Hitting the Wall - For Marathon Charities, Numbers Are Slowing - NYTimes.com

Hitting the Wall - For Marathon Charities, Numbers Are Slowing - NYTimes.com: y this time of year, the height of fall marathon season, the e-mails have long piled up: marathon aspirants seeking charitable donations from family and friends to help them secure a spot in a particular race. On race days, charity logos on runners’ gear have become as ubiquitous as mile markers, an integral part of an event’s feel-good message of fitness and philanthropy.

4 Charity Lessons From Superstorm Sandy - Forbes

4 Charity Lessons From Superstorm Sandy - Forbes: t’s been a year since Superstorm Sandy killed more than 150 people, caused a million others in a dozen states to evacuate their homes and unleashed $65 billion worth of damage. So I thought this would be an apt time to review how charities served Sandy’s victims and see what lessons we can learn about making wise charitable donations when future disasters hit.

A Nonprofit Pushes to Make Legal Aid Key Part of Disaster Services - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

A Nonprofit Pushes to Make Legal Aid Key Part of Disaster Services - News - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Many people who suffered the wrath of Superstorm Sandy have spent the last year trying to make sense of a bewildering array of aid programs, fighting with their insurance companies, and scrambling to keep up with mortgage payments even as they make costly repairs.

Now the New York Legal Assistance Group, an organization that has worked hand-in-hand with storm victims to try to make the arduous road to recovery a little easier, is doing all it can to get charities, grant makers, and government to think about legal aid almost in the same way it thinks about the Red Cross: an essential nonprofit service that starts work right after a disaster strikes.

Tracking the Federal Sandy Aid Money One Year Later - NJ Spotlight

Tracking the Federal Sandy Aid Money One Year Later - NJ Spotlight: The Obama administration's $60.4 billion emergency funding request to Congress last December stated that part of the money for recovery and rebuilding should be used "to help the region prepare for future challenges, including future severe storms and coastal flooding, as well as impacts associated with a changing climate."

Displaced New Jersey Residents Not Impressed by Sandy Recovery Efforts, Survey Finds | PND | Foundation Center

Displaced New Jersey Residents Not Impressed by Sandy Recovery Efforts, Survey Finds | PND | Foundation Center: Displaced New Jersey Residents Not Impressed by Sandy Recovery Efforts, Survey Finds

Few New Jersey residents displaced by Superstorm Sandy a year ago feel they are close to full recovery, while most feel they have been overlooked by the state's post-Sandy efforts, a survey by the Monmouth University Polling Institute finds.

Perspective: How My Firm Saved Brooklyn Bridge Park From Sandy's Fury | Co.Design | business design

Perspective: How My Firm Saved Brooklyn Bridge Park From Sandy's Fury | Co.Design | business design: Perspective: How My Firm Saved Brooklyn Bridge Park From Sandy's Fury

Is 3D Printing the Future of Disaster Relief? | Motherboard

Is 3D Printing the Future of Disaster Relief? | Motherboard: But advocates for the technology say that it's only a matter of time before we're shipping raw materials and 3D printers instead of medical supplies to the site of a disaster. 3D printers are already being used in the medical field to create customized tracheal valves, umbilical cord clamps, splints, and even blood vessels. A group in Haiti is already using the umbilical cord clamps to show locals the potential for the technology. And it's only a matter of time before they get deployed in a disaster scenario, according to Thomas Campbell, a Virginia Tech professor and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Red Cross Agrees to Changes in Disaster Solicitations - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Red Cross Agrees to Changes in Disaster Solicitations - Philanthropy Today - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas: Following criticism of its spending of Hurricane Sandy relief funds, the American Red Cross will make changes aimed at avoiding donor confusion over how it uses money raised in the wake of major disasters, the Associated Press reports.

Under an agreement with New York’s attorney general, the charity will modify the language of online appeals to give contributors more information about whether their gifts will go directly to victims of particular disaster or finance general Red Cross operations.

PHILANTHROPY 2173: Data-informed resiliency

PHILANTHROPY 2173: Data-informed resiliency: What data do cities already collect that, with the proper foresight and integration, could be useful in disasters? And how can they collect, use, and share the data in ways that protect personal privacy and that best serve the poor, infirm, and elderly (as opposed to discriminating against them)?

Alberta Flood Aid raises nearly 2.2 million dollars through benefit concert - Financial and Business News - MENAFN

PRESS RELEASE
Alberta Flood Aid raises nearly 2.2 million dollars through benefit concert - Financial and Business News - MENAFN: CALGARY, Oct. 17, 2013 (Menafn - Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) --On Thursday, August 15, 2013, 32,000 music lovers joined together at McMahon Stadium in Calgary for Alberta Flood Aid, a star-studded benefit concert to raise much-needed funds for flood recovery in southern Alberta. Thanks to an enormous outpouring of support, nearly 2.2 million was raised.

This memorable night in music history, hosted by Brent Butt featured legendary artists including; Nickelback, Jann Arden, Randy Bachman, Tom Cochrane, Matthew Good, Colin James, Loverboy, Corb Lund, Johnny Reid, The Sadies, The Sheepdogs and Ian Tyson donating their time and services to contribute to the effort. TELUS funded the live, online broadcast of the concert for viewers across Canada free of charge.

Poor suffer digital deficit in disasters - Red Cross

Poor suffer digital deficit in disasters - Red Cross: In its annual World Disasters Report, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) charts the revolutionary impact of technology on humanitarian aid, but also explores the barriers to its adoption.

From text message warnings about coming storms and mobile apps telling survivors where to find relief, to online services that map needs in crises and digital collection of data on health or displaced families, the global expansion of mobile telephones and the internet has enabled two-way communication between people hit by disasters and the aid workers who help them.

Social media, crisis mapping and the new frontier in disaster response | Global Development Professionals Network | Guardian Professional

Social media, crisis mapping and the new frontier in disaster response | Global Development Professionals Network | Guardian Professional: Social media, crisis mapping and the new frontier in disaster response

During a crisis the large amounts of data produced can be overwhelming to analyse. Microtasking could help solve that problem by harnessing the power of the crowd

Record smashing swimmer Diana Nyad to swim laps for two days in Herald Square

Record smashing swimmer Diana Nyad to swim laps for two days in Herald Square: Swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Florida was apparently just a warm-up.

Beginning Tuesdayat 8:30 a.m., swimmer Diana Nyad will be swimming for 48 hours straight in a pool set up in Herald Square to support Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts while raising money for AmeriCares, the global health and disaster relief organization.

Report urges extreme weather superfund in wake of Sandy

Report urges extreme weather superfund in wake of Sandy: Escalating costs from weather disasters like superstorm Sandy and the recent Colorado floods show the need for a new national disaster relief and preparation fund, paid for with new revenue including a levy on atmospheric carbon emissions, according to a new report by the New Jersey-based nonprofit group U.S. Strong.

Wireless Developer Network

Wireless Developer Network: A unique SMS-driven fundraiser, has been launched in Russia under the banner “All Together”. The goal of the campaign is to raise funds for families hit by the floods in the Russian Far East. This event proved to be the biggest non-profit campaigns in Europe – more than 9.5 million people took part in it which allowed to raise more than US $ 23 million, and a considerable part of it was raised through SMS. The technical side of the fundraiser was handled by i-Free.

Lowe's Announces $500,000 Grant To First Response Team Of America - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee

PRESS RELEASE

Lowe's Announces $500,000 Grant To First Response Team Of America - PR Newswire - The Sacramento Bee: MOORESVILLE, N.C., Oct. 4, 2013 -- /PRNewswire/ -- The Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation today announced a $500,000 grant to the First Response Team of America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working alongside local agencies to help save lives in the wake of destruction. Lowe's and the First Response Team are currently helping local families and communities recover from the recent flooding in Colorado. Volunteers are delivering critically needed cleaning supplies and assisting residents.

Indian, Nepalese armies carry out joint drill in Uttarakhand - Economic Times

Indian, Nepalese armies carry out joint drill in Uttarakhand - Economic Times: NEW DELHI: Armies of India and Nepal carried out joint disaster relief operations in the Himalayas during exercise 'Surya Kiran' held in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, which was recently devastated by heavy rains and floods.

Crowded field shuts charity out of next year’s marathon | Boston Herald

Crowded field shuts charity out of next year’s marathon | Boston Herald: But the foundation has been unable to get approval from either the BAA or marathon sponsor John Hancock to acquire race bibs for a charity team. In fact, at present, the BAA has not yet approved any bibs for any charity that supports those killed or injured in the blasts.

“We were approached by the families and friends of some of the victims who wanted to run for the foundation,” Hill told the Track. “We applied to John Hancock for bibs, and since it appears as though the charities are arbitrarily chosen, it seems odd that they wouldn’t choose a foundation that helps marathon victims.”

Earthquake: Food supplies and tents reach Awaran – The Express Tribune

Earthquake: Food supplies and tents reach Awaran – The Express Tribune: ore than 328 people have died and hundreds of others have been injured because of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Balochistan on September 24, Express News reported on Wednesday.

Around 208 people died in the Awaran district alone. It is feared that the death toll will continue to rise as many people are reportedly trapped under rubble.

USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives Closes in Haiti and Celebrates Hundreds of Community Achievements | ReliefWeb

USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives Closes in Haiti and Celebrates Hundreds of Community Achievements | ReliefWeb: The Haiti Recovery Initiative is among the U.S. Government’s biggest earthquake response programs, and throughout its entire lifetime, the program has remained committed to helping Haitians rebuild their communities and work with national and local leadership to prioritize and respond to community needs,” said Ambassador White at the closing event.

USAID/OTI’s $155 million program supported the U.S. Government earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti in the regions of Port-au-Prince, Saint Marc and Cap Haitien.