Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Donate safely

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Help urgently needed: Volunteers distribute relief supplies to people in Antakya

Photo: Khalil Hamra / picture alliance / dpa / AP

The earthquake catastrophe in Turkey and Syria also caused consternation in Germany.

At the same time, the willingness to donate is great.

The German Red Cross (DRK), for example, informed SPIEGEL that it had already received one million euros in online donations alone within the first day and a half.

Within 48 hours, the German Caritas charity also received donations of one million euros, and the Unicef ​​children's charity around 860,000 euros.

But how can I ensure that the money actually arrives, what do I have to consider when it comes to disaster relief?

Burkhard Wilke from the German Central Institute for Social Issues provides answers.

SPIEGEL

: Donate safely, how does that work, Mr. Wilke?

Wilke

: By taking the initiative myself and keeping it in my hands.

Whenever I'm unexpectedly approached or confronted with a call for donations unprepared, then I'm in a rather disadvantageous position.

I should also avoid the watering can principle and focus my donation on one or maybe two organizations.

On the one hand, the seriousness check is easier, on the other hand, every donation also triggers administration and further advertising: Two large donations instead of ten small ones reduce the costs.

SPIEGEL

: Numerous organizations are currently calling for donations, with the subject line saying something like "Earthquake in Turkey and Syria."

How can I be sure that my money will actually reach the victims of the earthquake?

Wilke

: If a proven reputable organization offers a donation for a specific purpose under exactly this keyword, then they will also keep this promise.

But even with such earmarked donations, it is legitimate that a certain proportion does not reach those in need directly, but is used to organize this help in the first place and also to provide the necessary infrastructure.

But you should pay attention to how the intended use is formulated exactly.

There are different keywords.

SPIEGEL

: What do you mean by that?

Wilke

: There are individual organizations that only give the keyword: »Earthquake aid in Syria«.

Then it is clear that this organization is apparently not active in Turkey.

There are other organizations that deliberately don't commit themselves, saying: I'm now active in Turkey or Syria, but I'll give the keyword "emergency aid".

The donors then know that the money can theoretically also be used for another disaster in another region if the organization concerned thinks it can use it more effectively there.

You can trust these keywords with reputable organizations, but you should also pay close attention to them and align your donation accordingly.

SPIEGEL

: So if I want as much of my donation as possible to actually arrive, should I choose a smaller organization that has less administrative work?

Wilke

: You can't say that.

We take a very close look at this in our reviews.

What types of costs are administrative costs?

What are program costs, what are advertising costs?

However, donors should not compare these proportions too closely.

SPIEGEL

: Why not?

Wilke

: Because there are many different reasons why a small organization may have even more work to do than a certain larger organization if, for example, it is integrated into church structures and can share infrastructure.

Even organizations that are financed to a large extent by public grants usually have a lower proportion of administrative costs than aid organizations that are financed purely by donations.

On the other hand, organizations that are active in difficult subject areas - long-term development aid, work with the disabled or education - tend to have higher advertising expenditures than, for example, disaster relief organizations, for which, as we are seeing again, the media often provide the necessary attention.

So whether the proportion of costs is low or high is not a question of size,

SPIEGEL

: What role does the local political situation play?

Wilke

: The conditions for providing aid are much more demanding and complicated in Syria than in Turkey because of the civil war.

That's why help is not impossible.

But the requirements for professional competence, for good local networking, for experience there in the region, for professional and at the same time reliable local partner organizations are particularly high here.

It is therefore all the more important that donors give their money to competent organizations that are either already active in this region, already have structures there, or are very experienced and proven in providing the necessary support in such difficult areas in a relatively short time build structures.

We also have this explained to us in detail during the annual seal test:

SPIEGEL

: And what if I just go to a provider that I can throw tents and sleeping bags on the truck for?

Then it goes directly to the people on site.

Wilke

: Donations in kind only make sense, especially in a case like this, when reputable organizations specifically call for them.

We experienced this above all in the first few months of the Ukraine aid, when, for example, local reception facilities asked for specific items, such as clothing or children's toys, for a limited period of time.

However, the greater the distance, the more uneconomical donations in kind become, and the more difficult it is often to recognize what is needed at which location and of what quality.

It would therefore be exactly the wrong way to resort to donations in kind because of doubts about the use of monetary donations.

There is a greater chance of falling for scammers or incompetent collectors.