Liberal Blogosphere for Hurricane Relief
Update, 9/15: This campaign is now over. Details here.
Hurricane Katrina has devastated thousands of lives.
This is a coordinated effort by the liberal/progressive blogosphere to help the victims of the devastation. Make a donation for hurricane relief.
Together, we're going to raise $1 million for the American Red Cross - and prove that the liberal blogosphere can help our fellow citizens in need.
Join the Campaign
Of course, we invite all progressive bloggers to participate in our community-wide campaign.
Two options:
- BlogAds Subscribers: Contact us and provide your advertise-here link and your free-ad-code. We'll post the ad, which will allow us to update it each day.
- Everyone Else: Get the HTML to post the ads on your own blog or website.
Details:
All proceeds will be sent to the Red Cross. Donations are being tracked by Drop Cash. Transactions are secured through Paypal. Donors will receive receipts directly from the Red Cross. For more info, see the initial announcement.
You can be certain that your contribution will be secure, go to the Red Cross, and people will know it came from the liberal blogosphere.
Thank you. Together, we can do this.
Best,
Kari Chisholm, Mandate Media
Chris Bowers, MyDD.com, Liberal Blog Ad Network
Kari Chisholm | August 31, 2005 | Comments (33) |
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Comments
Thanks Kari, and everyone else. We don't have blogads, but we can definitely promote this on our blog and at Pacific Northwest Portal. A great idea!
Posted by: nwprogressive | Aug 31, 2005 11:41:30 PM
Hello Kari,
I sent you a mail thru your contact form, but just in case your swamped - I run Philadelphia's blog ad network - from what I understand it is the 2nd largest regional network. I would love for us to participate:
http://www.blogads.com/advertise/philadelphia_regional_blogs/order
Please email me and let me know how we can get the word out about this and get the relief ad on our sites.
Thanks,
Karl
Posted by: Karl Martino | Sep 1, 2005 3:36:31 AM
will you be accepting credit card donations at any point? I gave already through the red cross site, but I'd like to chip into this effort and I don't have a paypal account...
Posted by: gil | Sep 1, 2005 7:50:44 AM
Will we get a receipt from the American Red Cross? I ask because my company will match every dollar with a receipt from a registered charity. Thanks.
Posted by: anneschu | Sep 1, 2005 9:28:45 AM
gil, PayPal take a credit card payment for you. You don't need to have an account.
Posted by: Philosophy | Sep 1, 2005 10:09:50 AM
Yes, you're right, PayPal does NOT require a paypal account - and will accept MasterCard/VISA.
As for a receipt from the Red Cross, we're working on that. We decided, in the interest of speed, not to figure out that detail in advance.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Sep 1, 2005 10:38:49 AM
We've had some questions - so let me be clear about one thing:
All funds - minus credit card processing fees from PayPal - are going to the Red Cross.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Sep 1, 2005 10:58:07 AM
Is Race Playing a Part in the Catastrophic Aftermath of Katrina?
Rick Blake, a Washington, DC-based Writer rblake@mindspring.com
After days of watching the images of thousands upon thousands of African Americans stranded without food, water and hope, it occurred to me that nobody has consistently reported on the catastrophe and its impact on already struggling black folk in the three states, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama whacked by Hurricane Katrina. Why are thousands upon thousands of African Americans and other poor folk without the basic necessities of life after days of struggling to survive? Can a basically red neck Bush Administration and its fellow Republicans in these states make a miraculous turn around and speedily work to save the lives of thousands of desperate African Americans?
It’s obvious that African Americans make up a large proportion of the population now underwater in New Orleans. In addition, we are also among those most affected in Louisiana and Mississippi. Who will make sure that our communities are saved? Given the racial history of these states and the lack of connection of the Bush Administration with African American communities, can our communities count on them to help pull them through this current crisis?
As an African American, I feel the gut wrenching agony of seeing tens of thousands of my brothers and sisters sleeping on bridges, wading in filthy water, and herded into the unlivable conditions in the Super Dome. This isn’t to say that the entire population of these areas have not undergone an agonizing disruption of their lives. Indeed, I don’t believe for a moment that poor folk of any color are going to be treated well by this administration. However, I do believe that poor black folk have additional burdens in general and especially in this crisis. Everyone in these states needs assistance. But do you really expect George W. Bush and Haley Barbour and their ilk to protect the lives of poor black folk. Please.
Former New Orleans Mayor Mark Morial has called this “a crisis of Biblical proportions.” In this kind of crisis, you need people at the top who are sensitive to the needs of every community to make sure that every individual and family currently alive survives. So I have a few questions for those in command while meeting this crisis.
For the Bush Administration, you rarely met with the Congressional Black Caucus and other key African American organizations. Never thought it important to develop trust and real links to our communities. I hope that doesn’t affect how you handle the crisis in our communities.
For FEMA and the state emergency management organizations, I hope that you have added some diversity to your management ranks and that plantations of privilege that you have created in your own ranks doesn’t come back to haunt you now and affect the delivery of services to African American communities in need.
For the media, thank you for broadcasting the pictures of thousands and thousands of African Americans without even the basics of subsistence. Thank you for interviewing some representatives of our communities and those most affected. However, please notice and mention that there is a racial impact of this disaster in your coverage.
For wealthy African Americans and those African American officials, please continue to come to the aide of those most affected by this disaster of Biblical proportions.
Posted by: Rick Blake | Sep 1, 2005 11:28:53 AM
Thanks for organizing this effort. I posted on my blog, also.
Posted by: Joan Schramm | Sep 1, 2005 12:43:34 PM
Heck yes, race is playing a part ... even I can see it, and I'm a white guy. It's enough to gag a maggot.
Posted by: Robin | Sep 1, 2005 12:46:10 PM
Would there be any interest in collecting an *unofficial* count of money donated by the liberal blogosphere outside of this venue? I, and many others, have already donated money through the red cross and others. If there is already a place, let me know, otherwise I would offer http://katrinablogdonation.blogspot.com/ as a place that can be used.
Posted by: John Sublette | Sep 1, 2005 1:55:02 PM
I commend the effort. I have contributed, but I'm wondering if you will be adding other charities. I haven't always supported the way the American Red Cross has chosen to distribute their contributions.
Posted by: Joan Goss | Sep 1, 2005 2:11:35 PM
Thank you. I've added your disaster relief ad html code to my blog, and hope to help raise some $$.
Posted by: Leslie | Sep 1, 2005 7:08:37 PM
In all the talk about donating money to "middle men" who will pass the money on to the Red Cross, there's one question I don't think I've seen addressed anywhere: is it still tax deductible for us? I know the money's going to the Red Cross, but will the IRS agree?
I donated $200 to the Red Cross this morning, and I know it's deductible: it's posted clearly on their site and printed on the receipt.
If it seem like an inappropriately selfish question to ask, bear in mind that if it's tax deductible, giving more hurts less. If your marginal income tax rate is 25%, you can donate 1/3 more for the same amount of net financial loss. Across thousands of people, the difference can be huge.
Posted by: Kevin | Sep 1, 2005 10:37:12 PM
Whatever amount of money you raise, donate through Best Buy...they are matching dollar for dollar. Up to 1 million dollars.
Posted by: flaunted | Sep 1, 2005 10:42:05 PM
Kevin --
I've tried to address the tax-deductible thing several times on several blogs.
We didn't contact the Red Cross in advance of our campaign - because they're completely overwhelmed - but I'll be giving them the contributor data along with the funds so that they can provide IRS-valid receipts to each individual donor.
Thanks.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Sep 1, 2005 11:20:47 PM
This is a GREAT idea!
I've added it to every page at dpsinfo.com, not just my blog (which doesn't get all that much traffic anyway).
I have a challenge - I have Google Ads at my site, and, for the month of September, I pledge all of my Google Ads revenue to this fund. It probably won't be a huge sum of money (I've been getting about $50-$60 per month, enough to cover my ISP fees, so it's something!), but I'll send a PayPal payment equivalent to the Google Ads revenue on 10/1. Other people want to consider doing that?
In the meantime, I'm about to PayPal you a donation (it would be more, but I just gave to the Red Cross the other day, and am currently unemployed).
Two other things:
Thanks to Making Light, the first site where I found this campaign.
I have a JavaScript version of this for people who'd rather link to a script rather than cut and paste HTML. It's at:
http://www.dpsinfo.com/scripts/katrinarelief.js
Posted by: Laurie Mann | Sep 2, 2005 5:52:01 AM
Just an FYI - PayPal is reporting technical difficulties this morning.
Posted by: Laurie Mann | Sep 2, 2005 5:56:35 AM
Hey--
Just wondering if anyone contacted PayPal to see if they would waive their processing fees for hurricane donations?
Posted by: Joan Goss | Sep 2, 2005 9:58:10 AM
Joan -- Working on that. Absolutely. Thanks!
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Sep 2, 2005 10:07:41 AM
We put this ad up on our blog, and a local democratic party site I run.
Thanks for setting this up!
Posted by: Rob Freedman | Sep 2, 2005 11:16:10 AM
Great Idea! I was all ready to donate $1000 to the Red Cross, but then I stumbled upon this URL and noticed the comment by Rick Blake. By allowing someone like that the platform from which to spew his racial hatred of our government and its policies, you have seriously compromised your impartiality in the matter.
So Rick, and by extension, Liberal Blogosphere, if it's a "black problem," I'll let the blacks solve it and take my money elsewhere.
Thanks!
Posted by: Valannin | Sep 3, 2005 3:10:22 PM
25 ideas to help:
http://www.workingpodcast.com/index2.html
Posted by: Dimitar Vesselinov | Sep 4, 2005 11:16:09 AM
www.seriouslythough.com has added, keep up the excellent work. You/we are helping alot of people with this. Thanks for implamenting this great idea.
Posted by: k-0s | Sep 5, 2005 12:14:07 PM
Citylinks.org is an online community portal providing solutions to non profit organizations such as; free tools promoting service awareness, online donations & item needs posting, volunteer recruitment and special events postings. For citizens, Citylinks provides a help network, volunteer center informational links and more
Posted by: Efrain Rodriguiz | Sep 7, 2005 12:45:27 PM
