What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
When we launched the CDP Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund we stated from the outset that we would use contributions for mid- and long-term recovery. So does that mean people should ignore rescues and first responder organizations proving immediate relief? Of course not. Contributions to immediate relief are essential and we encourage it.
However, the data we’ve gathered with our partner Foundation Center show that an overwhelming majority of contributions only go to immediate relief.
The report, dashboard, and mapping platform — Measuring the State of Disaster Philanthropy — clearly demonstrates the lack of support for strategic long-term recovery and rebuilding. The ideal disaster-giving scenario has donors making contributions before and after disasters — as well as during.
During our webinar last week, FEMA representative Michael Riedy, gave this back-of-the envelope estimate of what happens after a disaster: For every day of immediate relief, there are at least ten days required for mid-term recovery and at least 100 days for long-term recovery. Based on that estimate, people will be recovering from hurricane Harvey for at least three years and probably longer.