I question going through Red Cross also Goldie. For Haiti, our church actually took donations but I cannot remember the group the money went through. Nothing was mentioned yesterday, but I plan to ask. Hopefully we will be doing this for Japan also. If not, I will be interested to see other suggestions here.

tina

Not to start a religious/political debate but, you might also consider the Salvation Army.

I gave to the Red Cross. Here's a link to what they're already doing in Japan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Cross

I've heard the Red Cross isn't good but I didn't know why so I just googled & found this-

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma and Rita in 2005, the organization raised some $2.1 billion. In fact, it stopped taking donations for that effort in February, 2006, and urged the public to help other charities engaged in hurricane relief work.

The American Red Cross has been criticized for its handling of donations post 9/11. As a consequence, it has instituted many safeguards and has been praised for its low overhead costs. During Hurricane Katrina, the organization said that 91 cents of every dollar donated specifically for that disaster would go directly to disaster relief. That is a remarkably low overhead for a large nonprofit.

Here is a Yahoo article on ways to help Link - Japan earthquake and tsunami: How to help

Google crisis response- 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

BBB Tips for Japan Earthquake Donations the BBB urges givers to make sure their donations will go to legitimate and reputable charities and relief efforts that have the capability to help those in need.

Help will be needed regarding the earthquake and the major tsunami that slammed Japan's eastern coast and that is expected to hit many areas of the Pacific Friday, potentially including the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii.

"When we learn of these disasters our natural instinct is to reach out to charities and relief efforts that can help; however, please take a moment to be sure you are connecting with those that actually can," said Fred T. Elsberry, Jr., President and CEO of the BBB Serving Metro Atlanta, Athens & Northeast Georgia. "Not only do people need to be concerned about avoiding fraud, they also need to make sure their money goes to those that are equipped and experienced to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance."

The BBB offers the following tips to help Americans decide where to direct donations:

* Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other Web sites, as they might not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations to verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
* Be cautious when giving online. Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. In response to the tsunami disaster in 2004, there were concerns raised about many Web sites and new organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims.
* Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the disaster impact areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers to quickly provide assistance. See if the charity's website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.
* Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.
Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider "avoiding the middleman" and giving directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to ensure the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.
* Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims. Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims that 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting earthquake victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fund raising and administrative expenses. They may use some of their other funds to pay this, but the expenses will still be incurred.
* Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations. In-kind drives for food and clothing, while well intentioned, may not be the best or quickest way to help those in need. Even if the organization has the staff and infrastructure to be able to properly distribute such aid, a money donation may be far more helpful to a charity that is responding to a crisis situation.
* Donate directly to the relief charity you have chosen. You may be tempted to make a donation by texting. Charities can raise significant sums this way, but be aware that it might take a long while for the money to reach the nonprofit if it is given through mobile texting. Text donations also typically have limitations on the amount you can give. To put your disaster relief gift to work faster, go directly to the charity's website to make your donation, or call them with your credit card number.

Here is a link that might be useful: Top 100 non-profit charities

We used Red Cross. I have not heard any negative press over the years. I am so glad they are there to help the Japanese people.

Consider Mercy Corps. they already have a presence in Japan and are a very highly rated charity.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mercy Corps

I heard something on the radio to send donations to either the Red Cross, Save the Children or Mercy Corps, because they had the best on the ground presence in Japan.

Another Red Cross donator here.

We are donating to the Salvation army after hearing recently that all the funds that were donated for Haiti did not get there.

Here is a link that might be useful: Red Cross/Haiti

We had an email at work about how to help. I can't recall the link, but it included Red Cross. Each of the places listed had a blurb about how they help and it seemed that Red Cross would be the most ready to go. Some of the other charities (primarily faith based, but SA was not listed) mentioned that they would collect funds and then determine how best to use them once they got to the site. I have no doubt they do their best, but my philosophy in this type of situation is that it's usually best left to the professionals. RC has been doing this a LONG time, and they're established in Japan.

Something else that had been mentioned was that Japan has a very organized system, as opposed, to say, Haiti. Their government is much more on top of things and they've trained for situations such as this. So I personally think that the most expedient and efficient use of my donation would be handled by the Red Cross.

But no matter how you donate, it's for a good cause.

We have a good friend in Japan and we asked him for recs as to which organization he thought was already on the ground doing the most effective work, now. The response: The Japanese Red Cross.

Ordinarily for disasters, I would give to Doctors Without Borders, or the American Friends Service Committee (Quakers). Both of these organizations have long, unblemished, histories of helping in both acute and in long term crises.

In the end we did something that I don't suggest would work for most people: we sent cash (in a registered letter) to our friend and asked him to pass it on to either a public charity, or if he sees an urgent need, to a private situation.

L

I Recommend World Vision. They already have people in Japan and have a good record as far as I know.

I don't give to Red Cross because the 2 times my community was involved in a natural disaster and needed RC, the only thing they ever gave to anyone was a pathetic sandwich and a can of juice. No kidding. I'll never forget how they sped through the streets after Katrina, and when they did stop after someone threw themselves in front of their truck, they offered the people 1 36 oz. bottle of water for 3 adults, then sped away. They were needed in the neighborhoods where some people were stranded, but instead they parked miles away where people could not reach them. If there is no gas and no transportation, how are people going to get to them? They had the gas and resources and barely showed their presence. I'll find another charity to give to.

My husband's company, which is well-versed in international business, is donating to Mercy Corps (a great group, as people have mentioned), International Medical Corps, and GlobalGiving. The last two are also mentioned in the first link in roselvr's post. Any one of those would be great.

His company gave to the same organization my brother recommended re Haiti--Partners in Health--so they're a trustworthy source when it comes to aiming donations.

Thanks! Made a donation to Mercy Corps even though I have done major fundraising for our local Red Cross. Time to diversify!

Me, too. Am also sending them some $$ for Haiti, because I'll bet donations for other ravaged areas have slowed down, as we move our attention to Japan.

Has anyone read if they are going to be setting up clothing donations?

As in most other disasters, it is usually best to make cash donations, rather donations of goods. Then they can use the money for exactly what they need.