Take a Yoga Class to Benefit Haiti!
To encourage Karma Yoga, Dream teachers will be offering yoga classes to benefit Haiti on Saturday, MARCH 6.  You can also DONATE NOW to contribute to Dream Yoga's efforts to raise $15,000 to support Partner's in Health's STAND WITH HAITI campaign.  More...

 

 Tips for Selecting a Charity
Yogis everywhere are uniting to provide help and support to those  in Haiti who have been impacted by the earthquake.  Dream Yoga Studio suggests the following to help you select an organization if you wish to contribute on your own.  Both GuideStar and Charity Navigator provide a list of charities that are engaged on the front lines of the Haitian relief effort.

GuideStar
Charity Navigator

Haiti Giving Tips (from GuideStar)

Be pro-active, not re-active.
It's not necessary or wise to respond to every call or request. Instead, follow the steps below to give wisely.

Determine what kind of relief you want to support.
What are your values and priorities? What matters to you? "Disaster relief" has many faces—emergency housing, provision of potable water, medical assistance, feeding the hungry, sending in search and rescue teams. Decide which one(s) you want to give to.

Do a little research.
Use a reputable source, such as GuideStar or Charity Navigator to identify charities doing the work you want to support. All of the charities listed on these sites are legitimate organizations recognized by the IRS, and you can contribute directly from the sites.

If you already have an organization in mind and are familiar with its Website, you can do your research there. Be careful, however, if you haven't been to the site before or don't know the organization well. Con artists often post bogus Web sites and run scam donation campaigns immediately after a disaster. If you aren't already familiar with a relief organization's site, protect yourself by linking to it from a trusted site such as GuideStar, Network for Good, or JustGive. Avoid new Web sites and links provided in e-mails. And don’t text your donation unless you’re very sure that you're texting a legitimate organization.

Ask questions.

• Does the charity have experience working in disaster relief and in particular Haiti?

Time is of the essence—lives are at risk, so you want to give to organizations that have the ability to get relief where it needs to go quickly and efficiently.

• How does the charity describe its mission and programs? Its accomplishments?
• Do the programs support the mission? Does the charity use concrete measurements to evaluate its accomplishments?
• How do people who have first-hand experience with the charity evaluate its services?

Consider making another gift in a few weeks or months.
"Disaster relief" is a long-term process, as we've seen in the aftermath of the December 26, 2004, tsunamis and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

 

 

More Tips For Funding Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts (from Charity Navigator)

Consider The Nature Of The Charity’s Work – Not every charity is responding in the same way. Some are providing medical assistance, some shelter, some food and water. Others will be more focused on either short term or long term rebuilding efforts. And some are just helping to fundraise for other nonprofits. Think about what it is you want your philanthropic investment to accomplish and then take the time to find the charities doing that work. At Charity Navigator,  we link to each charity’s website so that you can quickly learn more about their plans to help in Haiti.

Be Inspired By Social Media, But Still Do Your Homework – Social networking tools like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and blogs are delivering heart-wrenching images and information about Haiti to our computers and phones. Many of them include pleas to donate. While these tools can be a powerful tool to inspire your desire to help, you should not blindly give via these vehicles. You must take the time to investigate the groups behind such pleas for help to ensure that it comes from a legitimate nonprofit. For example, you can donate $10 to the American Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to 90999.  As of today, this tool has raised $3 million for the Haiti earthquake relief efforts.

Do Not Give To The Haitian Government – Haiti is known to be a corrupt country. And news reports post earthquake indicate that the government is pretty much not functioning. If that isn’t enough reason not to give directly to the Haiti government, then consider the fact that contributions to foreign governments are not tax deductible.

Designate Your Investment – Generally, it is best to trust your chosen charity to spend your donation as it sees fit. But with disaster related giving, you should specify that you want your donation only used to respond to this particular crisis.

Avoid Telemarketers – As always, hang up the phone do your homework and give directly to a charity.

Actions a Few Nonprofits Are Taking

American Red Cross is taking contributions and has responders in Port-au-Prince providing water and first aid as well as finding lost loved ones and transporting the injured to health facilities. You can donate online or by texting the word "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 on behalf of the American Red Cross.

Oxfam has an emergency team in the capital, Port-au-Prince, responding with public health, water, and sanitation services. You can donate online through its Haiti Earthquake Response Fund or by calling 1-800-77-OXFAM.

Partners In Health is taking contributions for relief efforts in Haiti, including medical supplies. The organization has had a presence in Haiti for more than 20 years, working to address the health care needs of the country's poor.

You can donate to The Salvation Army's efforts in Haiti by calling 800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769) or visiting their Web site and designating that your donation is for the Haiti earthquake.

The UN World Food Programme is accepting donations. Head of the WFP Josette Sheeran said the agency is deploying its resources in Haiti, including 86 metric tons of food. You can donate here.

National Nurses United has issued a call for nurse volunteers to provide assistance to those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.