At a scale greater than 911 or Katrina the devastation in Japan is surely our worst developed world disaster. The main differences between such huge human disasters in poor countries v rich countries are in media coverage and the ability of the nation to cope.
Whilst the number of people killed in Japan is huge and rising, the number of displaced persons appears to be comparable to the number of displaced people in Libya, yet the media has relegated the humanitarian crisis in North Africa to a bit part. We have Japan earthquake and tsunami, potential nuclear disaster and then the poetical impact of the Libyan crisis, political impact across other Arab and North African countries and maybe something about the North African humanitarian crisis.
The Japan disaster has also introduced a watershed in acceptable media coverage. Not long ago we weren't shown dead bodies, this time we were shown people fleeing for their lives, with neighbors screaming them on only to be caught up in the wave and had their lives extinguished in front of us, again and again.
The emotional impact is huge. I have no idea how it will affect fundraising. Appeals in Australia have been relatively low key so far - people are still shocked and no agency seems to be shouting for funds like they were over Christchurch and our local floods.
Unlike the floods, where there was a hastily constructed collecting tin in every pub, and no ten minutes on TV without an appeal there is no out-pouring of community spirit and people led fundraising here in Australia. I am sure millions will be raised but the impact on giving will be different. Only time will tell how.
What I do know, however, is that if you are are making decisions about your fundraising activites, and are not working in an organisation raising funds for the earthquake appeals then please, don't alter your plans. If you think the disasters will harm your fundraising so you postpone activities or cancel them then you are right, it will harm your fundraising - a lot more than if you carried on.
If you work in an organisation fundraising for the people of Japan right now, please don't forget the follow up. Check out http://tinyurl.com/FR-tsunami to assess my point by point plaN against your own plans. It may be helpful.
In the meantime, please donate to Save The Children who have launched an appeal for Japanese children affected by the disaster, www.savethechildren.org.au.
Showing posts with label tsunami suicide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tsunami suicide. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Bush fire tragedy
Australia has been hit by what is likely to be our worst peacetime disaster, with a death toll expected to be over 200. Many more homes have been destroyed and even some towns wiped off the map.
We are used to bush fires here, they are part of the natural cycle of our forests and maybe species need fire to propagate.
But we are not used to people dying. Although small in scale compared to many foreign disasters it is very difficult to put a relative comparison to any human tragedy.
Read more about the fires from the main newspaper in Victoria (the state where the fatal fires are burning) here, and of course you can make a donation through the Red Cross here.
With charities in Australia, there is inevitable pressure to pull their fundraising activity, whether out of some respectful drive or a feeling that their own campaigns will suffer. Please don't. Your cause is still important - and people still care about your beneficiaries.
Our experience is that in times like this -as with the Christmas Tsunami and the Chinese Earthquake, the charities that suffer a decline in income are those that pull back from fundraising. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
I do recommend fundraising in-house for the Bush Fire appeal, encouraging staff and volunteers to donate.
In addition, if you are a community based organisation you may want to consider coordinating your own members activities. You need to be very careful with 'ultra vires' (acting beyond your remit) but they will be giving anyway, and you may be able to make the effort more effective.
A great example of a recent ultra vires action, which I was very happy with as a Greenpeace donor, was when Greenpeace sent the Rainbow Warrior to ferry MSF doctors to Aceh after the Tsunami.
One last sad thought, as pointed out to me by a charity CEO yesterday was that they were stopping the appeal mailings that were due to be sent to people in towns and villages that no longer exist.
Sean
Our man in North America, Jonathon Grapsas is from Melbourne, not far from the fires, and his take on the tragedy can be read here.
We are used to bush fires here, they are part of the natural cycle of our forests and maybe species need fire to propagate.
But we are not used to people dying. Although small in scale compared to many foreign disasters it is very difficult to put a relative comparison to any human tragedy.
Read more about the fires from the main newspaper in Victoria (the state where the fatal fires are burning) here, and of course you can make a donation through the Red Cross here.
With charities in Australia, there is inevitable pressure to pull their fundraising activity, whether out of some respectful drive or a feeling that their own campaigns will suffer. Please don't. Your cause is still important - and people still care about your beneficiaries.
Our experience is that in times like this -as with the Christmas Tsunami and the Chinese Earthquake, the charities that suffer a decline in income are those that pull back from fundraising. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
I do recommend fundraising in-house for the Bush Fire appeal, encouraging staff and volunteers to donate.
In addition, if you are a community based organisation you may want to consider coordinating your own members activities. You need to be very careful with 'ultra vires' (acting beyond your remit) but they will be giving anyway, and you may be able to make the effort more effective.
A great example of a recent ultra vires action, which I was very happy with as a Greenpeace donor, was when Greenpeace sent the Rainbow Warrior to ferry MSF doctors to Aceh after the Tsunami.
One last sad thought, as pointed out to me by a charity CEO yesterday was that they were stopping the appeal mailings that were due to be sent to people in towns and villages that no longer exist.
Sean
Our man in North America, Jonathon Grapsas is from Melbourne, not far from the fires, and his take on the tragedy can be read here.
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