5 Reputable Organizations that are helping Haiti - and what you can do to help

My good friend, George Durham, who has excellent experience with working in international development wrote an insightful perspective on how to best help Haiti. I included his thoughts in quotations below. To sum it up, be prepared so that you are ready to help when the crisis comes and in the meantime, give funds to quality organizations who have people who are trained.

At the bottom, I listed what I have found to be the best organizations providing aid right now to Haiti. We can all do something; if only, just a little.

I was particularly moved yesterday when on NPR, I heard accounts of the Haitian people staying strong, not blaming anyone or anything for this natural disaster and for humbly praying to God into the night.

"I've had a few folks ask me (I work with NGOs around technology needs) how best to provide support around the disaster in Haiti. It is a cruel tragedy that continues to unfold. Already the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, Haiti does not have the infrastructure to withstand/absorb what is unfolding. In the first 24/48/72 hours, NGOs are primarily focused on rescue efforts and assessment of immediate needs. Partners, governments, intergovernmental agencies all begin to mobilize efforts. It can be an extremely difficult time for NGOs to manage the logistics around in-kind donations (blankets, water, etc.) and interested volunteers -- important as those are -- because many of those supplies and personnel are staged/prepared well before disaster strikes. Connectivity (telephone, Internet, etc.) is critical, and often (and certainly in Haiti) a real challenge. Though it may seem somewhat impersonal, one of the most important things NGOs (nonprofits) need is cash. Those contributions, even small ones, matter, because it allows NGOs the flexibility they require in responding quickly to changing needs and circumstances on the ground, getting their trained staff and volunteers deployed and helping most effectively. I know and understand the desire to get involved personally, to go and help. I see the images, read the stories, and want to do the same thing. But when disaster strikes, non-profits need trained volunteers and professionals. What do I recommend? Give generously, where and how much you are able -- to reputable orgs leading efforts on the ground. Don't travel there yourself if you are not trained and deployed under the auspices of a relief agency. Get trained! Volunteer your time with nonprofits so that when disaster strikes they can call on you and use you. Too many of us are willing to help when it's on the front pages, but perhaps slacken in our conviction when the media spotlight shines elsewhere. You can have an important impact, and there are many who can benefit from your time and material contributions. Pray for those impacted in Haiti. The devastation continues to mount, unfortunately, and I fear it will get worse still." Source


There are a number of different ways to give. Here are the top organizations I have found to come recommended by reputable sources.

Recommended by local (Seattle) groups: Medical Teams.

Recommended by Unitus: Stand with Haiti and Mercy Corps

Promoted by the BBC: Disasters Emergency Committee

Through my religious affiliation: LDS Philanthropies

Via text messages:
Red Cross: Text HAITI to 90999 ($10 donation)
Yéle Haiti: Text YELE to 501501 ($5 donation)
United Way: Text HAITI to 864833 ($5 donation)
Intl Medical Corps: Text HAITI to 85944 ($10 donation)

Photos courtesy of Mashable and TweetPic

Today is the first day of the rest of my life

"This is the beginning of a new year, and each of us might well say to himself, 'Today is the first day of the rest of my life.'" N. Eldon Tanner

Let us all strive to make each day of 2010 better than the previous day. And in so doing we will collectively make 2010 better than 2009 and 2010 will be known as the year we emerged net positive in all things after the "lost decade." After all the crisis is over and things are looking up ....

Underneath the hyperbole, a shift like never before: the Shift Index Complete Reports

Over the last six months, I have posted a number of times on my experiences at the Deloitte Center for the Edge working on the Shift Index.

First it was the highly anticipated launch. Then it was the inaugural, US-based, macroeconomic report. Finally, just last month, the Center launched the industry-level report. Now in one blog post, I am including both reports in their entirety - powered by Scribd.

First, the 142-page macroeconomic report:
Deloitte Center for the Edge Shift Index for the US by John Hagel, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison

Then the industry-level report:
Deloitte Center for the Edge Shift Index: Industry Perspectives by John Hagel, John Seely Brown and Lang Da...

Quote Book: Musings from all walks of life as compiled over the last seven years

The Quote Book: Musings From All Walks of Life over the last seven years

Here's to the crazy ones (one of the best ads ever made)

That's what I was born to do

"I was born to be a basketball player and the only thing that I can do and that I am better at than basketball, is being a father and a husband, but other than that, that's what I do." Allen Iverson

Well said Allen. You, I, we are human. And those kinds of statements really highlight what matter most. Each of us is born to do something and to do it very well, but that something will never be more important than each of us being a good husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, or friend.

How Web 2.0 is changing the way we work: An interview with MIT’s Andrew McAfee

Andrew McAfee, principal research scientist at the Center for Digital Business at the MIT Sloan School of Management and author of the new book, Enterprise 2.0, speaks with McKinsey’s Roger Roberts, a principal in the Silicon Valley office, in Palo Alto, California, in October 2009.

In the interview, McAfee answers the following questions:
- How is Enterprise 2.0 changing the way we work?
(technology is finally catching up to the way we want to work)
- How do you get this started in an organization?
(deploy tools, talk about objectives, find pockets of energy and signal from the top what you want to happen)
- What else can undermine adoption?
(if they build it, they will come; too concerned with risks and downsides)
- What is the CIOs role in encouraging Enterprise 2.0 and managing the risk?
(in the hot seat to articulate what is going on and how can the company navigate these changes)
- What does this mean for middle managers?
(these technologies are going to greatly reduce your ability to filter information and curtail who you're people are going to talk with and meet with; if you see your job as managing people and that being paramount, these technologies will support you and they will not replace face-time)
- How should companies measure the success of Enterprise 2.0?
(not many are good at measuring investment, companies should think about what they want to happen and select technologies to make this happen best. e.g., intelligence community installed wikis and blogs where people can narrate their work; let people broadcast search, highlighting what you don't know not what you do know)

Video can be viewed here (if the video player is not loading, you can view the interview in its entirety, here:



And the transcript can be read here:
How Web 2.0 is changing the way we work: An interview with MIT’s Andrew McAfee