How the Red Cross Raised Half a Billion Dollars for Haiti ­and Built Six Homes

a reply to: SuperFrog

Not sure what happened in this case, but would be nice if there is an independent investigation.

I think some want to blame the red cross for failure to help the Haitians, instead of focusing on the US lack thereof? After all the uS is right there a stones throw away and purports to be helping everyone everywhere with humanitarian aid and all. Read that supplying arms to a dozen revolts and dictatorships, US help is really harm and Haiti? Why the Red Cross dropped the ball there…

Don't even get me started on Cuba.

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: Rezlooper

originally posted by: intrptr
If someone hasn;t already said it…

The red cross didn't give a half billion to the people of Haiti, they gave it to the government.

Its why they lived in squalor before the earthquake and why they still do.

Trust me...they didn't give that half billion to the government. It's well known that they keep a very large majority percentage for their "overhead" and they don't deny that. If they collected a half billion ($500,000,000) then it's safe to assume that no more than $100,000,000 made it to Haiti.

I agree. I throw out the figure I did because that was the amount suggested by the thread. Your "safe to say" suggestion that they only give a percentage to a corrupt government to help after a disaster is well founded, Bernie Madoff showed us how greedy some charities can be.

I don't have as much problem with the red cross because they do in fact help other peoples during tragedy and wars, often the first to fly in to danger, land and dispense aid directly to the needy.

My point was that whatever aid Haiti received didn't make it to where it was needed. You agreed with that I presume.

Totally agree there, and I agree about the Red Cross being the first ones in for any disaster, but it's the fact that they raise hundreds of millions of dollars in the name of that disaster and rarely does the money find the actual victims. I just think that although there is a lot of good some of these charities do, it's not necessary to keep 90% of the donated money for "overhead." How could the administration of the Red Cross cost nearly a billion dollars, which is what they raised after 9/11.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: SuperFrog

Not sure what happened in this case, but would be nice if there is an independent investigation.

I think some want to blame the red cross for failure to help the Haitians, instead of focusing on the US lack thereof? After all the uS is right there a stones throw away and purports to be helping everyone everywhere with humanitarian aid and all. Read that supplying arms to a dozen revolts and dictatorships, US help is really harm and Haiti? Why the Red Cross dropped the ball there…

Don't even get me started on Cuba.

Haiti doesn't have oil or any other resource we want.

a reply to: Aazadan

Good example. And even today outside the cities in SK not much has changed.

a reply to: Rezlooper

Well then sad to say, they are becoming as corrupt and greedy as any other corporation. I don't really know just agreeing with the pressure to convict them on the internet.

Don't get me started on the Red CROOKS. I could tell you stories that would make your skin crawl about these theives in sheeps clothing. As a member of the military, your can be at their mercy as to whether emergency leave is granted. When my grandmother died they were hesitant to recommend emergency leave because she was not 'immediate' family (WTF). When my father died and I needed to borrow $150 from them to get home. They made me jump thru all kinds of hoops to make sure that I was going to repay them. When my SIL's apartment building had a fire, guess who showed up with a trailer SELLING cofee and do-nuts like it was a sporting event. I could go on...

I wouldn't piss on them if they were on fire. Nor would I give them the sweat off my balls if they were dying of thirst.

I find it hard to believe in this age of information, that people are actually giving their hard-earned money to these crooks. Their are much more worthy causes out there.

HBO has a series called VICE. This season (Season 3) Episode 7 had a report called Haitian Money Pit. It was exactly what was being talked about here, except it involved more than the Red Cross. You get a chance watch it. Its On Demand if you have access to it.

I remember another thread topic concerning the American Red Cross not so long ago, regarding a request on it's Hurricane Sandy relief and fundraising. A snippet about it below:

As we've reported, the Red Cross releases few details about how it spends money after big disasters. That makes it difficult to figure out whether donor dollars are well spent.

The Red Cross did give some information about Sandy spending to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who had been investigating the charity. But the Red Cross declined our request to disclose the details.

So we filed a public records request for the information the Red Cross provided to the attorney general's office.

That's where the law firm Gibson Dunn comes in.

An attorney from the firm's New York office appealed to the attorney general to block disclosure of some of the Sandy information, citing the state Freedom of Information Law's trade secret exemption.

The documents include "internal and proprietary methodology and procedures for fundraising, confidential information about its internal operations, and confidential financial information," wrote Gabrielle Levin of Gibson Dunn in a letter to the attorney general's office.

If those details were disclosed, "the American Red Cross would suffer competitive harm because its competitors would be able to mimic the American Red Cross's business model for an increased competitive advantage," Levin wrote.

www.propublica.org...

Sure are a lot of people riding these "charity" gravy trains. The names Clinton and Blair suddenly spring to mind for some strange reason!

Edit to add.... no wonder the topic seems familiar, I initiated the thread I remembered back in June 2014.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

This is the same group who after 911 took in millions of dollars to help the victims but only really used lots of the monies to renovate their offices "Not Cool, Not Cool"! a reply to: ugmold

a reply to: ugmold

She probably sleeps very well, the last I read she was being payed just under a million bucks a year.

I donate to nothing, early on I did tell I found out that most all these so called charity's pocket 80 to 90% for " administrative costs" .

Go back to basics, If there is a human involved there is graft and corruption involved.

a reply to: ugmold

I can't understand why anyone gives the Red Cross money!! I always tell friends and family not to donate to that organization.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: ugmold
Didn't the Clinton Fundation do a lot of "work' in Haiti too?

Yes, the built a very, very nice hotel for themselves.

This is why I prefer the click, like and share method of supporting causes.

It's just as effective as donating to these major charities without losing any of my hard earned moneys.

All organizations related to charity, animal welfare, and the like should be required to be 100% transparent by law. They should have to post publicly (on a website), all of their income and expenditures.

Salaries should also be limited to $200k a year by law.

What about that group Kars4Kids... I hear the money goes to only benefit 'Jewish' children.

Kars4Kids is an American non-profit national car donation organization based in Lakewood, New Jersey which donates proceeds to Jewish children and their families through the funding of Oorah, a national non-profit organization.

Donations to Kars4Kids benefit the Oorah (Joy for Our Youth, or J.O.Y.), a national organization with a stated goal of addressing the "educational, material, emotional and spiritual needs of Jewish children and their families."

In 2010 Kars4Kids reported revenue of $29.1 million and expenses of $31.1 million.

en.wikipedia.org...

What a selective charity. I suspect most people who donate their cars believe they are donating to children in general, of all races.

originally posted by: roadgravel
Non profits seem to have become as way for a few officers to make a very good salary. I helps when people believe the advertising that they do.

Eh, guys, be careful here. There are a lot of us who work for even major NGOs and do serious hard work, for low or moderate pay. And most of us have enough education we could be making double those salaries in the private sector.

Don't make the mistake of besmirching all development or NGO work.