CNN Telethon for the Gulf Falls Short in Donations

CNN's "Larry King Live" hosted a star-studded telethon on June 21^st to raise money for those affected by the oil spill on the Gulf Coast. The telethon titled, "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help" was two hours in duration and raised a minimum of $1.81 million.

Three charities will share the money raised. Donors could choose to direct their donation to The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation or United Way. These three organizations are working to help families, wildlife and even individuals who are affected by the oil spill.

The amount of money raised during this telethon fueled observations that donors are not contributing much funding to relief efforts for the oil spill on the gulf. The estimated $1.81 raised during "Disaster in the Gulf: How You Can Help" is meager in comparison to a similar broadcast by Larry King in January to support relief efforts in Haiti. The Haiti broadcast raised $10 million.

Experts and leaders in the nonprofit sector can only speculate to the reasons behind the sluggish response in giving to provide relief in the Gulf and help clean up the oil spill. However, most in the sector do believe the reasons behind the lag in giving is because Americans expect the company responsible for the oil spill, BP, to pay for any damaged caused by their mistake.

The three charities chosen to receive the money raised (National Wildlife Federation, Nature Conservancy, and United Way Worldwide) were chosen, according to CNN, as a way to highlight three areas of need in the Gulf: saving wildlife, restoring natural habitats and helping families and individuals whose livelihoods have been affected by the oil spill disaster. Donations are still coming in, however sluggishly, but officials say that the National Wildlife Federation has raised the most so far from the telethon, bringing in $835,000. United Way Worldwide raised $475,000, while the Nature Conservancy has raised more than $400,000.