Once again, disaster has struck.
Once again, communities near and far rally to aid those affected.
Sadly, once again, many who give with an open heart will be taken in by scammers.
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There are few things worse than preying on those who out of a spirit of generosity and genuine concern for others, give their time, talent or treasure to aid their fellow man. Preying on the victims themselves is one of those few, worse things. A close second is organizations who use the media attention of a current disaster to fill their coffers.
There are literally dozens of disaster relief organizations, civic groups, churches and schools that are as of this moment gathering supplies while awaiting permission to deliver them to those in the affected areas. The vast majority, particularly those requesting clothing, non-perishable foods and household items, are genuine, above-board and do what they say they will do with your donations. Gathered donations are and will be put into the hands of those who need them at locations being set up.
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It may seem strange to hear those already in place assisting the affected asking people to stay away from the areas. From their perspective, more people wandering around, even with the best of intentions, are simply more people to keep track of in a dangerous situation. Those who are trained to enter and assess damaged structures are already hard at work, doing all they can to help the living begin to put their lives back together. There are also those who are trained to help the survivors bury the dead and begin what will be a lifelong heart wrenching journey of life without their loved ones.
We are a generous people, but there are those among us whose only intent would be to prey on the victims, pick through the rubble of what was someone’s home and steal whatever valuables they find. This is one of the unspoken reasons for controlling access to the affected areas, a sad fact but one we must face as well.
The need will be great in the coming days, weeks and even months. While there are many reputable groups and organizations, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest, not just for what they do and how they help, but for who they are and how their organization is run.
I’ve written before about Team Rubicon, whose self-definition is,
TEAM RUBICON: proper noun | tēm rü-bi-ķän| : 1: a group of military veterans and medical professionals irrevocably committed to changing veteran reintegration and disaster response 2: the “Nation” of supporters who make this mission possible
They are already on the ground in the Philippines, assisting the tens of thousands there “with medical triage and assessment efforts in coordination with the U.S. military and Philippine government”. Now, they are gearing up for a mission here at home, literally in the backyard of one Team Rubicon Region V (MN, WI, IL, IN, MI and OH) member.
I thought I knew who they were and what they do, but as they say, there is always something more to be learned. This is far and away my favorite, and in my opinion, the most impressive disaster response organization currently operating anywhere on the planet. That was my opinion before I found out exactly how they spend their donation dollars. And what they do with any monies left once the mission is complete.
Simply, they offer donors their money back.
They even offer a money-back guarantee.
When you go to their website to donate, right above the bright red “Donate to Disaster Relief” button, it says,
“Financial transparency is paramount at Team Rubicon. If for any reason within a calendar year you’re unhappy with our work, we’ll refund your contribution, no questions asked.”
They can do this, in part, because there are only three paid employees in the organization, and their salaries are met by separate, private donations.
Their “Pledge in Action" states,
“For the first time since our initial Haiti operation, Team Rubicon raised more money than the cost of the mission. We offered our donors a portion of their money back after Haiti, and in keeping with our commitment to be transparent and accountable, we are doing it again. Everyone who donated through our website during Tuscaloosa and Joplin can elect to receive the percentage of money back not spent on those specific operations. People who donated during the Tuscaloosa operation can receive 52% of their money back, and people who donated during the Joplin operation can receive 78%.”
Think about this for a moment. Not only are they so committed to transparency that they will only use directed donations for that particular relief effort, they are so efficient that they routinely use less money than they collect. Of course, they hope that donors will choose to allow their directed donations to be used for other missions and needs of the organization. But donors can be assured that however the monies are spent, it won't be on inflated salaries.
There are many good disaster relief organizations out there, but there are none who offer this level of financial transparency, this level of assurance that your donated dollars are doing exactly what you intend.
To follow Team Rubicon, see who they are and what they do, as well as to donate, follow the links below.
How Team Rubicon Works-Their Mission
Who Team Rubicon Is – The People
Team Rubicon Region V-How to Donate to those affected by Sunday’s tornados
On Facebook, you can follow Team Rubicon's National page as well as the local, Region V page. This is one 'like' that says all the right things about you.
