Harvey victims need strategic giving.
As we watch the catastrophe in Texas unfold in real time, a narrative on the human spirit is playing out as a subplot of Hurricane Harvey’s wrath. Bound together by a struggle for survival, flood victims are helping each other make it to safety, some even risking their lives to lend aid to total strangers.
From 1,000 miles away in Central Florida, the urge to help is no less palpable. But how people go about helping a community in crisis could make a big difference.
In the philanthropy world where I work as the president and CEO of Central Florida Foundation, which serves as the region’s community foundation, there are three phases of disaster relief: response, stabilization and rebuilding. And they all are supported by the same thing: charitable donations.
Right now the Houston crisis is in the response phase, a period when public services such as first responders and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are the most effective aid resources.
But when the urge to help is immediate, what should people do?
While many charitable organizations are helping storm victims, Central Florida Foundation recognizes the American Red Cross and Salvation Army as the most effective relief groups in a large-scale tragedy’s response phase. They are well equipped to respond to catastrophic events, providing shelter, food, clothing and other basic needs to communities caught in the throes of upheaval.
In Houston, the Greater Houston Community Foundation is another key 501(c)3 aid provider, but with a longer-term scope. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund under the stewardship of the GHCF. Like Central Florida Foundation, the GHCF acts as a hub for philanthropic giving, distributing grants to partner charities that offer specific services. We seek to invest strategically and ensure that contributions are directed where they’ll have the greatest impact.
Philanthropy truly comes to the fore during the stabilization and rebuilding phases, a period of time when communities are left to deal with the long-term effects of a tragic event.
The nightmare Houston is living doesn’t end when floodwaters recede and the media and FEMA leave town. The GHCF will play a major role in stabilizing lives by providing relief for victims while also filling in the gaps left by local nonprofits that were debilitated by the flooding.
As Texas and Louisiana rebuild, philanthropic groups will turn their attention to raising capital to sustain their disasterassistance programs. Long after this tragic event has faded from our collective consciousness, aid organizations in these states will continue helping people get back on their feet.
I appreciate the natural impulse to lend help immediately, and I encourage Central Floridians to act on that urge — but to do so carefully and strategically. Consider giving money where it could do the most good — both now and on the long road ahead.