Want to Help Maui Residents & Avoid Fundraising Scams?

Within hours, fraudsters were grifting through the generosity of souls online. The Hawai'i Attorney General posted widely distributed alerts.

Some real life examples below **may or may not** be fraudulent:

A. Staff member at doctor's office posted a printout of a Kickstarter campaign at check-in to support a Lahaina food truck vendor. 

B. A radio DJ prompted people to give to a #charity a friend told him about.

C. Store register-side cash cannisters with signs "Donate to Maui Relief Efforts."

How can we be more confident about #giving to Maui residents - or in any disaster? Try these maxims:

1. Donate to well-known, experienced #organizations
2. Use caution w/crowdfunding sites
3. Remain alert for potential scams

To support victims of the #Maui disaster, here's a partial list of #nonprofits, seasoned from previous experience w/tragedies:

*** Hawaii Community Foundation
*** American Red Cross of Hawai'i
*** Maui Food Bank
*** Maui United Way's Fire Disaster Relief Fund
*** The Salvation Army Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division

Thanks to Sylvia V. Bastani, CFRE, CPC for inspiring this post. I'm a fan of #community funds and #foundations that employ (and in many cases involve community #leaders and #volunteers) #local individuals to distribute funding in a #trusted process to minimize #fraud.