Fight the Flood: Thank You
Bungie fans and Halo 2 players have together, simply by purchasing “Fight the Flood” T-Shirts, raised over $175,000 in donations to the American Red Cross to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. The T-Shirts are now effectively sold out. You can read about the original campaign here:
The Fight the Flood story that kicked it all off.
Last Thursday, Sketch and I (along with out store partners, Sunrise Identity) went to the American Red Cross headquarters in Seattle, to present the check.
We had two discussions about how to address this story. The first was – we shouldn’t toot our own horns about giving money to charity. We’ve already mentioned it in news and updates. We should give the cash and leave it at that. We all agreed that was the best course of action.
Then somebody piped up. “Umm, we didn’t actually give ANY money to charity. Other than the T-Shirts we personally ordered. The $175,000 was donated by Bungie fans. Not us.”
Excellent point. You guys did it. We just made a hyperlink and a cute T-Shirt. So this is in fact our thanks to you.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath, the disastrous consequences and their effects on the populace of New Orleans, Louisiana and neighboring communities, you came together quickly, without hesitation and showed a generosity of spirit that humbles us.
The money raised went to the American Red Cross, a charitable organization that wins high praise for its low overheads and running costs. Some charities get bloated by their own bureaucracy and end up absorbing significant portions of your original donation. But the American Red Cross is so lean and efficient, that this Hurricane season, they have actually paid out more assistance than they have taken in donations (so keep on giving).
You can and should read more about the organization here:
American Red Cross FAQ
No fancy offices for these guys. Their HQ in Seattle looked more like a bunker than a bureau, and much of the furniture and equipment inside had itself been donated.
Also, all of the money you raised goes specifically to the cause you raised it for. It is not disseminated to other disasters, or diluted into some big pool. It was raised to help victims of Katrina, and that’s where it goes.
I think that when we started this thing, we hoped to raise maybe ten grand. We underestimated you guys. Massively underestimated you guys. To the tune of about $165,000.
You made a difference. You’ve helped thousands of people. There’s been a lot of talk in the news recently about “donor fatigue.” People either get tired of giving to good causes, or they run out of “spare” money. Disasters continue to happen. We’ve had two major Hurricanes since Katrina. There may still be more to come. An earthquake in Pakistan, thousands of people killed, more starving, homeless, dying. The lesson as always is to give what you can, do what you’re able. We also have to thank Sunrise Identity, without their help, we couldn’t have done much with our good ideas and intentions. And thanks too to the numerous websites who linked to the story not for its news-worthiness, but to help raise money.
But this time, you guys, the Bungie.net Community, came through, in spades. And for that you have our eternal gratitude.
Frankie makes an unfortunate discovery about the legality of “Clown-Sized” checks.