After Katrina: Public Expectation and Charities' Response

"Emerging Issues in Philanthropy", a joint project by the Urban Institute Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy and the Harvard University Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.

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"Charities' Response to Disasters: Expectations and Realities" was the subject of the 14th seminar on Emerging Issues in Philanthropy, sponsored jointly by the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations of Harvard University and the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, on December 2, 2005. Participants addressed four topics: expectations of the charitable sector; the real capacity of the sector; lessons from recent disasters, mainly September 11 and the 2005 hurricanes; and the alignment of expectations with the sector’s capacity. Attendees included executives from disaster relief organizations, nonprofit scholars, and members of the press, the nonprofit sector, and government.

"Expectations of the Charitable Sector" centered on the perceptions of three groups—the donating public, government, and the press. Representatives from disaster relief charities described the difficulty of meeting donors’ expectations. Misperceptions have plagued these organizations, particularly the Red Cross, since September 11. Many donors do not understand that voluntary organizations cannot function, let alone raise funds, without incurring overhead expenses. Some donors expect all of their gifts to go to victims—and to go immediately—even though charities may have long-term needs that require long-term funding. One example was the need to rebuild schools in New Orleans, a need that could not be addressed in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but one that would profoundly impact residents’ lives. To help rebuild destroyed facilities and replace equipment in the future, charities must reserve some portion of donations.

Participants noted that the nonprofit sector functions most effectively as an adjunct to a strong state. The state response was strong after September 11, and the nonprofit sector tried to work alongside the government as well as fill in the gaps the government left behind, both short and long term. With Katrina, in contrast, the immediate state response was weak, and the nonprofit sector had neither the organizational structure nor the resources to meet immediate needs. Yet the public expectation was that they could and should.

As to the press, since September 11, the media has become more keenly interested in how charities respond to disasters, requiring reporters to become much better versed in the operations of complex, far-flung, and often opaque organizations. The public expectations, including those of most editors and reporters, are unrealistic because there is little concrete understanding of charities’ basic nature and what they do. Yet the very time the public wants to know more about charities and their basic operations is the same time they are engaged in the frenetic, all-consuming process of providing relief. Thus, reporters must become instant experts at the moment charities can least afford to educate them. Adding to the problem is editors’ persistent interest in what they consider most newsworthy—controversy such as corruption and fraud—rather than in what charities are doing well or what they can reasonably accomplish.

Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

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