Yele, Wth Fear?

Yesterday, I wrote that I made my earthquake relief donation through Yele Haiti, the foundation established by Haitian musician Wyclef Jean. I liked the idea of donating to a group with roots in Haiti, plus my personal experience with small foundations and advocacy groups is very positive and predisposed me to support one. Small institutions are often effective at addressing otherwise overlooked issues and can be adept at identifying and responding to emerging needs. The Christian Science Monitor raised some concerns about Yele's overhead, but also recognized that the expenses were well within the expected amount for a small foundation. Yele appeared on enough lists of recommended groups that I figured it was a safe bet.

I may have figured wrong, although I'm still not sure. Questions have been raised about how efficiently Yele is run and the appropriateness of some past expenses. Disaster relief specialists question how soon it can bring its donations to bear in Haiti since it has no experience in disaster relief. Read more here, here, and here. No one questions Yele's sincerity or that they have done good work in Haiti. No one appears to doubt that donations will eventually reach Haiti. The main issue is whether Yele is prepared to efficiently apply and distribute the contributions they've received in a timely manner. For donors and would-be donors, this is the key point.

In terms of raising money, Yele has been successful, unquestionably. The technique of fund raising through cell phone texting has been widely admired and praised. Yele brought in over a million dollars in the first 24 hours after the earthquake; how much of that money would have gone to other charities anyway is an open question. And, it has partnered with other first responders, presumably to provide an avenue for effectively bringing the donations to bear on the ground.

So, is Yele the best way to help Haiti? I don't regret my contribution, but I'm going to hedge my bet by giving to the Doctors Without Borders as well. Unless someone can think of a good reason not to...

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