Earthquake Relief and Volunteering: How to Help

Just three days after one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history, Japanese officials are scrambling to deal with the devastation from the subduction quake event and the aftermath of the resulting tsunami while trying to avoid a nuclear meltdown.  While there is growing concern about shortages of clean drinking water and food, first responders are assembling to aid in search and rescue efforts and to assist with massive clean up operations.  The best way to assist with earthquake relief and volunteering is to make direct monetary donations to agencies with immediate involvement.

Transportation Is Costly

If giving service to the community is a strongly held value, it is normal to want to do more than send money.  However with a disaster of this magnitude transportation and the distribution of supplies is best left to existing agencies.  Cost and accessibility work against timely and vital supplies getting through from outside sources.  Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, who was interviewed for an article by Jessica Dickler of CNN on March 12,  said, “Give money, not food, water and clothes. There’s a much higher shipping cost for supplies and it’s easier for disaster organizations to get cash and use it as they need to.”

Rooney further advises that those wanting to give should donate to the Red Cross and Save the Children because both organizations maintain a presence  in the affected area.  These highly reputable agencies will be able to assess the situation and use the funds to purchase the exact supplies that are needed at a given time, efficiently applying the money for earthquake relief and volunteering.

Relief Teams Need Donations

Another group providing much-need earthquake relief and volunteering to those affected by the 8.9-magnitude earthquake is the International Medical Corps.   “We are putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities,” said Nancy Aossey, President & CEO, International Medical Corps. “While Japan has a large capacity to manage a disaster of this scale, we will respond as needed.”  According to the group’s website, programs directly receive 92% of all donations.

Shelter Box USA, Inc., accepts ongoing donations to fill boxes and warehouse the supplies for  delivery to those who survive disasters.  The group arranges transportation for delivery of the boxes through their Shelter Box Response Team.  Those wishing to help with this group’s earthquake relief and volunteering work can make small donations towards one $1,000 box.

Donate to Verified Groups

Before donating, make sure that the organization requesting funds is legitimate and verifiable. Also, not all agencies claiming non-profit status have the 501(C) designation that allows donors to take a tax deduction for the monetary assistance they provided.  A further caution is to guard against unsolicited emails requesting money for disaster relief. Contact  The National Center for Disaster Fraud if you suspect someone of using this or other disasters as a means for personal gain.

Making a monetary donation to an established agency already poised to make strides through coordinated earthquake relief and volunteering efforts is the best and quickest way to aid survivors in Japan. It is also the best way to make sure that those who have gone through this ordeal receive the supplies they need the most.

Inspire forward! Share Your Volunteering Experience

Purpose of Sharing Volunteering Experience

In one word: To inspire

Submit Your Story Now!

Volunteering story

All volunteering experiences are inherently inspiring. The trick is to capture this inspiration in text. It is the responsibility of the interviewer/writer to draw out the color and details that the reader can connect with. Conveying the energy, satisfaction, pride and purpose that the volunteer feels is actually not that hard. All you need as an interviewer or a writer is a bit if curiosity and ask about detailed accounts of experiences… zoom in on a specific moment and inquire using “what happened, what did you feel, what did you think and what did you do” question. Also, asking lots of “why” questions are helpful to go beneath the surface – where the real inspirational warmth lies.

As a volunteer or an interviewer, you will experience shyness or modesty.  If you find it hard writing about yourself, have a friend write it for you or you write about each other. Since these are stories about volunteers, they are written in third person, interview style. It is important to capture the feelings, thoughts and actions from key events, being as detailed as possible. For instance, it is very interesting to learn about the first exposure to volunteering, i.e. the formative event. This typically happens at a very young age and most likely may involve a role model/teacher/parent. This event forms the beliefs the volunteer holds about the spirit of volunteerism. It is then important to get an example of recent volunteering activity that he/she may have participated in that may serve as an inspiring story.

Questions to ask

There are no specific set of questions but the following few may come in handy to get the conversation flowing

1- Meaning: What does volunteering mean to you
2- Background: What inspired you to volunteer, please think back and describe specifically a moment or an experience in your life (perhaps in your youth, perhaps with your parent/teacher/role model). What makes this experience an important one for you? What did you feel/think/do when you were in that moment of having that experience?
3- Experience now: What was most rewarding when you were volunteering, specific interaction during the experience that sums it all up for you and makes it all worth it
4- Advice: Advice for people who might be thinking about volunteering
5- Three words: If you were to describe THREE feelings that get triggered in you as you think back at the times you have volunteered
6- Looking forward: What are you looking forward to in terms of future volunteering

Story sample

Click here for a sample of Sharon and Percy visiting patients at a hospital (note: a new window will open)

Good luck!