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I saw this via Cari Tuna. The GiveWell blog recommends at this point not to specifically donate to the Japan relief efforts, but to either 1) give to disaster relief in general or 2) give to non-disaster-and-relief efforts in Japan.And it appears that what many people believe to be donations to the Japan relief efforts, are not actually making their way there. Instead, they're being added to things like the American Red Cross' normal funds -- not a bad thing by any means, but perhaps misleading to the donors. See Mark Wilson's post on Gizmodo [1].More from GiveWell [2]:The situation in Japan is tragic and worrying, and our hearts continue to go out to those affected and responding.On Friday, we recommended that donors wait to see how the situation unfolds before giving. At this point we are ready to make a recommendation, though of course this is subject to change as the situation changes.We believe thatThose affected have requested very little, limited aid. Aid being offered far exceeds aid being requested. (Details below.)Charities are aggressively soliciting donations, often in ways we feel are misleading (more on this in future posts).Any donation you make will probably be used (a) by the charity you give it to, for activities in a different country; (b) for non-disaster-relief-and-recovery efforts in Japan.If you’re looking to pursue (a) and help people in need all over the world, we recommend giving to the best charity you can, rather than basing your giving on who is appealing to you most aggressively with images and language regarding Japan.If you prefer (b), a gift to the Japanese Red Cross seems reasonable.Overall, though, a gift to Doctors Without Borders seems to us like the best way to effectively “respond to this disaster”. We feel they are a leader in transparency, honesty and integrity in relief organizations, and the fact that they’re not soliciting funds for Japan is a testament to this. Rewarding Doctors Without Borders is a move toward improving incentives and improving disaster relief in general.Below, we give the evidence we’ve found that the relief/recovery effort does not have room for more funding.Because the situation is changing rapidly, we often include archived versions of the pages we link to (these archives will retain their content even if the pages themselves are changed).Determining room for more funding in a disasterAs argued previously, we think it’s an open question whether a given disaster has room for more funding. Our basic (evolving) process for assessing the needs in a disaster situation is:First see whether a significant gap exists between requested and pledged/committed aid. Requests for money are, in our view, a necessary (though not sufficient) indicator that there is room for more funding.Next, collect whatever information is available about the progress of the relief effort, and look for signs that money is or isn’t a primary bottleneck to a better effort. In the case of Haiti,we’ve found signs that non-monetary issues have been primary obstacles to progress.If it seems that more money is both requested and needed, look at what is being spent, and on how many people, and make an assessment of how this giving compares to everyday relief for the world’s poor. In the case of Haiti and the Asian tsunami, we concluded that relief appeared less cost-effective than everyday international aid. The story might be very different in less-publicized disasters that have more trouble attracting funding.At this stage, we don’t believe that this crisis passes the first test above. It looks to us like more aid is being offered than requested.Info from OCHA and ReliefWebOne of the first places we look in a situation like this is to U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is “the arm of the UN Secretariat that is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure coherent response to emergencies,” as well as its affiliated site ReliefWeb. ReliefWeb is especially useful because in addition to consolidating official updates on an unfolding crisis, it consolidates official appeals for funding. Here’s what we observe from these sources:There is no official appeal for Japan at this time. See the list of appeals (archived) andappeals page for Japan specifically (archived), which includes funding information but no appeal.Very limited assistance (and even more limited funding) has been deployed by Reliefweb-reporting sources. Both the latest situation report (PDF) and latest funding summary (both updated as of today) make it clear thatMost assistance being provided is in the form of specialized relief teams, not cash.Committed or gifted cash from Reliefweb-reporting sources includes $1 million from Sri Lanka, about $750,000 from the U.S., and other gifts bringing the total to about $2.2 million - about twice what Zynga has raised for Save the Children through social gaming.Contrast with Haiti: a comparable situation report (PDF) 3 days after the disaster announced an appeal for $562 million, with $66 million already gifted and $359 million pledged.Japanese Red CrossThe latest official update from any Red Cross appears to be a March 12 information bulletin from the Japanese Red Cross (archived). This bulletin opens with the following:This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The Japanese Red Cross Society, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, has determined that external assistance is not required, and is therefore not seeking funding or other assistance from donors at this time.I’m not exactly sure how to square this with the donate page for the Japanese Red Cross(archived), which states:If you wish your fund to be distributed directly among the affected population of the earthquake and tsunami, please direct your fund to the following bank account. If you need the receipt of your fund, please state so clearly in the comment section of the bank transfer order. All the fund received under this account will be transferred to the Distribution Committee, which is formed around the local government of the disaster-affected prefecture and to administer the distribution of fund.One possible interpretation is that funds will be given directly to those affected by the earthquake, but funds are not needed for the relief effort itself.Japanese governmentThis quote from Reuters (archived) is consistent with the above picture:Japan’s government has received offers for assistance from 91 countries, and has accepted assistance from about 15 based on assessed needs, mostly for specialized international urban search and rescue (USAR) teams and medical teams.CharitiesCharities seem to be sending a very different message from the above sources. By and large, they seem to be aggressively soliciting donations, and we feel that many are implying these donations will be used in the relief/recovery effort. (Details in a future post.)However, a close look at the language they’re using reveals that their actual involvement in relief/recovery may be very limited and they are seeking donations for other activities.Gizmodo’s Mark Wilson did a good early analysis of this phenomenon, and a look at the up-to-date descriptions of activities from the Chronicle of Philanthropy (archived) and InterAction(archived) still appears to me to indicate limited involvement, and to be full of language that raises questions about whether involvement is forthcoming. A few examples:“Catholic Relief Services: The organization said Friday it has personnel standing by throughout the pacific, waiting for requests for help from Caritas Japan.”“Oxfam America: The organization’s Web site this morning displayed the headline “Worst Quake in Japan on Record” and asked visitors to donate to its Saving Lives 24/7 Fund.” TheSaving Lives 24/7 fund (archived) appears global in focus.“Save the Children: The charity said Friday it is mobilizing people and supplies to respond to the earthquake. The organization has worked in Japan for 25 years. On Saturday, it announced it had partnered with online game company Zynga to add calls to donate in the company’s games. On Sunday, the charity said it has sent an emergency team to assess needs in the worst-affected areas.”” World Vision: The charity this morning reported that its offices in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands are on alert to assist in tsunami response. A team is also on standby for possible deployment.”One notable exception is Doctors Without Borders, which has been completely explicit that it is not seeking funding for Japan relief. Its note on funding for Japan (archived) statesAt this point, we are drawing on unrestricted donations given to MSF to fund our efforts, and we are not accepting donations specifically earmarked for recovery efforts in Japan. We greatly appreciate your generosity and encourage your support of our work. We will continue to post updates on our homepage, Facebook, and Twitter as new information becomes available.Many other organizations may also be soliciting donations only for global efforts, but Doctors Without Borders has the most clear and explicit note that we’ve seen.On Friday, we stated that “we prefer Doctors Without Borders … because of its past decision to stop accepting donations for Haiti relief; this greatly reduces the risk in our eyes that it will over-solicit, a very important concern in this case.” It appears that Doctors Without Borders has, in fact, not over-solicited.This may cause Doctors Without Borders to raise less money in this disaster, but we’re hoping at least some donors will reward it.The bottom lineI wouldn’t want anyone to take this post as an argument that (a) the situation in Japan is anything other than extremely tragic and extremely challenging; (b) you shouldn’t give to charity.My interpretation, rather, is thatthe people and government of Japan are extraordinarily well-prepared, as well as competent and well-resourced, and do not need significant external assistance in order to mount a maximally effective relief and recovery effort.Therefore, you as a donor do not have the power to improve the relief and recovery effort in Japan. If you do give, your gift will probably be used (a) by the charity you give it to, for activities in a different country; (b) for non-disaster-relief-and-recovery efforts in Japan.Of the above two possibilities, I find (a) more appealing, because Japan is a wealthy country and everyday needs are greater elsewhere. But if you’re looking to pursue (a) and help people in need all over the world, I’d highly recommend giving to the best charity you can, rather than basing your giving on who is appealing to you most aggressively with images and language regarding Japan.If you prefer (b), a gift to the Japanese Red Cross seems reasonable.Overall, though, a gift to Doctors Without Borders seems to me like the best way to effectively “respond to this disaster”. We feel they are a leader in transparency, honesty and integrity in relief organizations, and the fact that they’re not soliciting funds for Japan is a testament to this. Rewarding Doctors Without Borders is a move toward improving incentives and improving disaster relief in general.Others with similar sentimentsBrigid Slipka makes the excellent suggestion of putting aside a donation and giving it later.Saundra Schimmelpfennig further defends this idea.Felix Salmon urges unrestricted gifts to help people in general, not donations targeting Japan.=== from a previous GiveWell post on Japan [3] ===Where should you give? Lessons from HaitiOver the last year, we’ve been examining the responses of major relief organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Our report grades these organizations on their transparency; the ones that stand out most are Direct Relief International, Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health. Of these three, the first two appear to be responding to the Japan events (see these links for Doctors Without Borders and Direct Relief International).Therefore, for donors determined to give to Japan relief/recovery, our top recommendation goes to Doctors Without Borders, followed by Direct Relief International. The reason we prefer Doctors Without Borders is because of its past decision to stop accepting donations for Haiti relief; this greatly reduces the risk in our eyes that it will over-solicit, a very important concern in this case (see immediately below).We have also done substantial work assessing the overall spending and progress of the Haiti relief/recovery effort, and we feel that it provides an illustration of the fact thatDisaster relief can face many challenges other than money.More money isn’t necessarily helpful.Overfunding a relief effort can be much less cost-effective than everyday international aid.Why Japan is differentThis disaster is very different from other recent headline-making disasters. The 2005 Asian tsunami and 2010 Haiti earthquake took place in very poor countries; by contrast, Japan is a very wealthy country, with the 2nd- or 3rd-biggest economy in the world and per-person income in the same ballpark as that of the U.S.This matters for several reasons.Much better infrastructure and fewer logistical challenges. The The New York Times reports thatOver the years, Japan has spent billions of dollars developing the most advanced technology against earthquakes and tsunamis. The Japanese, who regularly experience smaller earthquakes and have lived through major ones, know how to react to quakes and tsunamis because of regular drills — unlike Southeast Asians, many of whom died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami because they lingered near the coast despite clear warnings to flee.This factor could cut both ways for donors. Facing fewer challenges could mean needing less money to respond and rebuild; however, it could also mean that there’s more of what we call room for more funding. (In the case of Haiti, logistical hurdles appear to have created many non-monetary bottlenecks to relief and recovery, as discussed above.)Relief agencies are unlikely to have a strong existing local presence, and we find a local presence less relevant in general. From what we’ve seen major relief organizations (including the ones we recommend) do not have substantial existing presences in Japan, as they focus on working in less wealthy countries. Due to the likely smaller logistical challenges, we don’t think this should be a major factor in donors’ decisions.There may be some challenges that are quite different from those seen in less wealthy countries, such as keeping nuclear reactors under control.[1] http://gizmodo.com/#!5781182/did-your-donation-really-reach-japan-probably-not[2] http://blog.givewell.org/2011/03/15/update-on-how-to-help-japan-funding-is-not-needed-we-recommend-giving-to-doctors-without-borders-to-promote-better-disaster-relief-in-general/[3] http://blog.givewell.org/2011/03/11/japan-earthquaketsunami-disaster-relief-donations/

The nonprofit will provide you with an acknowledgement letter thanking you for your time in conducting the fundraiser.If you purchased supplies, without taking them out of proceeds, you can get a tax receipt for that.My organization has a post event form that you would complete to delineate all of this. Acknowledgements provided to you would be based on this information.I also strongly encourage you to reach out to the charity ahead of time to discuss your event and to get permission to use their name and logo. Often they have tools and resources to make it easier for you…such as official letters to request donations.

Many people believe that we have the best education system in the world right here in the United States. They falsely believe that the entire education system will educate them and make them gainfully employable and tax paying citizens of the United States.They even mistakenly believe that by attending the most prestigious universities in the United States (e.g. Harvard, Yale and Princeton Universities) they will not only get the best education that money can by, they will also be able to hob-knob with the children of the very rich and thereby be guaranteed employment with their future employers. When, in reality these prestigious ivy league universities are nothing more than a social club for the children of the very rich. Furthermore, these children of the very rich will more than likely continue to run the family businesses and employ people they have never met before.The true facts of the matter are that the entire education system of the United States (from kindergarten to the highest levels of the university education system) is nothing more than a scam. At all levels of the United States educational system, it fraudulently represents its true capabilities, steals taxpayer dollars, retards mental development at all levels and mass produces graduates that will never be gainfully employable contributing members of society.At the lower levels of the United States education system, it retards mental development by killing the innate propensities of all children to think, question things, do exploration, create and do creative problem solving. In reality, the public education system in the United States is nothing more than a taxpayer financed baby sitting service.In reality, every level of the education system in the United States truly fails to educate it’s students. Most significantly, all of the institutions of higher education make promises that they know they will never be able to deliver upon. They will eagerly take that money you are paying them for attending their institutions of higher education (many of you will pay for this education through government backed student loans) and deliver in return failed promises and degrees that are not worth the paper they are printed on. Hence, the end results for many of the graduates of the higher education system of the United States are that many of them will never be gainfully employed and will be burdened by student loan debt that they will never be able to pay back.But, fear not. There is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. You see, the true purpose of the process of education is to teach you how to teach yourself. Furthermore, all of the resources that you require are both freely and publicly available from every one of the libraries in the United States. This includes all of the public libraries, college libraries and university libraries of this United States. All of these library systems are freely and publicly accessible by you the taxpayer. All libraries in the United States are funded by both taxpayer dollars and charitable donations (the college and university libraries are even funded largely by government backed student loans).Two of the most shocking facts about all libraries in the United States (at all levels) are that they are both under utilized and under funded. In spite of the fact that they are the only true seat of knowledge in this country. Therefore, do not let these libraries go to waist. Use them, they are the greatest resource you will ever have available to you.Incredibly enough, the first step you need to take to use these incredible library based resources is a library card. A library card that in many cases is free for the asking and in some cases (the case of colleges and university libraries) can be gotten for a nominal fee (usually less then ten dollars (USD)). In the case of the college and university libraries, the ten dollars that you will pay for the library card will be one of the best investments you will ever make in your entire life.The steps that you should take to educate yourself should be the following.Firstly, find and define a problem that you are interested in learning about and trying to solve.Secondly, find a book on how to formally document the learned material. This book should tell you how to write a thesis/dissertation and must explain this process in great detail. A universally accepted book that explains this process in tremendous detail is a book written by Kate Turabian and the title of this book is “A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Thesis and Dissertations” (this book comes in many editions and you should find the latest edition of this book). Use this extremely valuable book as a reference manual on how to officially and universally document your education in a written document that is in the form of a book.Thirdly, research all the different theories and opinions about this problem and its possible solutions (as many as you can possibly find in the libraries vast store house of books, periodicals and computer databases).Fourthly, read all these different books, periodicals and databases that you have found for these various theories and opinions about the problem that you are interested in learning about. Keep notes of everything you are reading and more importantly keep these notes in a format that is discussed in the Kate Turabian book (how to write research papers, thesis and dissertations).Fifthly, when you are done reading all the sources of the theories and opinions on the problem and potential solutions that you are interested in potentially solving.Sixthly, think critically about all the different theories, opinions and potential solutions that you have read about from your research. Make sure to also write down any and all of your very own theories, opinions and solutions to the problem that you have read about in your research. It is important that these theories, opinions and solutions to the problem that you have researched be both uniquely your own and be based upon a critical analysis of all that you have read in your research on the problem that you are interested in solving.Seventhly, formally start and complete the process of documenting what you have read (using your notes) and your written theories, opinions and solutions to the problem you have researched. Remember, this document must be exactly in the format that is discussed in the Kate Turabian book on how to write research papers, thesis and dissertation.Eighthly, make at least three copies of your research document. The first copy is your copy to keep. The second copy is for the Copyright office and the third copy is for the Library of Congress to archive. The entire cost of the copyright registration process, the archiving process, the cost of the money order and all the costs associated with the mailing of your two copies of your research document should not cost more than two hundred dollars (USD). At the time of this writing, the United States Copyright Office filing fee was eighty five dollars and the cost of the United States Post Office money order was one dollar and twenty cents. The cost of the shipping box, packing tape for the shipping box and postage vary. The postage varies by the weight of the items being shipped by the United States postal system. Remember that it is important to request a copyright registration form from the United States Copyright Office. The United States Copyright Office can be contacted toll free by phone at (877) 476-0778. You must read and complete this registration form. It is also important that you check the appropriate box that tells the Library of Congress to archive you research document. Finally, you must send the money order, registration form and the two copies of your research document to the United States Copyright Office. Since, this is a government related agency that you are dealing with it will be advisable that you ship all these materials via certified mail return receipt requested. This is import because you will need to have documented proof that the items sent to the United States Copyright Office have actually been received by the United States Copyright Office. You should also understand that the processing time of this government office is several months; hence, it will take this government agency several months to send you the official acknowledgement that your research documents have been processed.After all of this, you are finally done with the process of officially recording your learning.Good luck.You should always remember that knowledge is power.Dr Marco AV Bitetto