Before you write a check...

by Kirby Williams

Date: 01/18/2010.

Disasters, such as the one we saw last week in Haiti, often bring out the best and the worst in people. Like you, my heart was wrenched by the news of the devastating earthquake. Like you, I despaired at the graphic images of suffering on television and on the Internet news sites. Like you, I felt an immediate and deep desire to do something-- anything that would help alleviate their pain. Like you, I even now feel frustrated because there seems to be so little I can do.

But even as my heart was breaking at the horrific loss of life and property, it was warmed by the individual efforts of so many who rushed to the aid of those who were injured, homeless, and without food or water. I'm talking mainly now about the Haitians, who either survived the quake in Port Au Prince or who streamed into the city from surrounding towns and villages to help in the relief effort. Long before organized relief arrived from other countries, the local Haitians were doing all they could do to help their countrymen. They don't have many resources, but everything they did have has gone into the relief effort. We personally know a few of these heroes--pastor Jephthe, pastor Caleb, and pastor Enoch; all sons of pastor Sidoine Lucien who we support in his ministry in Pignon. For a full week now, these courageous pastors have been transporting people and aid to Port Au Prince, and helping in the evacuation efforts of hundreds who are returning to the towns and villages where they grew up to live with family members or as refugees in the public squares. They have long since given away all their food, extra clothes, and extra money, and now with gas climbing to as high as $30 USD per gallon, their efforts are being hindered. Trouble is, it is almost impossible to get them money right now--so we wait looking for the first opportunity.

But I have also noticed this disaster bringing out the worst in people. And I'm not talking about the food and water scuffles that have all ready broken out in Port Au Prince. It is true, there are desperate people there, who will be driven to violence in the name of self-preservation to get what little food and water there is for their families. It is also true that unless the international community is able to get peace-keeping forces on the ground in time, these scuffles could turn into riots. It is also true that there are many bad people in Haiti, who will try to use this disaster to grab power. Crises like this have often been used by revolutionaries to seize political power when the government is at it's weakest. But these are not the one's I'm talking about. The "worst" that I have seen just lately have sprung out of the Christian community here at home.

My email box is beginning to fill up with frantic pleas for funds from various American Christian ministries. They are identifiable because the emails are professionally constructed, with slick graphics of bruised and battered children or collapsed buildings. They are designed to pluck your heart strings and motivate you to donate to help the poor and needy in Haiti. Usually, included in the request is a statement of how their specific ministry will engage the Haitian people in one way or another. Perhaps they have an on-going ministry there. Perhaps they are going to distribute some of their materials. Perhaps they will couple their efforts of aid with evangelism.

But what they don't tell you, is that their organizations will take a percentage of your donations off the top to help fund their ongoing bureaucracies. This could amount to 10%, 15%, 20% or even more. What you thought was going to help the Haitians will actually be used to make payroll or cover overhead here in the United States. Many of these unscrupulous ministries are suffering during this economic downturn and see this as an opportunity to "kill two birds with one stone" by doing some real good in Haiti while at the same time filling their empty coffers.

Well, I have something to say to these ministries. Shame on you! How dare you use a calamity of this magnitude as a means to boost your bottom line! Have you no shame? The help you want to do is good, but many of you have not even been involved in Haiti before now. I know for a fact that one such ministry has in the past shunned work in Haiti because of the difficulties there, but now are "oh-so-concerned" in collecting your donations for their aid. All of a sudden, their presence in Haiti is crucial, so they "must receive your donation right away".

That is why I am asking all of you to be careful when you donate to the relief in Haiti. As I said, disasters like this often bring out the worst in people. It is a perfectly legitimate question to ask your chosen ministry how much of your donation will be taken out for "administrative overhead". It is normal for this percentage to be somewhere between 3% and 5%. Because there are costs involved with transferring money, etc. But more than that will be paying for overhead that may not be directly involved with the effort in Haiti.

Now that I've ranted a little, let me hasten to say that there are exceptions. Many of you have favorite charities that you would ordinarily donate to, which are also involved with the effort in Haiti. These charities are usually involved in this kind of relief effort, and therefore you are perfectly willing to support their ongoing administrative needs. That is different. Two such ministries that come to mind are the CRWRC and Cross International.

But please be discerning when you receive frantic requests from ministries that you might support in some respects, but who normally are not involved with disaster relief efforts, or who have never been involved with Haiti. It is not my intention to individually expose any of the ministries I suspect of this, so I will not name names. But I leave it to you to be good stewards and check out the ministry you intend to support--before you write a check.

-pastor kirby