Hurricane Maria Information. Utilizing Facebook and Social Media to Help.
September 29, 2017
Julianne Shenk
JBS Nonprofit Consulting
I have received a few messages asking me to vet
and research agencies associated with Hurricane Maria and specifically helping
the residents of Puerto Rico. A few messages asked if the hashtags on social
media are legitimate. Well…
Hashtags are a tool to (1) get a topic trending
and (2) to make a topic searchable via social media. For example, if you use
the search bar of Twitter to search “#HelpPuertoRico” it will pull up thousands
of tweets to peruse with those exact words. It is the same on Facebook or
Instagram. If you have the patience, you will come across information on how to
help Puerto Rico. (Of course, you can also search for fun stuff, too.
#WillandGrace #PittsburghPenguins #BestPizzaInAustin) If someone has mentioned those words/that
phrase, it will come up in your search.
As always, do your research on any agency that
you find. (I have written several blogs about finding the right fit for you and
a nonprofit organization.) Go to their website. Click links. Ask them
questions via phone or email. Be proactive. It is your hard-earned money and
you want to guarantee that it is going to those that need it. Ask where your
funds will go and if you can direct the donation to a specific thing. Ask. Ask
questions.
PBS has some great information as well:
Facebook has a safety check page for Hurricane Maria victims
and their families to check in with each other, as does Google Docs’ person finder. If you or loved one has
access to any kind of cell or internet service, the American Red Cross also has
an Emergency! App for safety check-ins and
updates. Univision launched an interactive page where you can search for
updates on individual municipalities. Officials in Puerto Rico are asking
people to report U.S. citizens who need emergency assistance to the State
Department through its Task Force Alert program. Go to http://tfa.state.gov and select “2017 Storm
Maria.”[1]
Thank you.
