“Coolify” Your Smart Compassion

Love Urban Dictionary? Enhance your disaster response street cred with these need-to-know buzzwords:

1. Disaster Relief: Disaster survivors frequently need assistance to recover and rebuild. Supplies and programs provided by NGOS on the ground are essential to meet short-term needs like emergency medical care, and longer term ones like shelter.

“Donate cash for disaster relief and give survivors with what they need!”

2. Smart Compassion: Giving that’s focused on survivor needs as assessed by relief workers on-site. Put another way, giving what survivors actually need – not just what the donor wants to give (unless the donor wants to give cash). Cash donations are easiest for donors and most effective for more survivors than are material donations.

“Who are you texting, Erica?”

“The disaster relief fund – $10 towards #smartcompassion”

3. Cash Donation: This is the most effective way for people to help after a natural disaster. Monetary contributions to reputable, effective NGOs fund vital supplies and services needed immediately following a natural disaster, and for a long time thereafter.

“A cash donation is fast and flexible.”

4.Unsolicited Material Donation: Any non-cash donation that is sent without approval or an appeal from a relief organization working with survivors. Bottled water is a popular unsolicited donation.  $1 of water purchased in the US would not supply even one person with enough drinking water for one day (including capital cost, transportation, taxes, etc.).  In contrast, $1 spent in-country could provide drinking water to approximately 80 people for one day. Cash donations are more effective because they can buy exactly what is needed, when it’s needed. And many purchases are made locally, which strengthens the local economy and speeds recovery.  Unsolicited material donations can delay response efforts by taking up space needed to stage and deliver life-saving supplies.

“It will take months to sort through these unsolicited donations!”

Keep us on our toes-challenge us with your favorite terms!