Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have an outsized role in philanthropy, attracting the largest share of donation dollars annually in America. They are especially active in disaster relief and recovery. When you see media coverage of aid groups responding to a major disaster, domestically or abroad, more often than not they are affiliated...
As the country learns about the floods in Eastern Kentucky, we open our hearts and want to help. Sometimes, however, that help is misguided, and people and organizations send goods that are not needed, diverting resources and focus away from lifesaving and life-preserving activities, and clogging up supply routes and...
In 2017, fast-moving wildfires ripped through Sonoma and Napa Counties in Northern California, claiming at least 10,000 homes and 40 lives. The devastation prompted one local resident, a seasoned disaster relief volunteer and Spanish interpreter, to sign up to work at an evacuation shelter in Petaluma. Karen Merzenich recalled how the shelter...