Donations to Aid Haiti Exceed $210-Million, Chronicle Tally Finds

Contributions continue to pour in for relief efforts in Haiti. Six days after the massive earthquake struck, donors have contributed more than $210-million to major U.S. relief groups, a Chronicle tally finds.

The pace of giving for Haiti is running ahead of the amount donated in the same period after the Asian tsunamis in 2004, but slower than the outpouring of gifts after the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In the six days after the flooding started in New Orleans, Americans gave at least $457-million for relief efforts. In the nine days after the Asian tsunami, major U.S. relief groups raised $163-million.

Many groups are raising large sums for relief efforts in Haiti online and through text messages. By Monday, the American Red Cross had received more than $21-million through its campaign to encourage $10 gifts through texts.

That’s a record for the group in terms of text messages. In contrast, it raised $200,000 from texts during the 2008 hurricane season.

Over all, the Red Cross had raised $112-million through Monday evening.

Small Charities Win Big Donations

Less-well-known organizations, too, are benefiting from donors’ generosity. Network for Good, an online charity portal, has processed nearly $3-million in donations for relief efforts in Haiti.

While some of that money went to high-profile organizations, Network for Good says that smaller charities that had been working in Haiti before the earthquake — such as Beyond Borders, Hope for Haiti’s Children Ministries, and Angelwish — have raised tens of thousands of dollars as well.

Charity-watchdog groups, aid workers, and others have gone online to offer advice for donots on how best to give.

Relief organizations will be getting some high-profile fund-raising assistance this week. On Friday, January 22, the actor George Clooney is scheduled to host a fund-raising telethon on MTV.

Meanwhile, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are working together to raise money for the relief effort.

Charities’ Headquarters Damaged

In addition to the challenges of providing aid to survivors, many nonprofit groups also are contending with severe damage to their own facilities in Haiti.

Other charities that have raised $4-million or more for their relief efforts include:

• AmeriCares had raised more than $4-million as of Saturday morning.

• CARE USA had raised $6.7-million as of Monday.

• Catholic Relief Services had secured $13.1-million in gifts and pledges as of Monday. Approximately $8.5-million was donated online.

• The William J. Clinton Foundation had raised $6.9-million online as of Saturday.

• Mercy Corps had received more than $5.5-million as of Monday, a little less than during the same period after the Asian tsunamis in 2004.

• Oxfam America had raised more than $7.3-million as of 12:30 Eastern time on Monday.

• The Salvation Army had raised $4-million as of Sunday.

• Save the Children USA had raised more than $8.4-million as of Saturday morning. The group has set a fund-raising goal of $20-million.

• The U.S. Fund for Unicef had received $18.2-million as of Monday.

• World Vision’s U.S. operations had received $10.5-million as of Monday.

Ian Wilhelm contributed to this article.