Alternative Ways to Donate to Haitian Earthquake Relief Charities

As a freelance writer who receives almost all of her income via PayPal payments, it occurred to me how easy and convenient it would be for me to make a donation via PayPal. However, in researching charities that I would typically donate money to, such as Catholic Relief Services, I found that PayPal was not an option. Which charities are accepting PayPal or other options for donations?

Save the Children: Save the Children accepts PayPal as a donation option. Save the Children is a well-known charity and I can honestly say that I have seen their commercials on television in past years. They are a reputable charity that has worked toward helping the world's poor children by seeking donations by way of asking donors to sponsor a child. Save the Children's 2008 report shows that 92% of their expenditures went to fund programs, with only 4% going toward general overhead expenses and 4% going toward fund raising. You can donate to Save the Children via PayPal here. They also accept payments via Google Checkout and Amazon Payments.

If you are seeking a more direct route, the PayPal website has a donate button for Save the Children. Simply go to www.PayPal.com, log in, and make your donation to Save the Children there at their secure site.

iTunes Store: If you use Apple's iTunes store, you can donate to the American Red Cross via their Help Haiti button. The minimum donation is $5 and 100% of all money collected via this donation method will go to the American Red Cross. Your donation will appear on your credit card, so a credit card will need to be associated with your iTunes account.

If you have a credit balance available from a gift card you received at Christmas, your donation will not be drawn from that, but instead will go against the credit card associated with your account. Donors will receive an email acknowledgment from the iTunes store regarding their donation and personal information of donors will not be shared with the American Red Cross.

Swag Bucks: If you are a member of Swag Bucks, please note that they are accepting donations of Swag Bucks for their Haitian Relief Fund. As of the time of this writing, Swag Bucks members have donated over 121,000 Swag Bucks, or the rough equivalent of nearly $11,000. Donations of Swag Bucks from members are being accepted until 12:00 PM Pacific time on January 22, 2010. Swag Bucks will make donations to the American Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

These are just a few of the alternative ways to donate toward Haitian earthquake relief efforts. Save a child by making a donation today.

To read more about Contributor Nina Rotz' personal experience with the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders while growing up in war-torn Bosnia, please read her poignant article, Why I feel Compassion for the Children of Haiti.

Sources:

Save the Children's Financial Information

PC World: Apple Adds iTunes Store Page for Haiti Donations

Swag Bucks blog post: Swagbucks Haiti Relief Fund Update