Donating for Maui Wildfire Relief

The latest news is that devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, are prompting evacuations on that island. Residents are receiving advice on what they can do to protect themselves and their homes. In the meantime, those donors seeking to help support Maui relief efforts can consider the following tips.

Advice on Maui Relief Efforts:

Review clarity of disaster relief appeals.  

Seek out appeals that are upfront and clear about what disaster relief services you are supporting.

Look for experience in disaster relief.  

Support experienced organizations that stand ready to provide quick and effective assistance. Be cautious of organizations that form overnight in the wake of a disaster. Also consider whether the relief organization already has an established presence near the location of the disaster.

Donate money rather than goods. 

Donating money is the quickest way to help and provides charities the flexibility to channel resources to impacted areas. Instead of donating food, consider supporting food banks near an impacted area. Visit Feeding America (a BBB Accredited Charity) which works with food banks across the country.

Examine crowdfunding requests. 

If engaging in crowdfunding, it is safest to give to someone you personally know and trust. Also review the platform’s policies and procedures, keeping in mind that while some crowdfunding sites take measures to vet posts, others don’t.

Verify charity trustworthiness. 

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. We recommend giving to charities that meet all 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, found at BBB’s Give.org.

The following organizations are BBB Accredited Charities (i.e., meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability) currently raising funds to assist Maui relief efforts.  This list will be updated as additional efforts come to our attention.

American Red Cross
Americares Foundation
Catholic Charities Hawaii
Direct Relief
GlobalGiving
MAP International
Matthew 25: Ministries
Maui Economic Opportunity
Operation USA
Salvation Army
United Way Worldwide
World Vision

Heart of Giving Podcast

In this week's Heart of Giving Podcast, BBB Wise Giving Alliance features Margaret Richardson, the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at GoFundMe. Margaret joined GoFundMe in May 2022 to lead a newly established corporate affairs team after decades in both the public and private sectors.

Recent Reports

We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors. Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our recently evaluated charities include:

• RISE International
• South Asian Native Missionary
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Finally, remember to let us know by going to give.org/charity-inquiry if you are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do our best to produce one.