Disaster Relief

Michael and Susan Dell announced Friday that their foundation is launching a Rebuild Texas Fund with a goal of raising $100 million for the long-term recovery of communities affected by Hurricane Harvey. Appearing on “Good Morning America” along with Gov. Greg Abbott, the Dells announced an immediate gift of $18 million, with a goal of…

Recently, people throughout the U.S. watched the saga of people using their own small boats to rescue complete strangers. They did so, disregarding their own well being, performing repeated acts of heroism…

A long list of American companies have already pledged millions of dollars to help Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The American Red Cross Opens a New Window.and other organizations are asking for donations to support their response to the storm, which caused massive amounts of flooding and left thousands stranded in Houston and nearby cities. CoreLogic…

Young guys in dusty polo shirts. New moms holding their babies. Grandmas in bright head wraps. They've all gathered in a clearing for one of the village meetings when something remarkable happens. Practically every person's cellphone starts tinkling. It's a text alert from an American charity called GiveDirectly. Last fall, GiveDirectly announced that it will…

My first experience with a hurricane came in August of 1991, when “Bob” hit Cape Cod. I was actually still in the Netherlands, but I watched video of my then future in-laws wade through chest-high water near their beach house. Power was out for many days. Life came to a screeching halt...

A direct mail acquisition effort from a relief agency is notable for what it does not include.

A direct mail acquisition effort from a relief agency is notable for what it does not include. Mailer Name: Oxfam America Date Mailed: April 2014 to April 2017 Oxfam America, based in Boston is an affiliate of the larger worldwide Oxfam organization. This specific acquisition effort has been in the mail in this form for […]

The world faces a looming challenge of handling our waste, an increasing percentage of which is made of plastic, which simply does not go away. Plastic usually accounts for up to 20 percent of a municipality’s waste generation by weight, but by volume, the proportion is significantly higher. Most small communities do not have access…

Hospitals in Manchester have enough blood supplies to treat patients including the victims of Monday night’s arena attack, the NHS has said. Worried locals were urged to make an appointment to give blood at a later date after the city’s blood donation centres were inundated with volunteers. Images shared on Twitter by a number of users…

The Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan that killed 69,000 people in 2008 shook up China’s social media and online giant Tencent Holdings, located 1,000 kilometers away in Shenzhen. Social media was buzzing with users who wanted to lend a hand during one of China’s worst disasters in modern history. The company previously made scattered efforts involving philanthropy,…