Right now, various organizations are asking for donations to ensure help and support to Japan, but we all must be aware that simply giving money is not enough! We must be careful about who are we giving our help to.

This post is about spreading some tips you should know before writing your credit card number in the first site with touching images of this tragedy and pleas to donate. WE WON’T ACCEPT DONATIONS FOR JAPAN ON THIS WEBSITE! We’re a metal band, not a charity organization, we are not qualified to handle your money for this purpose. But we want to help, too, and we think that the best we can do on this website is to advertise the ones who can actually help the japanese people hit by the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami.

By the way, if you’re into the japanese animation like we are, we can suggest you this interesting initiative: the media-distribution site Crunchyroll will match your donations up to $5000. This means that for every dollar you give, they give the same amount!

Do you want to refer to other organizations? Good! But please keep in mind some useful tips you can find on Charitynavigator.org. We’re pasting here some of them, but you can find more (as well as the most suitable charity organizations’ list) following the link above:

Wait and see: While we all feel an urgent need to help immediately following a massive disaster, some donors may want to wait a few days before donating. By then, charities should have a more clear plan of how they’ll provide aid.

Avoid Newly-Formed Charities and Give To An Established Charity That Has Worked In Japan – Establishing a new charity is hard enough, but in a crisis, the odds of succeeding are slim to none. Think of it this way: would you entrust all your savings in a financial firm that just opened, doesn’t even have stationery, and whose employees have no experience in investing money? Doubtful. Find a charity with a proven track record of success in providing disaster relief on a massive scale and one that has worked in Japan and the other impacted regions. Start with the list of charities on the right and if a group you are considering supporting isn’t there, then take the time to thoroughly research it before making a gift.

Do Not Send Supplies – Knowing that people are desperately in need of food and water, it is hard not to want to pack up a box of supplies and send it to Japan. But this type of philanthropy is simply not practical or efficient. Even if mail could get to an impacted region, no one is set up to receive these goods, much less organize and distribute them to the victims. Furthermore, charities are often able to partner with companies to acquire large amounts of in-kind donations such as bottled water and new clothing. Instead of boxing up and sending your old clothing, have a garage sale and turn your used goods into cash and donate that to a worthy charity.

Be Careful Of Email Solicitations

• • Be Leery Of People That Contact You Online Claiming To Be A Victim – Unless you personally know someone in Japan, anyone alleging to be in this position is most likely part of a scam. Obviously, people affected by the earthquake and tsunami are in no position to contact you directly for assistance.
  • Delete Unsolicited Emails With Attachments – Never respond to unsolicited emails. Do not open any attachments to these emails even if they claim to contain pictures from Japan. These attachments are probably viruses.

Seek Out The Charity’s Authorized Website – Criminals are likely to set up bogus sites to steal the identity and money of generous and unsuspecting individuals. We saw this after Hurricane Katrina when the FBI reported that 4,000 sites were created to do just that. So, if you plan to give online, be sure to find the charity’s legitimate site. You can safely give on Charity Navigator’s site via our partnership with Network for Good. Alternatively, we link to each charity’s authorized site so you can give there if you prefer.

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 the earthquake and tsunami 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.

Do Not Expect Immediate Results, But Do Keep Tabs On What Your Donation Accomplishes- It takes time for charities to mobilize, to assess the problems that need to be addressed and to develop effective solutions. Donors need to be patient so charities will not feel pressured to plunge in and offer ineffective aid, simply to placate impatient donors. That doesn’t mean donors shouldn’t hold the charities accountable for delivering on their promises! Be sure to follow up with the charity in a few months to find out (a) how your donation was put to use and (b) if the organization needs additional support to complete the recovery effort.

As we stated above, there are more tips on the Charitynavigator jap earthquake page, so take your time and carefully read them before giving your money to someone you don’t really know. If you really want to help people you need to be CLEVER and not only generous!

We really hope this little post can contribute in creating a better aid culture.

Gadjet