<!DOCTYPE html>
<!--[if (gt IE 9)|!(IE)]> <!--> <html lang="en" class="no-js section-opinion format-medium tone-opinion app-article page-theme-standard has-comments has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" itemid="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" itemtype="http://schema.org/NewsArticle"  itemscope xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <!--<![endif]-->
<!--[if IE 9]> <html lang="en" class="no-js ie9 lt-ie10 section-opinion format-medium tone-opinion app-article page-theme-standard has-comments has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <![endif]-->
<!--[if IE 8]> <html lang="en" class="no-js ie8 lt-ie10 lt-ie9 section-opinion format-medium tone-opinion app-article page-theme-standard has-comments has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <![endif]-->
<!--[if (lt IE 8)]> <html lang="en" class="no-js lt-ie10 lt-ie9 lt-ie8 section-opinion format-medium tone-opinion app-article page-theme-standard has-comments has-top-ad type-size-small has-large-lede" xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/"> <![endif]-->
<head>
    <title>Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims - The New York Times</title>
        <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1" />
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://static01.nyt.com/favicon.ico" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144×144" href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/ios-ipad-144x144.png" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114×114" href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/ios-iphone-114x144.png" />
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/ios-default-homescreen-57x57.png" />
<meta name="sourceApp" content="nyt-v5" />
<meta id="applicationName" name="applicationName" content="article" />
<meta id="foundation-build-id" name="foundation-build-id" content="" />
<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" />
<link rel="alternate" media="only screen and (max-width: 640px)" href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" />
<link rel="alternate" media="handheld" href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" />
<meta property="al:android:url" content="nytimes://reader/id/100000005399011" />
<meta property="al:android:package" content="com.nytimes.android" />
<meta property="al:android:app_name" content="NYTimes" />
<meta name="twitter:app:name:googleplay" content="NYTimes" />
<meta name="twitter:app:id:googleplay" content="com.nytimes.android" />
<meta name="twitter:app:url:googleplay" content="nytimes://reader/id/100000005399011" />
<link rel="alternate" href="android-app://com.nytimes.android/nytimes/reader/id/100000005399011" />
<meta property="al:iphone:url" content="nytimes://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" />
<meta property="al:iphone:app_store_id" content="284862083" />
<meta property="al:iphone:app_name" content="NYTimes" />
<meta property="al:ipad:url" content="nytimes://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" />
<meta property="al:ipad:app_store_id" content="357066198" />
<meta property="al:ipad:app_name" content="NYTimes" />
<meta name="robots" content="noarchive" />
<meta itemprop="alternativeHeadline" name="hdl_p" content="Getting Help to Harvey’s Victims" />
<meta name="channels" content="" />
<meta itemprop="description" name="description" content="After its past failures, the Red Cross has a chance to demonstrate competence and accountability." />
<meta name="genre" itemprop="genre" content="Editorial" />
<meta itemprop="identifier" name="articleid" content="100000005399011" />
<meta itemprop="usageTerms" name="usageTerms" content="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/sale/terms-of-sale.html" />
<meta itemprop="inLanguage" content="en-US" />
<meta name="hdl" content="Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims" />
<meta name="col" content="Editorial" id="column-name" />
<meta name="pdate" content="20170830" />
<meta name="utime" content="20171027101153" />
<meta name="ptime" content="20170830032112" />
<meta name="DISPLAYDATE" content="Aug. 30, 2017" />
<meta name="dat" content="Aug. 30, 2017" />
<meta name="lp" content="After its past failures, the Red Cross has a chance to demonstrate competence and accountability." />
<meta name="msapplication-starturl" content="http://www.nytimes.com" />
<meta name="cre" content="The New York Times" />
<meta name="slug" content="30wed1" />
<meta property="article:collection" content="https://static01.nyt.com/services/json/sectionfronts/opinion/index.jsonp" />
<meta name="sectionfront_jsonp" content="https://static01.nyt.com/services/json/sectionfronts/opinion/index.jsonp" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" />
<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
<meta property="og:title" content="Opinion | Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims" />
<meta property="og:description" content="After its past failures, the Red Cross has a chance to demonstrate competence and accountability." />
<meta property="article:published" itemprop="datePublished" content="2017-08-30T03:21:12-04:00" />
<meta property="article:modified" itemprop="dateModified" content="2017-10-27T10:11:53-04:00" />
<meta property="article:section" itemprop="articleSection" content="Opinion" />
<meta property="article:section-taxonomy-id" itemprop="articleSection" content="AD8090D7-4137-4D71-84C8-70DA3BD89778" />
<meta property="article:section_url" content="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html" />
<meta property="article:top-level-section" content="opinion" />
<meta property="fb:app_id" content="9869919170" />
<meta name="twitter:site" value="@nytimes" />
<meta property="twitter:url" content="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" />
<meta property="twitter:title" content="Opinion | Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims" />
<meta property="twitter:description" content="After its past failures, the Red Cross has a chance to demonstrate competence and accountability." />
<meta name="author" content="The Editorial Board" />
<meta name="tone" content="opinion" id="article-tone" />
<meta name="byl" content="By THE EDITORIAL BOARD" />
<meta name="PT" content="article" />
<meta name="CG" content="opinion" />
<meta name="SCG" content="" />
<meta name="PST" content="Editorial" />
<meta name="tom" content="Editorial" />
<meta name="edt" content="NewYork" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-facebookJumbo.jpg" />
<meta property="twitter:image" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-videoSixteenByNineJumbo1600.jpg" />
<meta name="twitter:card" value="summary_large_image" />
<meta property="article:author" content="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/opinion/editorialboard.html" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="Hurricane Harvey (2017)" />
<meta name="des" content="Hurricane Harvey (2017)" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="Humanitarian Aid" />
<meta name="des" content="Humanitarian Aid" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="American Red Cross" />
<meta name="org" content="American Red Cross" />
<meta property="article:tag" content="Houston (Tex)" />
<meta name="geo" content="Houston (Tex)" />
<meta name="keywords" content="Hurricane Harvey (2017),Humanitarian Aid,American Red Cross,Houston (Tex)" />
<meta name="news_keywords" content="Hurricane Harvey,Humanitarian aid,Red Cross,Houston" />
<meta name="thumbnail_150" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-thumbLarge.jpg" />
<meta name="thumbnail_150_height" content="150" />
<meta name="thumbnail_150_width" content="150" />
<meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" name="thumbnail" content="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-thumbStandard.jpg" />
<meta name="thumbnail_height" content="75" />
<meta name="thumbnail_width" content="75" />
<meta name="dfp-ad-unit-path" content="opinion" />
<meta name="dfp-amazon-enabled" content="false" />
<link rel="alternate" type="application/json+oembed" href="https://www.nytimes.com/svc/oembed/json/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2017%2F08%2F30%2Fopinion%2Fharvey-red-cross-donations.html" title="Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="5281959998" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1002391179791389" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="105307012882667" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="123334484346296" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="142271415829971" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1453472561556218" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="153491058028703" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1545690368981813" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="1606969219532748" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="173455642668373" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="176999952314969" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="181548405298864" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="340711315527" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="5518834980" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="689907071131476" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="751965821517958" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="8254939527" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="98934992430" />
<meta property="fb:pages" content="993603507345855" />
    
            <link id="legacy-zam5nzz" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://typeface.nyt.com/css/zam5nzz.css" media="all" />
    <!--[if (gt IE 9)|!(IE)]> <!-->
        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180216-194919/css/article/story/styles.css" />
    <!--<![endif]-->
    <!--[if lte IE 9]>
        <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" href="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180216-194919/css/article/story/styles-ie.css" />
    <![endif]-->
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print" href="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180216-194919/css/article/story/styles-print.css" />
                <!--  begin abra  -->
<script>
var NYTD=NYTD||{};NYTD.Abra=function(t){"use strict";function n(t){var n=i[t];return n&&n[1]||null}function e(t,n){if(t){var e,o,r=n[0],i=n[1],u=0,c=0;if(1!==i.length||4294967296!==i[0])for(e=a(t+" "+r)>>>0,u=0,c=0;o=i[u++];)if(e<(c+=o[0]))return o}}function o(n,e,o,a){s+="subject="+n+"&test="+encodeURIComponent(e)+"&variant="+encodeURIComponent(o||0)+"&url="+encodeURIComponent(t.location.href)+"&instant=1&skipAugment=true\n",a&&f.push(a),c||(c=t.setTimeout(r,0))}function r(){var n=new t.XMLHttpRequest,e=f;n.withCredentials=!0,n.open("POST",u),n.onreadystatechange=function(){var t,o;if(4==n.readyState)for(t=200==n.status?null:new Error(n.statusText);o=e.shift();)o(t)},n.send(s),s="",f=[],c=null}function a(t){for(var n,e,o,r,a,i,u,c=0,s=0,f=[],l=[n=1732584193,e=4023233417,~n,~e,3285377520],h=[],p=t.length;s<=p;)h[s>>2]|=(s<p?t.charCodeAt(s):128)<<8*(3-s++%4);for(h[u=p+8>>2|15]=p<<3;c<=u;c+=16){for(n=l,s=0;s<80;n=[0|[(i=((t=n[0])<<5|t>>>27)+n[4]+(f[s]=s<16?~~h[c+s]:i<<1|i>>>31)+1518500249)+((e=n[1])&(o=n[2])|~e&(r=n[3])),a=i+(e^o^r)+341275144,i+(e&o|e&r|o&r)+882459459,a+1535694389][0|s++/20],t,e<<30|e>>>2,o,r])i=f[s-3]^f[s-8]^f[s-14]^f[s-16];for(s=5;s;)l[--s]=l[s]+n[s]|0}return l[0]}var i,u,c,s="",f=[];return n.init=function(n,r){var a,c,s,f,l,h=[],p=(t.document.cookie.match(/(^|;) *nyt-a=([^;]*)/)||[])[2],d=(t.document.cookie.match(/(^|;) *ab7=([^;]*)/)||[])[2],m=new RegExp("[?&]abra(=([^&#]*))"),g=m.exec(t.location.search);if(g&&g[2]&&(d=d?g[2]+"&"+d:g[2]),i)throw new Error("can't init twice");if(u=r,i={},d)for(d=decodeURIComponent(d).split("&"),a=0;a<d.length;a++)l=d[a].split("="),l[0]in i||(i[l[0]]=[,l[1],1],o("ab-alloc",l[0],l[1]),l[1]&&h.push(l[0]+"="+l[1]));for(a=0;a<n.length;a++)s=n[a],(c=s[0])in i||(f=e(p,s)||[],i[c]=f,f[1]&&h.push(c.replace(/[^\w-]/g)+"="+(""+f[1]).replace(/[^\w-]/g)),f[2]&&o("ab-alloc",c,f[1]));h.length&&t.document.documentElement.setAttribute("data-nyt-ab",h.join(" "))},n.reportExposure=function(n,e){var r=i[n];r&&r[2]?o("ab-expose",n,r[1],e):e&&t.setTimeout(function(){e(null)},0)},n}(this);
</script>
<script>NYTD.Abra.init([["www-story-reader-satisfaction",[[21474837,"Control",1],[21474836,"VariantA",1],[4252017623,null,0]]],["www-signup-favor-test",[[2147483648,"0",1],[2147483648,"1",1]]],["www-fixed-nav-subscribe-test",[[4294967296,"1",1]]],["www-ad-diagnostic",[[21474837,"1",0],[4273492459,null,0]]],["www-fabrik-off",[[4294967296,"1",1]]],["www-auto-newsletter",[[4294967296,"1",0]]],["www-STORY_3bundlePayflow-v3",[[4294967296,"1",1]]],["www-STRIK-nl-regi",[[4294967296,"2",0]]],["www-indexAsHeaderBidder",[[4294967296,"2",1]]],["abra_dfp",[[3865470567,"control",1],[429496729,"test",1]]],["EC_SampleTest",[[2147483648,"variantA",0],[2147483648,"variantB",0]]]], '//et.nytimes.com/')</script>
<!--  end abra  -->

<script>
/* ABRA reporting for Vi rollout. Please don't hand-edit this minified snippet. <https://github.com/nytm/vi-rollout-abra-reporting-js> (6abdd06 @ Wed Feb  7 15:26:18 EST 2018) */ function reportViRolloutToABRA(t,e,o){"use strict";var i,a,n,r,s="";if(e&&(/^mobile\./.test(window.location.hostname)?(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vi=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],a=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *nyt\.np\.vi=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],n=/^b1/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=vi":/^z1/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=0":/^a2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=hp-st":/^b2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=hp":/^c2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=st":/^z2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi2&variant=0":/^1\|/.test(a)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=vi":/^2\|/.test(a)?"WP_ProjectVi&variant=0":null):/^www\./.test(window.location.hostname)&&(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vi_www_hp=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],n=/^a2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp-st":/^b2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp":/^c2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=st":/^d2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp-2":/^e2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp-serv":/^f2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=hp-orig":/^y2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=0-2":/^z2/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_www_hp&variant=0":null),n&&(s+="subject=ab-alloc&test="+n+"&url="+encodeURIComponent(window.location.href)+"&instant=1&skipAugment=true\n")),o&&(/^mobile\./.test(window.location.hostname)?(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vistorymobile=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],r=/^a/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=st":/^b/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=sth":/^c/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=mw":/^z/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_Story_Mobile&variant=mwh":null):/^www\./.test(window.location.hostname)&&(i=(document.cookie.match(/(?:^|;) *vistory=([^;]*)/)||[,""])[1],r=/^a/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=sd":/^b/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=sdh":/^c/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=nyt5":/^z/.test(i)?"WP_ProjectVi_story_desktop&variant=nyt5h":null),r&&(s+="subject=ab-alloc&test="+r+"&url="+encodeURIComponent(window.location.href)+"&instant=1&skipAugment=true\n")),s){var _=new XMLHttpRequest;_.withCredentials=!0,_.open("POST",t),_.send(s)}}
</script>
<script>
  reportViRolloutToABRA(
    '//et.nytimes.com/',
    false,
    true  );
</script>
                <script id="page-config-data" type="text/json">
{"pageconfig":{"ledeMediaSize":"large","keywords":["Editorial","article-medium","has-embedded-interactive"],"collections":{"sections":["opinion","editorials"]}}}</script>
<script id="display_overrides">
            []    </script>

			    <script type="text/javascript">
        (function() {
            var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
            var mediaDotNet = 'https://contextual.media.net/bidexchange.js?cid=8CU2553YN&amp;https=1';
            var indexBid = 'https://js-sec.indexww.com/ht/p/183760-203795517182556.js';
            var timeout = 300;

            function loadScript(tagSrc) {
                if (tagSrc.substr(0, 4) !== 'http') {
                    var isSSL = 'https:' == document.location.protocol;
                    tagSrc = (isSSL ? 'https:' : '') + tagSrc;
                }
                var scriptTag = document.createElement('script'),
                    placeTag = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];
                scriptTag.type = 'text/javascript';
                scriptTag.async = true;
                scriptTag.src = tagSrc;
                s.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptTag, s);
            }

            function loadGPT() {
                if (!window.advBidxc.isAdServerLoaded) {
                    loadScript('//www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js');
                    window.advBidxc.isAdServerLoaded = true;
                }
            }

            window.advBidxc = window.advBidxc || {};
            window.advBidxc.renderAd = function () {};
            window.advBidxc.startTime = new Date().getTime();
            window.advBidxc.customerId = "8CU2553YN"; //Media.net Customer ID
            window.advBidxc.timeout = 300;
            window.advBidxc.loadGPT = setTimeout(loadGPT, window.advBidxc.timeout);

            // append index
            var a = document.createElement("script");
            a.type = "text/javascript";
            a.async = true;
            a.src = indexBid;
            s.parentNode.insertBefore(a, s);

            // append media.net
            var b = document.createElement("script");
            b.type = "text/javascript";
            b.async = true;
            b.src = mediaDotNet;
            s.parentNode.insertBefore(b, s);
        })();
    </script>

    <!-- Amazon Bidder version 2 Initialization Script -->
    <script type="text/javascript">
        //Load the ApsTag JavaScript Library
        !function(a9,a,p,s,t,A,g){if(a[a9])return;function q(c,r){a[a9]._Q.push([c,r])}a[a9]={init:function(){q("i",arguments)},fetchBids:function(){q("f",arguments)},setDisplayBids:function(){},targetingKeys:function(){return[]},_Q:[]};A=p.createElement(s);A.async=!0;A.src=t;g=p.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];g.parentNode.insertBefore(A,g)}("apstag",window,document,"script","//c.amazon-adsystem.com/aax2/apstag.js");

        apstag.init({
            pubID: '3030',
            adServer: 'googletag'
        });
    </script>


	<script type="text/json" id="trending-link-json">
	</script>

<!--esi
<script id="user-info-data" type="application/json">
<esi:include src="/svc/web-products/userinfo-v3.json" />
</script>
-->
<script id="magnum-feature-flags" type="application/json">["limitFabrikSave","moreFollowSuggestions","unfollowComments","scoopTool","videoVHSCover","videoVHSShareTools","videoVHSLive","videoVHSNewControls","videoVHSEmbeddedOnly","allTheEmphases","freeTrial","dedupeWhatsNext","trendingPageLinks","sprinklePaidPost","headerBidder","standardizeWhatsNextCollection","onlyLayoutA","simple","simpleExtendedByline","collectionsWhatsNext","mobileMediaViewer","podcastInLede","MovieTickets","MoreInSubsectionFix","seriesIssueMarginalia","serverSideCollectionUrls","multipleBylines","fabrikWebsocketsOnly","translationLinks","papihttps","verticalFullBleed","updateRestaurantReservations","mapDining","newsletterInlineModule","PersonalizationApiUpdate","apsTagEnabled","removeInternationalEdition","headlineBalancer","clientSideABRA","newsletterTitleTracking","surveyInterstitial","removeFBMessengerPromo","removeMarginaliaAbTest","paidpostSprinklingFix","abraOverrideVersion","headlineBalancerEverywhere","signupFavor","lazyloadOakImages","mapleFreeTrial","adQuerySupportForMultipleUserAddedKeywords","removeSectionDependentAdLogicForJanuary","oakUpdateAdStride","autoPlaceNewsletter","piiBlockDFP","adExclusiveIERibbonCheck","FlexAdDoubleHeightTracking","didScroll","supportedByAdFullBleed","anchorsHttps","oakBylineMargin","TopFlexAdSiteWide","BundlePayFlow","loadArticleOptimizely","oakStyleTouchups","oakBasicHeader","serveOakOnVI","opinionHeadline","indexAsHeaderBidder","newsletterRegiTest","bookReviewBuyButton","caslOpt","sectionBasedAmp","abraInCustomParams","jkiddScript","blueKai","showNewDealbookLogo","commentsUserDataUpdateDisabled","tMagazineFontTest"]</script>
<script>
var require = {
    baseUrl: 'https://g1.nyt.com/assets/',
    waitSeconds: 20,
    paths: {
        'foundation': 'article/20180216-194919/js/foundation',
        'shared': 'article/20180216-194919/js/shared',
        'article': 'article/20180216-194919/js/article',
        'application': 'article/20180216-194919/js/article/story',
        'videoFactory': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js2/build/video/2.0/videofactoryrequire',
        'videoPlaylist': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js2/build/video/players/extended/2.0/appRequire',
        'auth/mtr': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js/mtr',
        'auth/growl': 'https://static01.nyt.com/js/auth/growl/default',
        'vhs': 'https://static01.nyt.com/video/vhs/build/vhs-2.x.min',
        'vhs3': 'https://static01.nyt.com/video-static/vhs3/vhs.min'
    },
    map: {
        '*': {
            'story/main': 'article/story/main'
        }
    }
};
</script>
<!--[if (gte IE 9)|!(IE)]> <!-->
<script data-main="foundation/main" src="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180216-194919/js/foundation/lib/framework.js"></script>
<!--<![endif]-->
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<script>
    require.map['*']['foundation/main'] = 'foundation/legacy_main';
</script>
<script data-main="foundation/legacy_main" src="https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180216-194919/js/foundation/lib/framework.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
    <script>
    require(['foundation/main'], function () {
        require(['auth/mtr', 'auth/growl']);
    });
    </script>
</head>

<body>
    
    <style>
    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions {
        display: block !important;
        height: 50px;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .message-bed {
        background-color: #f8e9d2;
        border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .message-container {
        padding: 11px 18px 11px 30px;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .action-link {
        font-family: "nyt-franklin", arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
        font-size: 10px;
        font-weight: bold;
        color: #a81817;
        text-transform: uppercase;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .messenger.suggestions .alert-icon {
        background: url('https://static01.nyt.com/images/icons/icon-alert-12x12-a81817.png') no-repeat;
        width: 12px;
        height: 12px;
        display: inline-block;
        margin-top: -2px;
        float: none;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .masthead,
    .lt-ie10 .navigation,
    .lt-ie10 .comments-panel {
        margin-top: 50px !important;
    }

    .lt-ie10 .ribbon {
        margin-top: 97px !important;
    }
</style>
<div id="suggestions" class="suggestions messenger nocontent robots-nocontent" style="display:none;">
    <div class="message-bed">
        <div class="message-container last-message-container">
            <div class="message">
                <span class="message-content">
                    <i class="icon alert-icon"></i><span class="message-title">NYTimes.com no longer supports Internet Explorer 9 or earlier. Please upgrade your browser.</span>
                    <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/content/help/site/ie9-support.html" class="action-link">LEARN MORE »</a>
                </span>
            </div>
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

    <div id="shell" class="shell">
    <header id="masthead" class="masthead masthead-theme-standard" role="banner">
    <div class="container">
        <div class="quick-navigation button-group">
            <button class="button sections-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Sections</span></button>
            <button class="button home-button" data-href="https://www.nytimes.com/" title="Go to the home page to see the latest top stories."><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
                <span class="button-text">Home</span>
            </button>
            <button class="button search-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Search</span></button>
            <a class="button skip-button skip-to-content visually-hidden focusable" href="#story-header">Skip to content</a>
                        <a class="button skip-button skip-to-navigation visually-hidden focusable" href="#site-index-navigation">Skip to navigation</a>
                                    <a class="button skip-button skip-to-mobile visually-hidden focusable" href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html">View mobile version</a>
                    </div><!-- close button-group -->
        <div class="branding">
            <h2 class="branding-heading">
                <a id="branding-heading-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/">
                    <span class="visually-hidden">The New York Times</span>
                </a>
            </h2>
            <script>window.magnum.writeLogo('small', 'https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180216-194919/images/foundation/logos/', 'opinion', 'masthead-theme-standard', 'standard', 'branding-heading-link', 'article');</script>
        </div><!-- close branding -->
                <div class="story-meta">
            <h6 class="kicker"><span class="kicker-label"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html">Opinion</a></span><span class="pipe">|</span>Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims</h6>
        </div><!-- close story-meta -->
        <div class="user-tools">
            <div id="Bar1" class="ad bar1-ad nocontent robots-nocontent"></div>
<div id="liftoff-nyt5-bar1" class="hidden"></div>
            <div id="sharetools-masthead" aria-label="tools" role="group" class="sharetools theme-classic  sharetools-masthead  "
data-shares="facebook,twitter,email,show-all,save"
data-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html"
data-title="Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims"
data-author="By THE EDITORIAL BOARD"
data-media="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-jumbo.jpg"
data-description="After its past failures, the Red Cross has a chance to demonstrate competence and accountability."
	data-publish-date="August 30, 2017"
>
<div class="ad sharetools-inline-article-ad hidden nocontent robots-nocontent">
</div>
</div><!-- close shareTools -->
            <button class="button search-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Search</span></button>
            <div class="user-tools-button-group button-group">
                <button class="button subscribe-button hidden" data-href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp3004.html?campaignId=4XUYF">Subscribe Now</button>
                <button class="button login-button login-modal-trigger hidden">Log In</button>
                <button class="button comments-button  theme-speech-bubble-small" data-skip-to-para-id="">
</button>
                                <button class="button notifications-button hidden"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">0</span></button>
                <button class="button user-settings-button"><i class="icon sprite-icon"></i><span class="button-text">Settings</span></button>
            </div><!-- close user-tools-button-group -->
        </div><!-- close user-tools -->
    </div><!-- close container -->
    <div class="search-flyout-panel flyout-panel">
    <button class="button close-button" type="button"><i class="icon"></i><span class="visually-hidden">Close search</span></button>
    <nav class="search-form-control form-control layout-horizontal">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Search Navigation</h2>
    <form class="search-form" role="search">
        <div class="control">
            <div class="label-container visually-hidden">
                                <label for="search-input">Search NYTimes.com</label>
                            </div>
            <div class="field-container">
                                <input id="search-input" name="search-input" type="text" class="search-input text" autocomplete="off" placeholder="Search NYTimes.com" />
                
                <button type="button" class="button clear-button" tabindex="-1" aria-describedby="clear-search-input"><i class="icon"></i><span id="clear-search-input" class="visually-hidden">Clear this text input</span></button>
                <div class="auto-suggest" style="display: none;">
                    <ol></ol>
                </div>
                <button class="button submit-button" type="submit">Go</button>
            </div>
        </div><!-- close control -->
    </form>
</nav>


</div><!-- close flyout-panel -->
    <div id="notification-modals" class="notification-modals"></div>
<span class="story-short-url"><a href="https://nyti.ms/2vIEweZ">https://nyti.ms/2vIEweZ</a></span></header>
            <nav id="ribbon" class="ribbon ribbon-start nocontent robots-nocontent" aria-hidden="true">
    <div class="nocontent robots-nocontent">
        <ol class="ribbon-menu">
            <li class="collection ribbon-loader">
                <div class="loader loader-t-logo-32x32-ecedeb-ffffff"><span class="visually-hidden">Loading...</span></div>
            </li>
        </ol>
        <div class="ribbon-navigation-container">
            <nav class="ribbon-navigation next">
                <span class="visually-hidden">See next articles</span>
                <div class="arrow arrow-right">
                    <div class="arrow-conceal"></div>
                </div>
            </nav>
            <nav class="ribbon-navigation previous">
                <span class="visually-hidden">See previous articles</span>
                <div class="arrow arrow-left">
                    <div class="arrow-conceal"></div>
                </div>
            </nav>
        </div>
    </div><!-- close nocontent -->
</nav>

<script type="text/javascript">
(function () {
    var ribbon;
    if (window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('adAggro') !== -1 &&
        (window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== 'control' &&
        window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== null &&
        window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== 'null' &&
        window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') !== '')) {
        ribbon = document.querySelector('#ribbon');
        if (ribbon && ribbon.parentNode) {
            ribbon.parentNode.removeChild(ribbon);
        }
    }
})();
</script>
        <nav id="navigation" class="navigation">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Navigation</h2>
</nav><!-- close navigation -->

<nav id="mobile-navigation" class="mobile-navigation hidden">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Mobile Navigation</h2>
</nav><!-- close mobile-navigation -->

    <div id="navigation-edge" class="navigation-edge"></div>
    <div id="page" class="page">
        <div id="TopAd" class="ad top-ad nocontent robots-nocontent">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
</div>

        <main id="main" class="main" role="main">
        <article id="story" class="story theme-main   ">

    <div id='TragedyAd' class='ad tragedy-ad nocontent robots-nocontent'></div>

                        
    <header id="story-header" class="story-header">
                                <div id="story-meta" class="story-meta ">
                            <div class="supported-by hidden nocontent robots-nocontent">
                    <span class="ad-label">Supported by</span>
                    <div id="supported-by-ad" class="supported-by-ad ad"></div>
                </div>
                                        <h3 id="kicker" class="kicker" role="kicker">
                                                                                            <span class="kicker-label"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html">Opinion</a></span>
                                                                            <span class="pipe">|</span>                            <span class="article-kicker">Editorial</span><span data-kicker="Editorial" class="primer-test"></span>                                                            </h3>
                        			<h1 itemprop="headline" id="headline" class="headline">Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims</h1>
	                                                <div id="story-meta-footer" class="story-meta-footer">
                                                                                                    

<p class="byline-dateline"><span class="byline" itemprop="author creator" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"  itemid="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/opinion/editorialboard.html">By <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/opinion/editorialboard.html" title="More Articles by THE EDITORIAL BOARD"><span class="byline-author" data-byline-name="THE EDITORIAL BOARD" itemprop="name">THE EDITORIAL BOARD</span></a></span><time class="dateline" datetime="2017-10-27T10:11:53-04:00" itemprop="dateModified" content="2017-10-27T10:11:53-04:00">AUG. 30, 2017</time>
</p>

                                    <div class="story-meta-footer-sharetools">
                        <div id="sharetools-story-meta-footer" aria-label="tools" role="group" class="sharetools theme-classic  sharetools-story-meta-footer  "
data-shares="facebook,twitter,email,show-all,save"
data-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html"
data-title="Making Sure Your Help Gets to Hurricane Harvey’s Victims"
data-author="By THE EDITORIAL BOARD"
data-media="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-jumbo.jpg"
data-description="After its past failures, the Red Cross has a chance to demonstrate competence and accountability."
	data-publish-date="August 30, 2017"
>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-1">Continue reading the main story</a>
<span class="sharetools-label visually-hidden">Share This Page</span>
<div class="ad sharetools-inline-article-ad hidden nocontent robots-nocontent">
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-1">Continue reading the main story</a>
</div>
</div><!-- close shareTools -->
                                                    <button class="button comments-button  theme-speech-bubble" data-skip-to-para-id="">
</button>
                                            </div>
                            </div><!-- close story-meta-footer -->
        </div><!-- close story-meta -->
    </header>

    <script type="text/javascript">
        if (
            window.magnum
            && window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('headlineBalancer') > 0
            && window.magnum.headlineBalancer
            && window.magnum.headlineBalancer.initialize
            && window.magnum.headlineBalancer.shouldRun()
        ) {
            window.magnum.headlineBalancer.initialize();
        }
    </script>

        
    <div class="story-body-supplemental">
    <div class="story-body story-body-1">
        <figure id="media-100000005399182" class="media photo lede layout-large-horizontal" data-media-action="modal" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-master768.jpg" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" aria-label="media" role="group">
    <span class="visually-hidden">Photo</span>
    <div class="image">
            <img src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-master768.jpg" alt="" class="media-viewer-candidate" data-mediaviewer-src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-superJumbo.jpg" data-mediaviewer-caption="" data-mediaviewer-credit="Christopher DeLorenzo"  itemprop="url" itemid="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2017/08/30/opinion/30wed1/30wed1-master768.jpg"/>
            <meta itemprop="height" content="767" />
            <meta itemprop="width" content="768" />
    </div>
        <figcaption class="caption" itemprop="caption description">
                        <span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">
            <span class="visually-hidden">Credit</span>
            Christopher DeLorenzo        </span>
            </figcaption>
    </figure>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function () {
        var figure, fragment, storyHeader;
        var html, header, headline, storyMeta, mediaActionOverlay, supportedBy;
        var story = document.getElementById('story');
        var adAggro = window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('adAggro') !== -1 &&
            (window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-10' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-8' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-6' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-pro-agro') === 'pro-4');
        var adAggro2 = window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('story1427AdAggro') !== -1 &&
            (window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-10' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-8' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-6' ||
            window.NYTD.Abra('www-story-1427-ad-aggro') === 'pro-4');

        if ((adAggro || adAggro2) &&
            document.documentElement.className.indexOf('article-has-layout-large-horizontal') === -1
        ) {
                // only run this test if it's large or jumbo horizontal lede media
                figure = document.querySelectorAll('.lede.photo')[0];
                if (figure.className.indexOf('layout-large-horizontal') === -1 && figure.className.indexOf('layout-jumbo-horizontal') === -1) {
                    require(['foundation/main'], function (main) {
                        require(['foundation/tracking/tracking-mixin'], function (tracking) {
                            tracking.trackingTriggerRaw(
                                'not-running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                                {
                                    'module': 'not-running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                                    'region': 'not-running-pro-topper-ad-test'
                                },
                                'interaction'
                            );
                        });
                    });

                    return;
                }
                document.documentElement.className += ' article-has-layout-large-horizontal';

                // delete supported by
                supportedBy = document.querySelectorAll('.supported-by')[0];
                if (supportedBy) {
                        supportedBy.parentNode.removeChild(supportedBy);
                }

                fragment = document.createDocumentFragment(); // this will be the top ad
                fragment.appendChild(document.getElementById('TopAd'));

                storyHeader = document.getElementById('story-header');
                if (storyHeader.nextSibling) {
                  storyHeader.parentNode.insertBefore(fragment, storyHeader.nextSibling);
                }
                else {
                  storyHeader.parentNode.appendChild(fragment);
                }

                document.getElementById('TopAd').style.display = 'block';
                document.getElementById('TopAd').style.marginBottom = '45px';
        } // end ad if


        if ((adAggro || adAggro2) &&
            document.documentElement.className.indexOf('article-has-layout-large-horizontal') !== -1
        ) {

                html = document.documentElement;
                header = document.getElementById('story-header');
                figure = document.querySelectorAll('.lede.photo')[0];
                headline = document.getElementById('headline');
                storyMeta = document.getElementById('story-meta');

                mediaActionOverlay = figure.getElementsByClassName("media-action-overlay")[0];

                html.className += ' has-cover-media';

                story.className += " has-headline-image-topper bleed-align-left";

                header.appendChild(figure);

            if (window.magnum.getFlags().indexOf('story1427AdAggroTracking') !== -1) {
                require(['foundation/main'], function (main) {
                    require(['foundation/tracking/tracking-mixin'], function (tracking) {
                        tracking.trackingTriggerRaw(
                            'running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                            {
                                'module': 'running-pro-topper-ad-test',
                                'region': 'running-pro-topper-ad-test'
                            },
                            'interaction'
                        );
                    });
                });
            }

        }
})();
</script>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="296" data-total-count="296">It’s admirable that Americans’ first instinct when disaster occurs is to open their wallets and volunteer their time. Since this has never been a nation that relies wholly on government to take care of those in need, citizens’ first impulse is to pitch in, whatever their politics or faith.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="479" data-total-count="775">As the first images of suffering emerged from Houston, the flow of cash, food, clothing and rescue equipment into Texas seemed to rise in tandem with the floodwaters. Yet it’s inevitable that not all this largess will reach Harvey’s victims, or be well spent. For that reason, it is important for Americans to be as discerning with their money as they are philanthropic, avoiding scams and asking for greater accountability from trusted charities like the American Red Cross.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="711" data-total-count="1486">The Red Cross is the flagship of charitable institutions. It is also a master of promotion. After every disaster, its ads, celebrity testimonials and distinctive logo are everywhere, beseeching Americans to donate blood and money. This week Barack Obama became the Red Cross’s latest Twitter pitchman, <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/901946021437206528">urging</a> Americans to make a $10 donation by texting “HARVEY.” During President Trump’s televised update on the response in Texas on Tuesday, a Red Cross representative sat front and center. Corporations find donations to the Red Cross a ready way to <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/27/news/companies/corporate-donations-harvey-storm/index.html">demonstrate</a> they care: The organization has already raised millions from JPMorgan, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Dow Chemical and others for its Harvey efforts.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="374" data-total-count="1860">This is all to the good, assuming the money flows to the right places. But after years of media reports documenting the Red Cross’s disaster relief failures — including after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy and the Haiti earthquake — some Americans instead <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/08/28/people-are-urging-donations-for-harvey-relief-efforts-just-not-to-the-red-cross/?utm_term=.95ca9f8a1f6b">are </a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/us/donate-harvey-charities-scams.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=span-abc-region&amp;region=span-abc-region&amp;WT.nav=span-abc-region">giving</a> to smaller, local charities with a track record in Texas.</p><div class="newsletter-signup variant-1-hidden " id="newsletter-promo" data-newsletter-productCode="TY" data-newsletter-productTitle="Opinion Today" aria-labeledby="newsletter-promo-heading">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden" id="newsletter-promo-heading">Newsletter Sign Up</h2>
    <a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#continues-post-newsletter">Continue reading the main story</a>
        <h3 class="headline">Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter</h3>    <p class="summary">Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world.</p>    <form name="regilite" class="newsletter-form" method="post" autocomplete="off">
        <div class="control input-control">
            <div class="form-errors">
                <p class="error captcha-error hidden">Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box.</p>
                <p class="error invalid-email-error hidden">Invalid email address. Please re-enter.</p>
                <p class="error buffet-error hidden">You must select a newsletter to subscribe to.</p>
            </div>
            <div class="field-container">
                <input id="email" name="email" class="email-input" type="email" aria-required="true" placeholder="Enter your email address" value="">
                <button id="submit-button" type="submit" class="button submit-button">Sign Up</button>
            </div>
        </div><!-- close control -->
        <div class="control checkbox-control">
            <div class="field-container">
                <input id="special-offers" class="checkbox" type="checkbox" name="special-offers" value="MM">
            </div>
            <div class="label-container">
                <label class="checkbox-label" for="special-offers">You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services.</label>
            </div>
        </div><!-- close control -->
        <div class="g-recaptcha" id="captcha-container" data-sitekey="6LeN0R4TAAAAACwPa5WX2QYE0npOf2-2veTOm2Tp"></div>
    </form>
    <div class="messages">
        <h3 class="success-message hidden">Thank you for subscribing.</h3>
        <h3 class="error submit-error hidden">An error has occurred. Please try again later.</h3>
        <h3 class="subscriber hidden">You are already subscribed to this email.</h3>
        <p class="view-all-link hidden"><a href="/newsletters" target="_blank">View all New York Times newsletters.</a></p>
    </div><!-- close messages -->
    <ul class="footer">
                <li id="sample-newsletter-link" class="sample"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/sample/opinion-today?pgtype=subscriptionspage&version=new&contentId=TY&eventName=sample&module=newsletter-sign-up" target="_blank">See Sample</a></li>
                <li class="manage-email"><a href="/mem/email.html" target="_blank">Manage Email Preferences</a></li>
        <li class="logout hidden"><a href="/logout" target="_blank">Not you?</a></li>
        <li class="privacy"><a href="/privacy" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a></li>
        <li class="contact">Opt out or <a href="/help/index.html" target="_blank">contact us</a> anytime</li>
    </ul><!-- close footer -->
    <script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js" async="async" defer="defer"></script>
</div>
<div id="#continues-post-newsletter"></div>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="289" data-total-count="2149">A <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-red-cross-raised-half-a-billion-dollars-for-haiti-and-built-6-homes">2015 investigation</a> by ProPublica and NPR documented the Red Cross’s glaring failure to account for how it spent the $488 million it raised in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, including such basics as how many people were assisted and how much money was spent on overhead.</p><div id="story-ad-1" class="story-ad ad ad-placeholder nocontent robots-nocontent ">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-1">Continue reading the main story</a>
</div>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="685" data-total-count="2834" id="story-continues-1">In the aftermath of Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac, Red Cross officials in Washington “compounded the charity’s inability to provide relief by ‘diverting assets for public relations purposes,’” ProPublica and NPR <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-red-cross-secret-disaster">reported</a> in 2014, citing an internal Red Cross report. During Isaac, a Red Cross relief truck driver named Jim Dunham described how supervisors ordered trucks usually laden with aid to drive around empty, for appearance’s sake. Mr. Dunham characterized the Red Cross’s relief effort as “worse than the storm.” During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the organization <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/27/AR2005102702392.html">was plagued</a> by delays in distributing aid, amid profound disorganization on the ground.</p>        <a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-2">Continue reading the main story</a>
    </div><!-- close story-body -->
    <div class="supplemental first" id="supplemental-1">
    </div><!-- close supplemental -->
</div><!-- close story-body-supplemental -->
<div class="story-interrupter" id="story-continues-2">
    <div id="FlexAd" class="ad flex-ad nocontent robots-nocontent">
    <div class="accessibility-ad-header visually-hidden">
    <p>Advertisement</p>
</div>
<a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#story-continues-3">Continue reading the main story</a>
    <div class="flex-ad-creative"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story-body-supplemental">
    <div class="story-body story-body-2">
        <p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="341" data-total-count="3175" id="story-continues-3">The Red Cross is working to provide shelter and other aid in Texas; it is too early to gauge how well it is doing. The Red Cross is not, however, saying what specific steps it has taken to make sure that this time around donors can be certain that a vast majority of their contributions will go to the people whose plight moved them to give.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="203" data-total-count="3378">In response to multiple questions on Tuesday, including about what new accountability measures it has put in place, it issued only a brief statement that it was not “seeing any backlash” from donors.</p><button class="button comments-button  theme-speech-bubble-large" data-skip-to-para-id="">
</button>
<p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="759" data-total-count="4137">Despite the Red Cross’s enormous size and revenues ($2.7 billion in 2015), most of the disasters it responds to are relatively small, like single-structure fires. Its record on large-scale operations is spotty, and given the enormous amount it collects from Americans, the scope of its ambitions and the fact that a chunk of its budget comes from government agencies, there has been less accountability than Americans might expect emanating from its grand marble headquarters in Washington. In its most recent assessment, Charity Navigator, a nonprofit organization that evaluates charities based on their Internal Revenue Service filings, <a href="https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&amp;orgid=3277">gives</a> Red Cross three of four possible stars based on its 2015 filings, but only two stars for financial performance.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="439" data-total-count="4576">Everyone who responds to a disaster learns invaluable lessons that can or at least should be carried forward to the next one. Emergency crews fine-tune their operations; governments reassess funding priorities; home and business owners better protect their property. So it should be for charities, too. Groups like the Red Cross are stewards not only of enormous budgets, but of a more precious commodity: Americans’ willingness to give.</p><div id="addenda" class="addenda">
    <div class="story-addendum story-content theme-correction">
        <strong> Correction: September 1, 2017 </strong> <br/>
        <p>An earlier version of this editorial referred incorrectly to the category for which the Red Cross was awarded two stars out of four from Charity Navigator. That rating was for the financial category, not for accountability and transparency.</p>    </div>
</div>
<footer class="story-footer story-content">
    <div class="story-meta">
                        <div class="story-info"><p><em>Follow The New York Times Opinion section on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nytopinion">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/NYTOpinion">Twitter (@NYTopinion)</a>, and sign up for the<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/opiniontoday/"> Opinion Today newsletter</a>. <br /></em></p></div>

        
        <p class="story-print-citation">A version of this editorial appears in print on August 30, 2017, on Page A22 of the <span itemprop="printEdition">New York edition</span> with the headline: Getting Help to Harvey’s Victims. <span class="story-footer-links">  <span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html" target="_blank">Today's Paper</a><span class="pipe">|</span></span><span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp839RF.html?campaignId=48JQY" target="_blank">Subscribe</a></span>
</span>
</p>

    </div><!-- close story-meta -->
    </footer>
        <a class="visually-hidden skip-to-text-link" href="#whats-next">Continue reading the main story</a>
    </div><!-- close story-body -->
    <div class="supplemental " id="supplemental-2">
    </div><!-- close supplemental -->
</div><!-- close story-body-supplemental -->

    
    <div class="reader-satisfaction-survey prompt feedback-prompt story-content hidden">
<a class="feedback-link" href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLW30xgZodF1qRAg80oWEGuDpW-1HHaL0g42G3SmvB2f4lCw/viewform?entry.8537735=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/opinion/harvey-red-cross-donations.html" target="_blank">
    <p class="feedback-message">We&#8217;re interested in your feedback on this page. <strong>Tell us what you think.</strong></p>
</a>
</div>

    <div id="storage-drawer" class="hidden">
        <div class="supplemental-sub-item" data-attribute-position="0" data-attribute-name="PaidPost" data-attribute-type="PaidPost" data-attribute-subtype="">
    <aside id='middle-right-paid-post-container' class='ad middle-right-ad paid-post-ad marginalia-item hidden nocontent robots-nocontent'>
    <h2 class='marginalia-heading'></h2>
    <ul class='story-menu'>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost1' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost2' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost3' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
        <li id='MiddleRightPaidPost4' class='story-menu-item ad'></li>
    </ul>
</aside>
</div>
<div class="supplemental-sub-item" data-attribute-position="1" data-attribute-name="Peek" data-attribute-type="Community" data-attribute-subtype="Recent">
    <aside class="marginalia comments-marginalia  selected-comment-marginalia" data-marginalia-type="sprinkled" data-skip-to-para-id="">
</aside>
</div>
<div class="supplemental-sub-item" data-attribute-position="2" data-attribute-name="Peek" data-attribute-type="Community" data-attribute-subtype="Featured">
    <aside class="marginalia comments-marginalia  featured-comment-marginalia" data-marginalia-type="sprinkled" data-skip-to-para-id="">
</aside>
</div>
<div class="supplemental-sub-item" data-attribute-position="3" data-attribute-name="Peek" data-attribute-type="Community" data-attribute-subtype="Prompt">
    <aside class="marginalia comments-marginalia  comment-prompt-marginalia" data-marginalia-type="sprinkled" data-skip-to-para-id="">
</aside>
</div>
    </div>

</article>
<aside class="module trending-module hidden nocontent robots-nocontent" data-truncate-enabled="true"></aside><section id="whats-next" class="whats-next nocontent robots-nocontent">
    <h2 class="visually-hidden">What's Next</h2>
    <div class="nocontent robots-nocontent">
        <div class="loader-container">
            <div class="loader loader-t-logo-32x32-ecedeb-ffffff"><span class="visually-hidden">Loading...</span></div>
        </div>
    </div><!-- close nocontent -->
</section>
<div id="TopAd1" class="text-ad bottom-left-ad nocontent robots-nocontent"></div>
<div id="Top5" class="ad top5-ad hidden nocontent robots-nocontent"></div>
       <section class="module bundle-payflow-module">    <div class="bundle-payflow hidden"></div> <!-- end bundle-payflow -->
</section>


                    <div class="search-overlay"></div>
            </main><!-- close main -->
            <section id="site-index" class="site-index">
    <header class="section-header">
        <p class="user-action"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">Go to Home Page &raquo;</a></p>
        <h2 class="section-heading">
            <span class="visually-hidden">Site Index</span>
            <a id="site-index-branding-link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/">
                <span class="visually-hidden">The New York Times</span>
            </a>
        </h2>
        <script>window.magnum.writeLogo('small', 'https://g1.nyt.com/assets/article/20180216-194919/images/foundation/logos/', '', '', 'standard', 'site-index-branding-link', '');</script>
    </header>

    <nav id="site-index-navigation" class="site-index-navigation" role="navigation">
        <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Index Navigation</h2>
        <div class="split-6-layout layout">

                                                        
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">News</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                                                                                                                                                    
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/world">World</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/us">U.S.</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/politics">Politics</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/nyregion">N.Y.</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/business">Business</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/technology">Tech</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/science">Science</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/health">Health</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/sports">Sports</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/education">Education</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/obituaries">Obituaries</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html">Today's Paper</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/corrections">Corrections</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Opinion</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/opinion/index.html">Today's Opinion</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/columnists">Op-Ed Columnists</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/editorials">Editorials</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/contributors">Op-Ed Contributors</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/letters">Letters</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion/sunday">Sunday Review</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion">Video: Opinion</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Arts</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts">Today's Arts</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/design">Art & Design</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/books">Books</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/dance">Dance</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/movies">Movies</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/music">Music</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/events/">N.Y.C. Events Guide</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/arts/television">Television</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/theater">Theater</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video/arts">Video: Arts</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Living</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/automobiles">Automobiles</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords">Crossword</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/pages/dining/index.html">Food</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/education">Education</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion">Fashion & Style</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/health">Health</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/jobs">Jobs</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/magazine">Magazine</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/events/">N.Y.C. Events Guide</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/realestate">Real Estate</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/t-magazine">T Magazine</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/travel">Travel</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/fashion/weddings">Weddings & Celebrations</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                                            
                    <div class="column">
                        <h3 class="menu-heading">Listings & More</h3>
                        <ul class="menu">

                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/reader-center">Reader Center</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/ref/classifieds/">Classifieds</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/marketing/tools-and-services/">Tools & Services</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/events/">N.Y.C. Events Guide</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/section/multimedia">Multimedia</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/">Photography</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/video">Video</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://store.nytimes.com/?action=click&contentCollection=NYT%20Store&contentPlacement=2&module=SectionsNav&pgtype=Homepage&region=TopBar&t=qry542&utm_campaign=NYT-HP&utm_content=hp_browsetree&utm_medium=HPB&utm_source=nytimes&version=BrowseTree">NYT Store</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/times-journeys/?utm_source=nytimes&utm_medium=HPLink&utm_content=hp_browsetree&utm_campaign=NYT-HP">Times Journeys</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/seeallnav">Subscribe</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/membercenter">Manage My Account</a>
                                    </li>

                                                                                            
                                    <li>
                                        <a href="http://www.nytco.com">NYTCo</a>
                                    </li>

                                                            
                        </ul>
                    </div><!-- close column -->

                            
            <div class="column last-column">
                
<h3 class="menu-heading">Subscribe</h3>

<ul class="menu primary-menu">
    <li class="menu-label">Subscribe</li>
    <li class="home-delivery">
        <i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
                    <a class="nyt-home-delivery" href="https://www.nytimes.com/hdleftnav">Home Delivery</a>
            </li>
    <li class="digital-subscriptions">
        <i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
                    <a class="digital-subscription" href="https://www.nytimes.com/digitalleftnav">Digital Subscriptions</a>
            </li>
    <li class="nyt-crossword last-item">
        <i class="icon sprite-icon"></i>
        <a id="nyt-crossword" href="https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/index.html">Crossword</a>
    </li>
</ul>

<ul class="menu secondary-menu">

    <li class="email-newsletters">
        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/marketing/newsletters">Email Newsletters</a>
    </li>
    <li>
        <a href="https://myaccount.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html">Alerts</a>
    </li>
    <li class="gift-subscription">
                    <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/giftleftnav">Gift Subscriptions</a>
            </li>
    <li>
                    <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/corporateleftnav">Group Subscriptions</a>
            </li>
    <li>
                    <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/educationleftnav">Education Rate</a>
            </li>

</ul>
<ul class="menu secondary-menu">
    <li>
        <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/services/mobile/index.html">Mobile Applications</a>
    </li>
    <li>
                    <a href="http://eedition.nytimes.com/cgi-bin/signup.cgi?cc=37FYY">Replica Edition</a>
            </li>
    
</ul>
            </div><!-- close column -->

        </div><!-- close split-6-layout -->

    </nav><!-- close nav -->

</section><!-- close site-index -->

            <footer id="page-footer" class="page-footer" role="contentinfo">
    <nav>
        <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Information Navigation</h2>
         <ul>
             <li>
                <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/copyright/copyright-notice.html" itemprop="copyrightNotice">
                    &copy; <span itemprop="copyrightYear">2018</span><span itemprop="copyrightHolder provider sourceOrganization" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Organization" itemid="http://www.nytimes.com"><span itemprop="name"> The New York Times Company</span><meta itemprop="tickerSymbol" content="NYSE NYT"/></span>
                </a>
            </li>
            <li class="visually-hidden"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com">Home</a></li>
            <li class="visually-hidden"><a href="http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/#/">Search</a></li>
            <li class="visually-hidden">Accessibility concerns? Email us at <a href="mailto:accessibility@nytimes.com">accessibility@nytimes.com</a>. We would love to hear from you.</li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/infoservdirectory.html">Contact Us</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="http://www.nytco.com/careers">Work With Us</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="http://nytmediakit.com/">Advertise</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/privacy/policy/privacy-policy.html#pp">Your Ad Choices</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/privacy">Privacy</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/agree.html" itemprop="usageTerms">Terms of Service</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item last-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/content/help/rights/sale/terms-of-sale.html">Terms of Sale</a></li>
         </ul>
    </nav>
    <nav class="last-nav">
        <h2 class="visually-hidden">Site Information Navigation</h2>
        <ul>
            <li><a href="http://spiderbites.nytimes.com">Site Map</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/membercenter/sitehelp.html">Help</a></li>
            <li><a href="https://myaccount.nytimes.com/membercenter/feedback.html">Site Feedback</a></li>
            <li class="wide-viewport-item last-item"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp5558.html?campaignId=37WXW">Subscriptions</a></li>
        </ul>
    </nav>
</footer>
        </div><!-- close page -->
    </div><!-- close shell -->
        <script src="https://tags.bluekai.com/site/50550?ret=js&limit=1" type="text/javascript" async></script>
            <script src="https://cdn.optimizely.com/public/3013110282/s/article_prod.js" type="text/javascript" async></script>
    <script>
require(['foundation/main'], function () {
    require(['story/main']);


         

    require(['jquery/nyt', 'foundation/views/page-manager'], function ($, pageManager) {
        if (window.location.search.indexOf('disable_tagx') > 0) {
            return;
        }
        $(document).ready(function () {
            require(['https://a1.nyt.com/analytics/json-kidd.min.js'], function () {
                pageManager.trackingFireEventQueue();
            });
        });
    });
});
</script>
<!--esi                                                                                                                    
<esi:include src="/appconfig/https/show-modal.js" />                                                                       
-->

    <div id="Inv1" class="ad inv1-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="Inv2" class="ad inv2-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="Inv3" class="ad inv3-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ab1" class="ad ab1-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ab2" class="ad ab2-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ab3" class="ad ab3-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="prop1" class="ad prop1-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="prop2" class="ad prop2-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="Anchor" class="ad anchor-ad hidden"></div>
<div id="ADX_CLIENTSIDE" class="ad adx-clientside-ad hidden"></div>
</body>
</html>
