# Speed of giving after Katrina surpasses previous disasters

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2005/09/14/speed-giving-after-katrina-surpasses-previous-disasters/
- Published: 2005-09-14T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that Americans have donated at least $739 
million to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, and that “the pace of [this] giving
is unprecedented in American history.”
The gifts have come in faster even than those
given following the September 2001 terrorist attacks in America, and the December
2004 south Asian tsunami. In the first ten days after the 2001 attacks, Americans
gave $239 million to relevant charitable organisations, and in the first nine days
after the tsunami disaster Americans gave $173 million to relevant American nonprofit
organisations.

However, this figure currently falls far short of the totals given to both previous
disasters.

Not surprisingly, the majority of the gifts have been made to the American Red Cross,
which has received $578 million. The Salvation Army had received the second largest
total of $65 million.

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The Chronicle adds that many donors chose to give online. Online giving site Network
for Good handled $3 million of donations to the relief effort in one day, a record
amount for the organisation. So far it has raised $10.5 million, again with the 
American Red Cross receiving the lion’s share at about 60% of gifts. Online gifts
are beginning to peter off, although Network for Good is still receiving around 
$500,000 a day for the relief effort.

The American Red Cross itself has taken $302 million of its $578 million total online.
The nonprofit has also received more than $51 million raised online from its users
by Yahoo! and over $10 million by Amazon’s users.

The Chronicle lists other nonprofits that have received significant amounts online:

* Chicago-based America’s Second Harvest, in Chicago, has raised $3.5 million of
its $11.9 million total online.

* New York-based The United Methodist Committee on Relief has raised $1.7 million
online.

* Virginia-based Operation Blessing has raised over $500,000 online.

* Connecticut-based AmeriCares has raised about half of its total income of $5 million
online, stimulated by an email appeal to 70,000 donors.

* Washington-based World Vision has raised $2 million after it emailed 600,000 of
its supporters.

* Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief have raised $1.8 million online.

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