Apple activates iTunes' Red Cross donation system for Philippine typhoon relief

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Following Typhoon Haiyan's landfall and subsequent battering of the Philippines, Apple is now accepting donations via iTunes to help Red Cross efforts in the region.

Haiyan


As it has done before, Apple is helping streamline disaster relief donations to the American Red Cross via iTunes, this time for Typhoon Haiyan, which ripped through the Philippines last Friday.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the massive storm typhoon killed an estimated 10,000 people, with that tally expected to rise sharply as rescue efforts travel to more remote cities and villages. The US and UK are sending military naval vessels to render aid to the roughly 660,000 people displaced by the tropical cyclone.

Apple is advertising the effort on its homepage. Because the service is linked to iTunes, users can charge donations to credit cards on file simply by signing in and clicking the "Donate" button. Increments range from $5 up to $200.

The iTunes/Red Cross donation system was recently used in 2012 to help victims of Superstorm Sandy. Prior to that, the service was activated following the devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, as well as for a series of earthquakes in Haiti.

Those interested in sending aid can visit Apple's website or click here.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    Sure hope [I]you know who[/I] won't come in and whine about it. I say well done Apple, as always.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    Kudos Apple, very straight forward. I just pitched in my donation
  • Reply 3 of 16

    Is this US-only (for now)? On the Dutch store I get "Buying a charity gift is not supported in your country's store at this time."

     

    I do seem to remember donating for one of the previous causes a few years ago.

  • Reply 4 of 16
    pmzpmz Posts: 3,433member
    The Red Cross is a joke and a complete scam. That money does not get where you believe it does. Apple should (would) be embarrassed to be associated with them, if they weren't a part of it.
  • Reply 5 of 16

    Thank you Apple! Much appreciated!

  • Reply 6 of 16

    Proof please.

    Quote:


     Idiot people. The Red Cross is a joke and a complete scam. That money does not get where you believe it does. Apple should (would) be embarrassed to be associated with them, if they weren't a part of it.


  • Reply 7 of 16

    I already donated through UNICEF's website a few days ago, but good work from Apple and The Red Cross here!

  • Reply 8 of 16
    Salamat, han iyo dako nga pagtambulig (Thank you for the greatly needed help). Every helping hand, physically or virtually is greatly appreciated at this time of grave need in the Philippines.

    Kudos to Apple for facilitating/making it easy for all of us to help in our own small (big) ways and to this publication for reporting.
  • Reply 9 of 16
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member

    If you're in Canada, I would suggest donating through UNICEF instead. Not only would it be tax deductible, but your donation will be TRIPLED due to both the federal government and Loblaws matching your donation. Your $$ will go much further. 

     

    www.unicef.ca

  • Reply 10 of 16

    Do the research. The Red Cross charges people for their services is disaster areas. Donate to UNICEF.

  • Reply 11 of 16
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dannsh View Post

     

    Do the research. The Red Cross charges people for their services is disaster areas. Donate to UNICEF.


    Donating to UNICEF is a great idea but if you are going to make outrageous claims, you should link to your research instead of telling people to do so on their own. As it turns out, what you claim, is patently false and stems from an mandate (by order of the US government) during the Korean war, that the Red Cross shall charge soldiers for off base coffee and donuts. 

     

    You sir, are the one who needs to do your research. I would begin here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Red_Cross

     

    The Red Cross is not without their controversies but all of their disaster relief is free. They make a lot of money from blood products which are sold to hospitals, primarily in the US, but there is no charge for services such as food, water, sanitation, communication, transportation, medical treatment and a myriad of other services to disaster victims. 

  • Reply 12 of 16
    slurpy wrote: »
    If you're in Canada, I would suggest donating through UNICEF instead. Not only would it be tax deductible, but your donation will be TRIPLED due to both the federal government and Loblaws matching your donation. Your $$ will go much further. 

    www.unicef.ca
    Hmmm nice. Wonder if Apple would consider matching( of course I presume they don't take their 30% iTunes cut.../s)
  • Reply 13 of 16
    If one is donating to the American Red Cross. What guarantees the money will go to the Philippines?
  • Reply 14 of 16
    If you're in Canada, I would suggest donating through UNICEF instead. Not only would it be tax deductible, but your donation will be TRIPLED due to both the federal government and Loblaws matching your donation. Your $$ will go much further.
    www.unicef.ca
    ___

    Thanks for the tip. I live in USA and was able to make a donation on this Canadian site.
  • Reply 15 of 16
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gordon Werner View Post



    If one is donating to the American Red Cross. What guarantees the money will go to the Philippines?

    They don't do that anymore. You can select from a few different programs but the one that you would likely choose for the latest disaster is called "Where It Is Needed Most". In this case that is logically going to be the Philippines since that is where you'll find the greatest effort of Red Cross assistance and resources being deployed. The reason for the change is that there is a lot of overlap in their expenditures and many of their resources involve transportation, warehousing, logistics and communication which some people might not consider direct support for disaster victims. Furthermore it just costs too much in overhead to provide accounting transparency to every single donor. You just have to trust them.

     

    Another issue is that they may actually receive more donations than they can spend on a disaster. This is something that got them in trouble in the 911 disaster because they could not spend all the money on the things that they do they such as emergency food, water medicine, temporary shelter, etc. So in the 911 case they started giving money to people who were simply displaced and inconvenienced since the funds were earmarked for that particular disaster. In the end they were not doing a thorough enough job on verifying that the displaced people were in actual financial need. So, long story longer, they now spend the money where it is needed most and not necessarily for the cause the money was donated.

Sign In or Register to comment.