Chronicle of Philanthropy: More Than $35-Million Raised for Humanitarian Aid in Middle East

By CAROLINE PRESTON

[Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy]

More than three weeks after fighting broke out between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, some donors are stepping up their giving to help victims of the fighting. But while a few nonprofit groups have recorded a stronger response from donors than they did when they first made appeals, they say the money raised so far — about $35-million — still falls well short of needs.

As a result of the escalating needs in the region, many charities are now increasing their fund-raising goals.

Islamic Relief, in Buena Park, Calif., which recently increased its fund-raising goal from $5-million to $6.4-million, has received more than $940,000 to provide humanitarian aid in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

"It's a really encouraging response and I think as people see the humanitarian need, they are responding," says Mostafa Mahboob, a spokesman for the aid group. But "the more we see of the situation on the ground, the more we realize this is going to be a long-term recovery and there is going to be great need."

The International Committee of the Red Cross has also raised its fund-raising goal for Lebanon in response to the increased devastation — from $8-million to $81-million. (The group receives most of its support from governments.)

Some Jewish organizations, meanwhile, are increasing the amount of money they hope to raise for relief and rebuilding in Israel.

United Jewish Communities has announced a $300-million fund to create summer camps for children displaced by attacks, provide trauma counseling, refurbish bomb shelters, and provide other support. (The organization had earlier set a goal of $18-million.)

UJA-Federation of New York announced that it hoped to provide at least $60-million for that campaign, and that it has already raised $20-million toward that goal.

Some charities that initially received a tepid response from donors say contributions came in at a faster pace in the past week. Mercy Corps has brought in $475,000, of which about $400,000 was raised in the past week, for its efforts to provide food, medical supplies, and other help to the nearly one million people made homeless by fighting in Lebanon.

Matthew de Galan, chief development officer at Mercy Corps, says that some fund-raising techniques the charity traditionally relies on, like paid advertising, have been unsuccessful in drumming up money for the crisis. Instead, the charity has focused on communicating with major donors, emphasizing the situation in the Middle East on its Web site and in e-mail appeals, and contacting Lebanese Americans and others with ties to the crisis. At a recent rally for peace, the group raised about $4,000.

"We've made lots of calls and we're starting to see a little bit of activity," says Mr. de Galan. "But clearly we're a long way from where we want to be."
Other charities that say they are pleased with the results of their appeals include the U.S. Fund for Unicef, which has brought in $650,000, of which about $600,000 was raised in the past week; American Near East Refugee Aid, which has raised more than $300,000, double what it had raised by early last week; and Life for Relief and Development, which has received more than $250,000.

But even as the number of people displaced by the crisis in Lebanon continues to grow — some estimates place it above one million — many charities say that getting donors to focus on the humanitarian needs in the region remains a big challenge. Catholic Relief Services has raised $343,000, while Save the Children has received just $17,000.

Educational Groups

In addition, several nonprofit groups that do not participate directly in providing relief have also started raising money to help alleviate the region's humanitarian crisis.

The American Technion Society, a New York organization that supports the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, in Haifa, has created a fund to provide financial assistance to students at the university, set up a hotline to help them cope with stress, and responded to other needs. The organization received more than $250,000 in the first several days, says Melvyn Bloom, executive vice president.

And the Hariri Foundation USA, which provides money to Lebanese young people so they can pursue higher education in the United States, set up its first emergency fund in response to the fighting in Lebanon. The money will go toward relief efforts.

Many other groups are planning fund-raising events for humanitarian aid in coming days.

The New York branch of the Imam Al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation, a Shiite Muslim nonprofit group, will bring together diplomats, community leaders of different faiths, and other individuals on August 5 for an event designed both to raise money and awareness about the humanitarian situation in the Middle East.

Syed Meesam Razvi, the group's representative to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, says that donors have so far been slow to give in response to the foundation's appeal for $1-million to help people in Lebanon, in part because some individuals fear that writing checks to Lebanon could get them in trouble with law-enforcement agencies.

The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, in Dearborn, Mich., also plans to hold a fund-raising event this weekend, along with the National Arab American Medical Association Michigan chapter. The group hopes to raise $200,000 to help American Near East Refugee Aid send $10-million in medical supplies to Lebanon.

In addition to its fund raising for Lebanon, the charity is facing greater demand for its services to help Arab-Americans in the Detroit region. The group, which provides education, health care, immigration aid, and other services, has opened two trauma centers for people who experience signs of depression or anxiety in connection to the fighting.

The tense relations between Jews and Arabs, meanwhile, has led some charities in the United States to step up their security and think of ways to raise money for those additional needs.

More Jewish groups have been asking for help in ensuring the safety of their staff members after a shooting last week at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, according to the Anti-Defamation League, in New York. Pamela Waechter, the group's director of annual giving, was killed, and five others were wounded.

"Since Seattle, there has been a greater call for guidance all over the country," says Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "We have strengthened the relationship with law enforcement."