I was reading this morning and in it there’s a huge ad from a company called eton with an idea of how to help disaster victims in Japan. My initial reaction was “Great! I’m in, where do I sign?”
Anyone paying attention to the multiple crises unfolding there should have the same reaction.
The basic idea seemed really solid, there’s an image or an emergency radio that doesn’t require batteries – there’s a hand crank to generate the energy needed. Brilliant. Very specific item that helps in a really obvious way, and from the looks of it I would be surprised if the radio is more than $10.
Much better than just giving $10, you are giving something really tangible with very clear impact. I love it.
But then I started reading the fine print next to the logo for the American Red Cross, and from what I could tell, it seems they actually want me to buy the radio and send it in.
Why not just set up a number to text like they did for Haiti and say just send a text to this number and my credit card will get hit for the amount to give and ship the radio. That seems like a much easier way to do it, and the Haiti cause already got us familiar with that format. I went to the web to look for a copy of the ad, but I found an eton blog and it explains all of the information you need to provide about yourself to participate in this. Way too complicated, and they shouldn’t need any information about me – my money for the radio is what’s going to help Japan, not my name and e-mail address. . .
Hopefully they will rethink this promotion and I will happily be the first to text in the help.
-Ric
Hi Ric,
Perhaps the reason Eton is both asking you to purchase the radio to be sent to Japan and asking for your information is that Eton manufacturers the radios sold by the Red Cross (and many other organizations). Sadly, this makes Eton seem as if they are leveraging a crisis in a way that is extremely self-serving.
If their objectives were to increase goodwill for their organization and actually help Japan (or other areas of the world struck by natural disasters), a simple link to the Red Cross donation website would have been more sincere and probably more effective. It would also have been a better use of donor funds. The Red Cross is in a better position to determine how those dollars should be spent – and radios may not be their choice in a post-tsunami situation. Plus, donating through the Red Cross, a 501(c)(3) organization, ensures that your donation is actually tax deductible.
In case you are still looking to support survivors of disasters somewhere around the world – or in your own backyard – here’s the website. http://rdcrss.org/WOGAP You can donate to your local Red Cross here: http://www.seattleredcross.org/show.aspx?mi=4042.
– Heather