Money Fix: Making disaster donations

Once again we're mesmerized by misfortunes Mother Nature can wreak on us humans, this time as those in Japan struggle with the aftermath of an earthquake and tsunami and the complexities of taming those nuclear reactors. Seeing people in such straits can elicit the instinct to reach out a hand. And if you do that financially in this instance, here are some tips for donating.

CLOUT: Make sure the organization you consider supporting has more than good intentions. Look for an "on the ground presence." So says a tips sheet issued in the wake of the earthquake in Japan by the Better Business Bureau of Metropolitan New York. You want your donation to go to organizations that "are equipped and experienced" to handle such a situation, says Claire Rozenzweig, BBB president and chief executive. Check out organizations at BBB.org/charities.

FRAUD: The FBI also issued a tip sheet warning against fraudulent practices seen in the aftermath of other disasters. The FBI says: Don't respond to unsolicited e-mails, be on guard for copycat names similar to those of real charities, avoid making cash donations, be suspect of organizations that ask donations be sent by money transfers. Learn more at www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases.

BAND TOGETHER: Last week Aoifa O'Donnell, chief executive of National EAP in Ronkonkoma, sent out to client organizations a list of charitable and relief organizations, including the American Red Cross, which is accepting donations by text and its own website -- see redcross.org. The idea, she said, was to share resources with employers whose workers may be banding together and establishing workplace initiatives.