After the violent act yesterday by one (or a few) terrible
people, I’m heartened to see how so many people at the site of the bombing risked
their own lives to help the victims and how millions more today are asking
themselves “how can I help?” Right now,
we are not aware that any charities, rated by us, have set up funds specific to
this tragedy. But our team of analysts is following the evolving situation and
if we identify any, we will be sure to promptly post that information here and
on our website.
That said, you may hear of specific appeals for help. Remember
that there is no shortage of criminals
that will be tempted to take advantage of your generosity. We’ve already
seen reports that 100s of
Boston-related website URLs have been purchased since the bombing. This is
similar to what we saw after Hurricane Katrina, the Haiti
Earthquake, Superstorm
Sandy and other disasters when criminals set up sites that stole
well-meaning donors’ money and personal identities. Be sure to review our tips
for giving in a crisis before you many any donations in the coming days.
Once legitimate charities establish funds, be sure to still
do your homework. Find out exactly how they plan to use your donation. And hold
them accountable for spending your money as promised and in a timely manner. As we've seen with previous victim’s funds, it can be a
very long time from when they’re established until the victims receive
assistance.
Finally, you may also want to consider other
ways to help such as donating
blood, signing
up to get trained as a disaster volunteer, or volunteer in your time or
donating to a charity in
your local community.
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