and see details through this link: http://marketing.spiritair.com/haitirelief/. 

#2 Receive 3 Free Round-Trip Flights and $75 Goes Toward Haiti Relief! *

Apply for the Spirit Airlines credit card, and after your first purchase you will receive 15,000 bonus miles (Good for up to 3 free round-trip flights!) AND Spirit will donate $75 to Haiti Relief efforts!  Apply here: http://marketing.spiritair.com/haitirelief/signup-yele.php

#3 Discover Card will match you Cashback Bonus Donation!

Do you have a Discover Card? Discover is contributing by matching dollar-for-dollar Cashback Bonus donations from card members to American Red Cross, up to $1 million total.  For details visit http://www.discovercard.com/landing-pages/relief/.

#4 Make a Quick Donation with a text message .

Text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill.

#5 Donate to a reputable charity with disaster relief experience.

Charity Navigator has compiled a list of 3 and 4-star charities responding to the crisis, along with a synopsis of their plans. Each of these charities has a history of working on massive disasters and/or of working in Haiti.

American Red Cross (*** ) - The ARC is sending tarps, hygiene items and cooking sets forapproximately 5,000 families and is helping the injured who may needblood. Thousands of local Red Cross volunteers are already aiding theirfellow Haitians and ARC Disaster management specialists are scheduledto be on the ground soon.

Americares (****) - Sending $5 million of medical aid to survivors including antibiotics,pain relievers, bandages and medical supplies for survivors with traumainjuries.

CARE (****) - Deploying emergency team members to Port-au-Prince and will bedistributing food. Over 100 staff members on the ground coordinatingwith U.N. agencies.

Convoy of Hope (****) - Setting up an emergency command center just outside Port-au-Prince where food, water and supplies are being distributed.

Direct Relief International (****) - Arranging an emergency airlift containing over $2 million in medicines and medical supplies that will depart on January 15.

Doctors Without Borders, USA (****) - Currently treating people on the ground and will be operating an inflatable hospital.

Food For the Poor (****) - Accepting cash donations, canned eats, fish,condensed/evaporated/powdered milk, and water. Almost 100 containers ofurgently needed medical supplies, rice and canned food from Food ForThe Poor are ready to be distributed to the people of Haiti. Another300 containers are planned as a part of the initial relief effort.

Partners in Health (****) - Has been working in Haiti for 20 years. They are organizing medical personnel volunteers and gathering supplies.

Save the Children (****) - Has worked in Haiti for 25 years with 100 staff on the ground. Will be providing food, water, shelter and child-friendly spaces. Because Save the Children's offices did not suffer the structural damage as did other non-governmental organizations, other aid workers have taken refuge in the agency's compound, where operations are being run out of offices and tents.

Water Missions International (****) - Raising funds so they can directly provide safe water to earthquake survivors. Has full-time staff on the ground in Port-au-Prince and are poised to respond as quickly as possible to the survivors of the quake.

Of course, these are just a few of the many charities offering aid. For other options for your philanthropic investment, please refer to this extended list of highly-rated charities.

Reaching Relatives in Haiti - To help US families reach relatives in Haiti, for the next two weeks, GoogleVoice* is offering free calls to Haiti. If you don't have a Google Voice account, you can request an invitation at www.google.com/voice.  T-Mobile Customers may also call relatives in Haiti at no cost, from January 12th to the 31st.

* See site for details and restrictions