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How Can I Help The Victims Of Hurricane Katrina?

This question rises today in the minds of many Americans, trying to help millions of people who are suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and desperately need water, food, shelter and medical care.

However, before you make any donation, make sure you find the right charity to help Hurricane Katrina victims.

How to Find the Right Charity to Help Hurricane Katrina Victims?

Give to a well established Charity: Don't let an unscrupulous charity take advantage of your goodwill. Shop arround and find a charity with a proven track record of success with dealing with this region and this type of disaster. Avoid instant charities created this week, specifically to deal with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Designate your donation: Many charities do encourage donors not to designate their donation and let the charity to decide how best to utilize the money. It is your donation, so depending on your confidence in the charity's ability to make that determination, you may want to tell the charity exactly how to use it. Remmember to designate your gift specifically for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and by that ensure that your donation will be used for the victims of this particular disaster.

Identify your preferences: "Disaster relief" comes in many forms'emergency shelter, food, clean water, transportation, medical assistance, even communications as aid workers coordinate activities and survivors search for family members. Decide which activities you want to support. There's no right or wrong answer, just what's right for you and the charities will respect that.

Avoid Telemarketers and Identity theft: Be wary of fundraisers who pressure you to make a contribution over the phone. Never divulge your credit card information to someone soliciting you via the phone. Instead, ask the fundraiser to send you written information about the charity they represent and do some good research on your own. Once you feel comfortable with the charity, send the organization a check directly in the mail, or give through their secure website.

Research And Follow Up: As always, take the time to find a charity you can trust.

A sample list of Charities that help the victims of Hurricane Katrina includes American Red Cross, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, AmeriCares, America's Second Harvest, Brother's Brother Foundation, Capital Area United Way, Christian Relief Fund, Church World Service, Convoy of Hope, Feed the Children, Mercy Corps, Operation Blessing International, Samaritan's Purse, United Way of Miami-Dade, World Emergency Relief, and Network For Good.

Trust your instincts: If you still have doubts about a charity, don't contribute to it. Instead, find another nonprofit that does the same kind of work and with which you feel comfortable, then make your donation.

Donate online at http://www.betotal.com/katrina.html

This article was partly based on data found on Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) and GuideStar (www.guidestar.org) websites. Thanks for your fine work.