How to Donate to (and Fundraise for) Hurricane Nate Relief Efforts in Biloxi, Mississippi, Louisiana, and the Caribbean
Updated 10:25 AM EST on Sunday, October 8th.
When news broke that Hurricane Nate was gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico and on a path to hit Biloxi and many other areas in Louisiana and Mississippi, we were devastated. After Harvey, Irma, and Maria, it’s really hard to believe that Nate, yet another powerful hurricane, is doing damage to homes, businesses, and communities in Biloxi and elsewhere across the coast.
As you may know, Hurricane Nate has caused major flooding and damaging mudslides in the Caribbean countries of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Honduras. As of today, 28 people in the Caribbean were tragically killed due to Hurricane Nate.
Now, reports are coming in of flooding from the storm surges hitting the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts with damage already being documented. Winds up to 89 mph were clocked in Louisiana, and winds up to 70 mph were logged at Kessler Airforce Base in Mississippi, according to CNN. While we don’t yet know the full extent of the damage, we do know that many in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are without power and facing flooding and damage.
If you’re reading this article, it means you’re looking to help the victims in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and the Caribbean.
To get the word out about how to aid those affected by the Hurricane Nate, we’re compiling a list of the best places to donate, how to raise money, and how to give your time.
At this point, any help that you can provide to these impacted communities is needed. We don’t fully know how long the recovery will take or where will take the hardest hit, but what we do know is that the region needs whatever money we can send.
Here’s a list of ways you can aid the recovery efforts of communities and individual households impacted by Hurricane Nate.
12 Ways to Raise Money for and Donate to Hurricane Nate Relief Efforts in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras
- 12 Strategies (Click to Skip to the Section)
- 1. Launch a Crowdfunding Campaign
- 2. Contribute to a Crowdfunding Campaign (MANY ARE DOUBLING DONATIONS!)
- 3. Assist in the Rebuilding Effort
- 4. Donate to the Red Cross
- 5. Support Episcopal Relief & Development’s Fund
- 6. Send Money to a Food Bank
- 7. See If Your Company Matches Donations
- 8. Give to UNICEF
- 9. Donate to Mercy Corps
- 10. Rescue an Animal
- 11. Find Corporate Donors
- 12. Volunteer Your Time
If you’re not familiar with crowdfunding, it’s a fundraising technique that uses the power of personal networks and social sharing. With a crowdfunding campaign, an individual sets up a campaign page with details about the fundraiser and a goal. Then, the individual shares the campaign with friends and family and their broader network, asking for donations. It’s a simple and easy way to raise money online.
One of the best ways to help with the Hurricane Nate flooding relief effort is to send funding to the organizations with boots on the ground. With straight donations, the money can be allocated at the discretion of the receiving organization which is ideal in such times of crisis. Crowdfunding is the perfect, efficient way to get some immediate funding.
First, you’ll want to set up your crowdfunding campaign with Fundly (it takes less than five minutes and is free to get started!). You’ll want to get the basics of your campaign set up, like your goal and campaign description. Next, you’ll want to finalize and share the page.
Be sure to mention exactly how your funds will help with Hurricane Nate relief efforts and why this is such an important cause. If you’re planning to support a specific cause or organization in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, or the Caribbean countries, make sure to share this on your fundraising page. Essentially, be as detailed as possible.
If you see the value in crowdfunding campaigns for disaster relief and want to help following Hurricane Nate but don’t think that you have the time or resources to run an effective crowdfunding campaign, don’t worry. You can still get involved by finding a campaign to contribute to.
Because of its speed and relative low-maintenance, crowdfunding campaigns are often launched to help with disaster relief, including hurricanes and floods. For Hurricane Nate Relief, it’s an effective way to instantly give a bit of money and support the relief effort.
For instance, we have a Fundly Certified Campaign which has already had over 100 individuals contribute to.
Visit a crowdfunding site like Fundly, and use the site’s search features to locate campaigns tied to Hurricane Nate. You might need to sort by category (such as natural disaster relief funds) or by keyword like “hurricane” or “Mississippi”, “Louisiana”, “Nicaragua”, “Costa Rica” or any other area impacted. Then, review the available campaigns and contribute to a qualified and compelling campaign.
One way to make your donation go even further is to contribute to a fundraising campaign which has a matching sponsor. It allows you to easily multiply the impact of your donation!
There are a variety of matching gift campaigns running for the recent hurricanes. For example:
- The McShane Company is matching up $50,000 (here’s the fundraiser)
- PacSun is matching up to $25,000 (here’s the fundraiser)
- Associated Credit Union is matching up to $25,000 (here’s the fundraiser)
- Index Festival of Houston is matching up to $5,000 (here’s the fundraiser)
- W. Bradford & Co is matching up to $2,5000 (here’s the fundraiser)
Here’s a campaign where Philips Lighting is matching all donations!
You can assist in the rebuilding effort through the Habitat for Humanity Global Village. It is a massive global volunteering effort run by Habitat for Humanity that helps ensure everyone has a decent place to live.
In the wake of Hurricane Nate, some of the hardest hit areas are in the Caribbean countries like Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Habitat for Humanity and its services are uniquely equipped to help rebuild the Caribbean regions affected by Hurricane Nate. The organization is consistently running service trips with people, skills, and resources going to Central America countries to help with the rebuilding efforts.
Visit the Habitat for Humanity Global Village main page and find an individual crowdfunding campaign that matches what you’re looking to support.
The Red Cross website explains its services best, “Red Cross volunteers and staff work to deliver vital services — from providing relief and support to those in crisis, to helping you be prepared to respond in emergencies.”
The Red Cross is one of the largest nonprofits in the world, and it works tirelessly to help with relief efforts, such as recovery following an event like Hurricane Nate. You can either donate to the US Red Cross to provide help to the Gulf Coast states or to the International Red Cross to help Caribbean Countries recover from Hurricane Nate.
By donating to the Red Cross, you’re donating to experts in disaster relief.
Donating is simple. Just go to the Red Cross website and click the donate button.
If you want to donate blood, instead of funds, there’s also a “Give Blood” option on their website that can help connect you with a local spot to donate.
The donation page for Episcopal Relief & Development’s fund explains exactly what your donation will be accomplishing:
“Your gift provides our partners on the ground with critical supplies, such as food and water for communities devastated by Hurricane Irma, Nate, and other storms. You’ll also help us empower communities to not only prepare for emergencies, but assist with the long-term efforts needed to rebuild and heal.”
Their relief efforts are especially focused in the Caribbean (such as in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico) which are all in desperate need of relief following Irma, Maria, and Nate.
To give, visit the donation page for the fund and submit an online donation.
One of the biggest challenges in areas affected by disasters like Hurricane Nate is a lack of food for the region’s people.
Supporting regional food banks is a great way to ensure no hurricane victims go hungry as a result of the storm.
You can send any food that won’t go bad and is low/no-prep, however you need to be very careful about what you send and how much you send.
Most food banks will be able to help you figure out what you should and shouldn’t send, so be sure to consult the food bank’s website before mailing anything. If you’re unsure, you can always donate money to the food bank to make its own purchases, in fact, in many cases, sending money is the best approach.
Below are links to local food banks servicing a region affected by Hurricane Nate:
Matching gift programs are corporate philanthropy programs in which companies match donations made by their employees to a wide range of nonprofit organizations. Employee matching gift programs are an easy way to make your financial contribution for Hurricane Nate Relief Efforts to go twice as far. Make sure that if you’re one of the 15-19 million individuals who work for a company with a matching gift program that you submit your matching gift request. We’ve partnered with Double the Donation to make their matching gift search tool available for free during the hurricane relief efforts. Just type in your company’s name (or any company if you’re curious if they offer a matching gift program) to pull up matching gift forms, guidelines, and instructions. Type in a company name (ex. Verizon, Bank of America, Microsoft) below:
UNICEF, or The United Nations Children’s Fund, works in over 190 countries and territories.
According to their site, “UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more.”
In the aftermath of any major hurricane, UNICEF puts money and boots on the ground to help children impacted by the storm.
UNICEF is a great organization to support if you’re looking to help out kids who live in Nate’s path, especially in the Caribbean countries.
The Mercy Corps is a 501(c)3 that provides assistance around the world, including in regions affected by severe weather like Hurricane Nate.
The Mercy Corps Humanitarian Response Fund is dedicated to helping Mercy Corps respond to “urgent humanitarian needs in over forty countries.”
Mercy Corps Humanitarian Response Fund is specifically dedicated to relief from events like Hurricane Nate.
Mercy Corps is trained and prepared for disaster relief, meaning your money is going to go to a nonprofit that knows how to best use it.
Visit the Humanitarian Response Fund’s donation page, pick a donation amount, fill out your contact info, and give. The process is that easy.
Rescuing an animal from a dangerous situation can mean a few things. You could volunteer with the post-hurricane rescue effort.
You can send money to or raise money for a local shelter. You could even adopt or foster one of the animals.
When hurricanes strike, many pets like dogs and cats and horses end up lost, injured, or abandoned.
Luckily, animal rescue organizations and shelters will come to the assistance of animals affected by Hurricane Nate and help them to safety and hopefully safe homes.
First, find your local shelter or humane society. Reach out directly to them to see if they have any organized effort or way for you to get involved. Here are a few helpful links:
Look into everything from donating to fostering to adopting, if you’re able to.
Most large companies have a philanthropic arm. And many will be stepping up to help with the hurricane and flooding relief effort. They might have an opportunity for you to get involved and fundraise.
Companies and corporations can give the kind of funding to make a massive impact.
By working with companies to donate to hurricane relief, you’re increasing the funding and help you’re able to give.
Start with your own employer. See if they have a matching gift program and will match your donation.
If they don’t, look into locally-based companies and see how community members can get involved.
The relief effort following Irma, Maria, and now Hurricane Nate is going to take years and years to complete.
When you see all the damage and destruction, it’s hard not to feel defeated. Volunteering is a great option for you if you want to get actively involved beyond donating.
Check out the National VOAD website (see the button below), to sign up to volunteer in the regions most heavily affected by the storms.
After signing up, your information will be processed and the organization will reach out to you with how and when you can help. With volunteering, it is especially important that you go where you’re needed and don’t cause more harm than assistance.
This placement program will help you avoid any such issues.
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