the smart way to give to disaster relief

Are you looking to donate money to relief efforts in Japan? I'm passing along this great blog post by Emily N. Co -- who usually moonlights for Absolutely Fobulous -- at Savvy Sugar with helpful tips on the wisest approach to giving: Japan's Earthquake: The Smart Way to Give When Disaster Strikes. Among her suggestions:

Do Your Research. Before you hurriedly text away your money, you need to make sure you are donating to the right charity. Don't feel bad about holding off on donating your money; it can actually be a better idea. "It is important to wait and allow the charity effective time to develop a plan . . . middle to long term development work," Charity Navigator VP Sandra Miniutti tells Gizmodo. As one of the leading NGO experts, Charity Navigator has a number of great tips for people who are looking to give to Japan. In addition to the tips, the site has a nice list of NGOs that have already precommitted to helping Japan.

Don't Go With the New. Charity Navigator advises to pick organizations that have a "proven track record of success in providing disaster relief on a massive scale and one that has worked in Japan and the other impacted regions." It's also helpful to specify where you want your donations to go, because charities might put the money toward other pressing causes.

You see all this terrible disaster footage and read about the unfolding recovery, and you want to help, but you don't quite know the best way to go about doing it. These are some things to think about. Read the rest here.