1 in 3 people say they’ll have to limit holiday giving, according to disaster relief group

AUSTIN (KXAN) — When natural disasters hit earlier this year, donors answered the call to help.

“The fires in Maui received intense focus and generated a lot of support from the public,” said Thomas Tighe the CEO of Direct Relief.

Direct Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian medical organization, responded to many natural disasters around the world this year.

“It’s definitely increased with the frequency and intensity and length of these major emergencies, many of them caused by weather events. The heat dome that covered Texas was an enormous event, out here in California, there are fires and atmospheric rivers,” said Thomas Tighe, the CEO of Direct Relief.

While the need for donations grows, Direct Relief found 41% of charitable givers are less likely to give at the end of 2023 because they already donated during emergencies.

“It’s traditionally a time when a big proportion of all charitable giving occurs between Thanksgiving day and New Year’s and it remains unclear until we get through it how it’s going to go this year. But we’re hopeful that people who are in a position to give will step forward and support causes that they care about,’ said Tighe.

His advice if you want to donate money to a charity, find one that speaks to you and you can trust with your money.

“There are so many good ones that rely on charitable support, whether it’s environmental or animal welfare or a food bank or a diaper bank. It’s worth engaging your head and making sure that you look at an organization like Charity Watch or Charity Navigator that are independent watchdog organizations.”

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