How To Help Those Affected In Afghanistan, Greece and Haiti

How To Help Those Affected In Afghanistan, Greece And Haiti

Kelly Anne SmithLead Editor, Growth Projects

Kelly Anne has over six years of experience with reporting and editing in the personal finance space. Her work has been featured in national publications including Reader's Digest, CNBC and Forbes. She has a background in business education and a master's degree in international communication studies.

Kelly Anne Smith

Kelly Anne SmithLead Editor, Growth Projects

Lead Editor, Growth Projects

Korrena BailieEditorial Director, Growth Projects

Korrena Bailie has over a decade of experience reporting and editing personal finance stories and reviews. Her work has been featured in Wirecutter, The New York Times, Bankrate and Credit Karma.

Reviewed

Korrena Bailie

Korrena BailieEditorial Director, Growth Projects

Korrena Bailie has over a decade of experience reporting and editing personal finance stories and reviews. Her work has been featured in Wirecutter, The New York Times, Bankrate and Credit Karma.

Editorial Director, Growth Projects

Reviewed

Updated: Aug 18, 2021, 2:48pm

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

How To Help Those Affected In Afghanistan, Greece And Haiti

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The current humanitarian crises happening in Afghanistan, Greece and Haiti are devastating.

As violence, oppression and the consequences of natural disasters continue to take over these countries, it might feel as if there’s nothing you can do to help. But even the smallest gestures can make a difference.

If you’re struggling to find a way to support Afghans, Grecians and Haitians as they endure tragedy, consider making a donation. In most cases, organizations in the affected areas rely on donated funds for supplies and rescue efforts.

If you’re thinking about getting involved and helping support those organizations, you’ll want to make sure your dollars make the biggest impact possible.

How to Support Others in Times of Humanitarian Crises

While you no doubt have good intentions when you donate money, you have to remember not all nonprofits collecting funds are created equal. If you aren’t careful, you may end up contributing to an organization that mismanages its funds or is actually a scam. That’s why it’s important to do your homework before donating so you know whom you’re helping and precisely what types of efforts you’ll be funding.

Not sure where to start? Consider these tips.

Vet Nonprofits Online

There are thousands of nonprofits. Knowing the right one to donate to can be a challenge. Reputable online databases can help you determine which ones are most in-line with your intentions of donating.

Charity Navigator, for example, is a nonprofit dedicated to evaluating other nonprofits. The organization rates nonprofits based on their financial health, accountability and transparency. Each charity is given an overall rating between zero and four stars, with more stars indicating a charity fares better in terms of industry standards, from how well it’s run to what it does with donations.

Website users can easily search Charity Navigator’s ratings database of over 160,000 charities by charity name or keywords. In times of crisis, the organization compiles “hot topics,” including current ones, such as the Haiti earthquake relief and Afghanistan crisis, which groups together highly rated nonprofits currently responding to the tragedies.

Beware of Current Relief Scams

No matter where or when a crisis happens, scammers are ready to take advantage of any effort to help. That includes fake donation campaigns created by thieves waiting to steal your well-intentioned money.

Before giving to a charity, confirm that the organization is registered with the IRS or a similar tax services entity, if the organization is based in another country. For U.S.-based charities, you can easily verify their legitimacy using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization search, which holds an updated database of organizations that receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.

Donate Frequent Flyer Miles or Rewards Points

If you’re tight on money right now—which is understandable, considering the economic wrath of Covid-19 continues to affect our lives—there are other ways you can support those in need.

Miles4Migrants, for example, is a nonprofit charity that accepts donated frequent flyer miles to book flights for refugees, asylum-seekers and their immediate family members. Donations can be pledged from a minimum of 1,000 miles to 47,500. The nonprofit then works with its partners to book flights for those in need.

GOOD NEWS TO WAKE UP TO: In just 2 days, we've received >52 MILLION frequent flyer miles & credit card points, $15k in travel vouchers, & $100k in cash donations to book flights for refugees & asylum-seekers to reach safe homes. The world is not only watching, it's taking ACTION!

— Miles4Migrants (@miles4migrants) August 18, 2021

Some airlines also offer an option to donate miles directly to partner organizations, including Alaska Airlines, Delta and Southwest. Most programs require a minimum amount of miles to donate, so be sure to consult with your program directly. Keep in mind that some partner programs might not be directly helping current crises, so this might not always be a viable option.

Frequent flyer miles aren’t the only type of rewards that can be donated; rewards points from credit cards and loyalty programs can be donated, too. Many popular credit card issuers, including American Express and Chase, offer this option, as well as popular hotel rewards such as Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. In some cases, you may have to pay a small processing fee.