I had another blog post planned for today, but I can't let the week go by without saying something about the tragedy in Haiti.  Words can't express the horror of an earthquake that devastated one of the poorest countries on the planet.  I can only encourage blog readers to do what they can to offer aid.

Unfortunately, the best way to offer aid isn't always obvious.  Every time their is a tragedy, some low lifes try to take advantage of people's good will.  In the 24 hours after the earthquake, more than 400 web domains including the word "Haiti" were registered.  It's safe to assume that not all of those URLs are going to real charities.  Some fake charities will collect money that will never find its way to Haiti.  Other websites may be designed to steal your credit card number. 

So, what's a charitable person to do?

• Give to an established charity. These charities are likely to have infrastructure in place that will make their response more effective.
• If you don't know what charity to give your contribution to, check them out on www.charitynavigator.org.  Do keep in mind that Charity Navigator does not rate religious charities like the Salvation Army and Catholic Relief Services. The lack of ratings for these groups doesn't mean they don't do good work.
• If you are giving online, make sure that you get to the website directly or from a link you can trust.  Make absolutely sure that you have the real website.  Fake sites can look amazingly like the real thing.
• Also, make sure that the website is secure.  You'll see a lock in the URL bar and the address should begin with https://
• I know that you may want to donate household goods, clothes, or first aid supplies, but that's not practical in a case like this.  What charities need is the money that will allow them to transfer pallets of the emergency supplies targeted to crisis situations.
• What amount you can give now, please do.  And put a note in your calendar 6 months from now to make an additional donation. The devastation is overwhelming.  Haiti will not be rebuilt in 6 months or a year.  Charities will be working in Haiti for years to come.  They'll need your help for the forseeable future.  Make charitable giving part of your regular routine.