Blog Tour De Force: Please welcome J.C Martin from Stories For Sendai!

I am really grateful to Jessica for agreeing to host a leg of Stories for Sendai’s Blog Tour de Force! You can keep up with the tour and scheduled stops here!

Since we started this project, I have received some queries from generous souls about how they could help the people of Japan. In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, there has been a tremendous outpouring of donations worldwide to charity organisations involved in aid and rescue efforts. This resulted in a heap of appeals for Japan cropping up in the weeks following the disaster, some of which are still active today. While this demonstrates the innate generosity and empathy of the human race, the vast range of organisations to donate to, and the many ways to donate (PayPal, in person, by text, etc.) could be overwhelming. Which organisation would make the most of my donation? Which method of donation is most effective? Donating by text is becoming increasingly popular, and it's one of the easiest ways to donate, but is it the best way?

Additionally, there are concerns about possible scam appeals, where your donation may never reach its intended beneficiary. How can you determine if an appeal is a bona fide charity, or a scheme cooked up by some opportunistic crook cashing in on someone else’s misery?

Here are a few pointers to ensure your donation goes where you intend it:

• You can't go wrong with donating directly to the big names: the Red Cross, Save the Children, International Medical Corps., etc. After all, they are huge international organisations with an established infrastructure to react quickly and efficiently in times of crisis. While some people may argue that the CEOs of big charities are receiving inflated salaries that could be put to better use, they do get over 90% of your donation to where it’s needed.
• Some people prefer donating to smaller charities in the belief that they are friendlier, and that their donation will go a longer way. This may not always be true. Conduct a little research before deciding on the charity you want to donate to. Sites like CharityNavigator.com provide very useful breakdowns of how efficiently each charity utilises the donations they receive.
• Be careful of charities you've never heard of; check them up on watchdog sites such as Charity Watch.
• Donate directly to organisations rather than through a group soliciting on a charity's behalf. Such groups often take a percentage cut of contributions.
• Be super-cautious of so-called 'charities' that contact you directly for donations, e.g. by phone or text. Legit organisations will not do that!
• Can't decide on which charity to give to? Global Giving is a project which disburses funds to aid and rescue efforts on the ground that needs it most. They ensure that at least 90% of your contribution gets to organisations at ground zero within 60 days, and the percentage to cover overheads is well below the average charity.

Of course, one other way to give to charity is to purchase a copy of Stories for Sendai when it releases! Not only will all proceeds go to Global Giving, you get a lovely book filled with 20 uplifting and inspirational stories! Additionally, if you email us a receipt of your purchase, you’ll be entered in a draw for uber-cool prizes, including manuscript or query critiques! Visit the Stories for Sendai site for more details!

Also, if you do intend to purchase a copy of Stories for Sendai, we would really appreciate if you could do so on the actual release day itself, on June 30^th. If everybody buys a copy on the same day, it’ll help boost the book’s rankings on the Amazon charts, and further increase our exposure!

Thank you! J