Japanese American Citizens League, Direct Relief International Join together for Japan Relief and Recovery Effort

Fund will use 100% of contributions for Japan aid 

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Direct Relief International today announced a collaboration to support relief and recovery efforts in Japan – the formation of the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund.

Key Points:

1) The organizations joined together in the face of a still unfolding crisis in Japan to ensure that contributions to assist Japan are used in the most productive, efficient manner possible.

2) 100% of funds donated to the Japan Relief and Recovery Fund, which will be managed by Direct Relief International, will be dedicated exclusively to relief and recovery efforts in Japan.

3) Today, Direct Relief also committed an initial $600,000 in cash to the effort and offered $15 million in medical inventory if needed to assist with trauma care and health conditions related to injuries and exposure as hundreds of thousands of people have been dislocated

JACL on their partnership with DRI:

“We are happy for this opportunity to partner with a superior organization such as Direct Relief, whose record of efficiency is second to none.  Many of our collaborative human and civil rights organizations will be supporting this relief effort.  We are happy to provide an avenue for funds that will go directly to help stricken victims of the disaster, many who are friends and family to our membership.”

Matt Lew’s Philanthro Japan Relief Fund hosted by DRI

When a major disaster strikes, hundreds of organizations run to your inbox or browser to ask for money.  However, not all of them are as efficient and effective as you’d hope.  Philanthro strives to provide some clarity in these situations where chaos, confusion, and unaligned agendas often lead to inefficient allocation of resources.  That is exactly what we’ve done with the recent earthquakes in Japan.  We are proud to stand with Direct Relief International (DRI), as an experienced, proven, and most importantly, extremely efficient provider of health services for those affected.  Not only does Direct Relief’s website outline its relief response efforts, it also provides very clear and concise, up-to-the-date information related to: Incident, Damage, and Human Cost.

Here’s why we stand with DRI:

• Efficiency: 98.8% of funding went to program expenses with 1% dedicated to admin and fund-raising.  In the past 10 years, each dollar spent has provided up to $30 (wholesale) of medical material aid specifically requested by in-country health professionals to care for patients
• Transparency: One of the most impressive features of Direct Relief International is its interactive maps: for Haiti and for the United States, Direct Relief provides a map detailing where it delivers its supplies and how much it spends on each category of aid.
• Historical Impact (Proven Track Record): Direct experience with large-scale emergencies in Asia, including the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004. This will help guide them to best plan and execute a recovery strategy.
• Based in California: Fast access to pacific rim countries
• Endorsement by others: Through assessment of the NPO’s performance in response to Haiti, Givewell endorsed DRI for Japan Relief Fund.  Forbes magazine has rated Direct Relief 100% efficient in fundraising for the eighth time in 2010.
• Charity Navigator (the recognized standard for charity ratings): Direct Relief is a 4-Star Charity (highest possible rating), which is labeled as “Exceptional: Exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its cause.”

Matt Lew’s Philanthro Japan Relief Fund hosted by DRI

“In philanthropy, you have to win only one out of five times, and sometimes less. You have only to achieve breakthrough, to create real traction, and to see things begin to change just one-fifth of the time. If you look at the initiatives you have been involved with and if one out of five attained the very tough goal you had set, while the others did no harm but fell short of that mark, you should be very happy. One out of five can be considered a success because the value of that one can be so great in a world where we do not understand change well, where we do not understand all the factors and forces at play, and in which we aim so high. I would suggest, in our philanthropic work, that we remember that ratio.”
 

Leila speaks at TEDxSiliconValley – December 2009

Leila Janah (Founder and CEO) - Samasource

I am completely amazed and inspired by how fast our new people are embracing Philanthro and what we are doing.  I’m not on Facebook, but somebody forwarded me this post from one of our newest team members who is part of the leadership team of our newest chapter in Seattle.  It says a lot…

“First off, I’m writing this partially per the request of our Co-Pres John Taing, partially because I enjoy reflecting on experiences that elevate my views or perceptions on life.

This past weekend could be described in a lot of ways, but the only word that seems to blink in my mind right now is TANGIBLE. The founders of P*SEA spent many years throughout college and our budding careers wishing we could do more. We wanted to not only contribute good into the world but we wanted to breathe new life into our peers, often times wondering “Why can’t everyone just spare a little extra for others?”

And for a few years, we wondered how to go about it. How do we make everyone share even a slight sliver of compassion or consideration for the people around them? Actions don’t have to be big but they have to start somewhere. It was our good fortune that we were connected with Yan (fortune and Jon Su…), former Co-Pres of the SF Chapter of Philanthro who initially brought up the prospect of establishing a Seattle chapter and from that point, the ball started to roll…really really fast.

Philanthro is essentially, as one of Philanthro’s founders, Matt Lew put it, a platform–not just for our future clientele but for US, the people who will work hard to sustain and repute the organization. For the Seattle chapter, it is the bridge that has allowed us to traverse our dreams into a reality; it is the missing mechanism we’ve been looking for.

Sitting in the conference room at Planet Hollywood this weekend for the All-City retreat solidified that for us. We are officially a part of something more intricate, thoughtful, and complex than ourselves–our compassion, aspirations and intentions multiplied ten-fold over and over again by every single body sitting in that room.

The feeling of being surrounded by like-minded individuals is incomparable and makes you feel that ANYTHING is possible, and in my mind, with that much determination and passion–anything IS possible. Along with all the notes we jotted down, and all the slides and presentations we viewed, the one enduring thing I took away from this weekend was that this is REAL. This is tangible. This is now in our hands and it is time to make use of the tools and resources Philanthro has provided us and take everything to a whole new level.

Seattle wants the BIG PICTURE–we want philanthropy not just for one night of convenience, but philanthropy to resonate for a life time.

My life’s theme for the past few months has undoubtedly been about taking ownership of your dreams and aspirations. It might sound a little abcFamily, but there is a tremendous amount of power in that. When you start taking hold of your own circumstances, you ultimately shift and shake everything and everyone else around you. Positive changes yield positive results and nothing will ever be the same. P*SEA is ready to cause a stir.”