WASHINGTON — Philanthropy experts say the belief that a country with the world’s third-largest economy doesn’t need outside help is a key reason that private U.S. donations to Japan are lagging far behind those for other recent disasters, including the Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Katrina.
As of Wednesday, the American Red Cross had raised $47 million for victims of last Friday’s earthquake and tsunami. At the same point after the Haiti earthquake, it had raised $92.3 million. World Vision, a Christian aid group, said it had raised $3 million for Japan from U.S. donors as of noon Thursday, compared with $15.8 million within the week after the Haiti earthquake.
Charity Navigator, which ranks charities’ financial performance, said its survey of a dozen large U.S. charitable organizations found that they had raised $64 million for Japan. Six days after the Haiti earthquake, those organizations had raised $210 million. Six days after Hurricane Katrina hit, that figure was $457 million.
