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Giving is good. And so when millions of people take out their phones and text a donation to the Red Cross, that is a good thing. I think we would all salute and encourage it. But the tragic truth is that it is going to take a decade or more to rebuild Haiti. And it will take billions — not millions — of dollars to rebuild that devastated and poor country. I worry that many now consider themselves to have "helped." It's not hard to find a friend or colleague who will tell you that they "gave to Haiti relief." As nice as that is, it doesn't do all that much. $40 million — the amount that seems to be accepted as the Haiti text-to-give total (at least for the Red Cross) is wonderful. But it will take giving far in excess of that. And text-to-give won't supply the greater need. It won't even allow charities as big as the Red Cross to follow up with ways a person can help in the future, because most text giving remains anonymous to the charity.