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Donations: The Need for Accountability

In 2005, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the country of Haiti and all of its resources. 1.5 million people became homeless and the entire world turned its eyes to the Caribbean in the hopes of giving them aid, with over $10 billion pledged to Haiti in response to the earthquake. A bright future seemed on the horizon for the Haitian people.

However, despite the money given in relief, over 80,000 people still live under tents according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. Buildings also haven’t been rebuilt and though projects have been thought to have been ongoing, there is very little to show for it.

Many companies were boasted to come to Haiti in order to stabilize the economy by creating close to 90,000 jobs combined. Even then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to Haiti with other foreign dignitaries in support of these companies. Nonetheless, only 4,000 jobs were actually created instead of the original idea of 90,000.

All of these mishandlings have also deteriorated Haitian politics. In December 2014, Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe was forced to resign by public pressure over the atrocious state the country is in. 

This lack of accountability increases the need for an easier and more reliable way to keep track of all donations towards charitable causes. No charitable need should ever have to worry about these issues and wonder where all of their donations are going to.

Starkville Bridges would like to spotlight this very issue and collaborate with other local non-profit agencies to implement a system for better organizing and tracking charitable funds.

Through research, we have found a tool called “Charity Tracker.” Charity Tracker is a tool that arose from the abuses of Hurricane Katrina, which followed similar patterns of unaccountability for millions of dollars donated in relief.

Its creators sought to have a better understanding of what is happening in the community by crafting a more efficient way to communicate with area agencies and to cease duplicate services.

Charity Tracker can create detailed reports, securely share information and send out important information quickly. All of your information is backed up daily and is safe because it uses the same security as online banks. 

Over 806 cities now use Charity Tracker in their community with over 2.8 million people aided since 2007. Starkville is one of the last major cities in Mississippi to not implement Charity Tracker, so we believe this would be a wonderful way for our agencies to collaborate and improve the way we reach those in need of our help.

Please contact Kelly Olivieri at 662-312-2025 or bridgesoutofpoverty@gmail.com if you or someone in your organization may be interested in attending our Charity Tracker webinar on January 29th in Starkville. 

For the Wall Street Journal Reference: click here

If you’d like to read more in depth about Charity Tracker, click here.