Most Japan Red Cross Donations Have Not Reached Survivors - Peace Boat Japan Sucks Too!

Unbelievable. The Japan Red Cross seems to be doing its best to retain its reputation as a scam. Peace Boat Japan is in second place, close behind. 

HANK WILLIAMS JR. - YOUR CHEATIN' HEART

The big earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster happened more than three months ago, and useless organizations like the Japan Red Cross have seen to it that most of the money collected have not reached the hands of those in need. The papers report that over 55% of all monies collected have yet to be distributed! The incompetence and bureaucracy are mind-boggling. 


The Yomiuri Newspaper reports about personal experiences of some of the survivors:

"We lost our car in the tsunami and we can't buy a new one to get on with our lives without money. I hope the donation money arrives as soon as possible," said a 64-year-old unemployed man who is living at a shelter in Higashi-Matsushima.

The prefecture's social welfare section said many municipalities lost their family and resident registries in the tsunami. Without these documents, it is difficult to decide who is entitled to a share of the donations. "The quake left us with a ton of clerical work, and we're short of staff who can handle making donation payments," one official said.

To be paid, a person needs a disaster victim certificate. To get a certificate, one must undergo an inspection. The problem is that there is not enough staff to handle the issuing of the certificates, which has severely slowed up distribution of the donation money.

Great! We have $1.6 billion dollars... And Red Cross spends $0.17 cents on the dollar for the actual charity programs and these clowns can't hire a few part-timers to do paperwork to get things moving along at a better pace? All the while in the Great Red Cross and General Charity Scam it was reported that the CEO of the Red Cross was reportedly paid: 

"Her salary for the year 2010 was $651,957, plus all personal, medical, & pension expenses. Less than 10 cents of your donated dollar actually goes to the cause..."

Wonderful. People are suffering and they can't get their money "because there aren't enough volunteers" and we have $1.6 billion dollars and can't hire a few people to push papers for a few weeks? 

Yomiuri Newspaper continues:

The Tagajo city government said staff shortages mean it takes at least one week to issue a certificate. But even after a person gets a disaster victim certificate, the city said it takes even more time for them to get paid.

Tagajo resident Ayako Hirayama, 57, visited the city office Saturday to apply for a certificate. She lives in an apartment with her husband and her son's family because their house was flooded by the tsunami. They have no refrigerator, so they have to go shopping nearly every day. She said having a place to store food would be a big help, but a city official told her the donations would not be distributed for about a month.

"Without money I'm just wilting with worry. We're really having to tap our savings, so I'd like to get the donations as soon as possible," she said.

Don't worry, Hirayama san. The checks in the mail.... It's been that way for over three months. Just don't hold your breath.

God, Japan Red Cross is totally useless. People are in trouble now and it takes these idiots over three months to help some of them!?

But I write this post with an eye on objectivity. I think the Red Cross is a crap organization and I believe their track record all around the world shows it. But let us not hold our derision merely for the Red Cross. I am a fair person and am willing to hold another charity in equal distain. There's another that I must insist upon slapping up side the head and that is Peace Boat Japan.

Peace Boat Japan seems to be another shady scam operation.

I will never help Japan Red Cross again and I will not help Peace Boat Japan again. I suggest that you do not either. I am not sure about all of Peace Boat's hijinks, but I imagine that my recent experience is symptomatic of a larger problem. Concerning Peace Boat Japan, and my experience, here are the facts:

On Sunday, June 5, some friends held a charity concert for which the proceeds went to Peace Boat Japan ostensibly to help survivors and victims of the Tohoku disaster. On May 31, I stupidly allowed the Peace Boat Japan people on my radio show to promote the charity and the event.  By allowing Peace Boat on the radio show that gives them a defacto approval from a major Japanese broadcasting station that they are reputable. 


A broadcasting station has a responsibility to the public to protect them, provide them with proper information and to not be scammed. The charity who uses that position of the broadcaster to promote themselves have a responsibility to do likewise. This is not a responsibility to be taken lightly.

This is why broadcasters will not allow, for example, mafia-type of organizations or scams to advertise their services on air with commercials. It's because the station has a responsibility to the public and for the public good. If something bad happens, and the station had promoted that service, product or event, in this country that station has responsibility.

"What's your assessment of Peace Boat, Sargent?"

"It's a clusterf*ck, sir!"

Let me make it clear that I have no problem at all with these sorts of charity events (like the one held on June 5) and I think it is great that wonderful individuals get together to help out anywhere they can. I merely have a problem with organizations like Japan Red Cross and Peace Boat. Read on and you'll see why I do have a problem with these organizations. I think anyone with an ounce of common sense will agree with me.

After the Peace Boat event ended, I met with one of the promoters yesterday and asked about the results of the charity. I want to know how much money was collected (actually, as program producer, I have a responsibility to report this to the station) and how it was or will be used. The promoter was upset. He told me that he, too, was angry at Peace Boat. He said that when he inquired about this, he was told that Peace Boat Japan cannot, and will not, give out that information.

Astounding! Something really stinks. Talk about ripping people off! How do we know that these Peace Boat reps didn't just pocket the money? What criminals! They have a responsibility to faithfully and dutifully report income and all usage of these funds!

That an organization like Peace Boat Japan would go on air, using (abusing) the good will of the public and a free broadcaster to make a monetary gain yet not faithfully report the results of their actions and the collective efforts of that promotion is nothing short of scandalous. This cannot be allowed to go without public notice and this simple blog post is a part and parcel of that.

The people at Peace Boat Japan that I dealt with have some questions to answer and, until they do, they will be considered by me as a scam charity in Japan and are banned from ever being on my show again. They also should be made to settle things correctly by other Peace Boat members for these people have shamed that organization.


Trust that, until it is rectified, I will make every effort that other broadcasters are aware of this sham.  

Pardon my French, but, Japan Red Cross and Peace Boat Japan, "Baise toi!"

NOTE: Probably Peace Boat Japan and Japan Red Cross don't care about this blog. Even though it is small, it still gets about 5,000 readers a day. My radio show has over 100,000 listeners a day in Tokyo alone. Both charities have the chance to respond fairly to the charges leveled against them.... Bet you a half a doughnut (spelled correctly in this case) they  are such conceited jerks that they do not respond.


SECOND NOTE: I don't know of many charities that I can recommend in Japan but I do support Rock Challenge Japan and Support Our Kids. I have worked with them and seen what they do and like it. You can trust, though, that if they ever do betray our trust, you'll be the first to read about it here.

"Organized" Charities

The title of this blog post is completely wrong. It should read "Unorganized and Completely Inept Charities." Included in that list would be the world famous ones too that every knows.

BUZZCOCKS - WHAT DO I GET?

Probably top of the list would be the Red Cross. In an article entitled, Japan Red Cross? Too Slow to Help Out I castigated that organization for extremely slow reaction in helping those affected by the Great Tohoku earthquake in Tsunami in northern Japan on March 11, 2011. I wrote:

".....at the time of the writing of this article, more than one month after the crisis began, Japan Red Cross has not allocateda single yen to the disaster victims. On the web page of the Japan Red Cross, in a post dated April 15th, 2011, they had finally announced that they had decided how much money will be allocated to which areas - so that the monies can then be sent to committees in those areas to be decided how they should be allocated! Odd, but something here seems to reek of bureaucracy.

This is outrageous. 

I thought an organization like Japan Red Cross would be acting immediately to relieve those in desperate need rather than debating in long meetings what local chamber gets how much money or making sure their bookkeepers have their antiquated accounting in order by the end of each month. But, if this event and past scandals such as the poor handling of the relief efforts for the Katrina disaster or Haiti is any indicator, the glacial speed of reaction to crises by the Red Cross leaves much to be desired. 

When people and small children are suffering and starving in the freezing cold they need help right now, not after six to eight weeks. They certainly need help quicker than the former government bureaucrats at cushy positions at the Japan Red Cross seem to be capable of delivering."

Over the last three years, I've been helping out with many charities and organizations. I have seen just about every major charity in Japan running in some form or another. I must say that I thought "Rock Challenge Japan" and "Hands on Tokyo" were the only ones that I felt satisfied the minimum level of professionalism I want in a charity.

A charity is a business, try to run it that way

Some of the others wouldn't even return my phones calls... And that was after calling several times. I won't name them.

From helping many of these charities I have come to recognize one things that runs through most of them and that is, while many people seems to be well-meaning, they are completely and totally incompetent, have zero business experience and do not understand even the most basic principles of the term: ROI when approaching sponsors and asking for donations or support.

ROI stands for "Return on Investment." It is so basic that I am astounded that, out of all these charities that I have cooperated with, I have only met a very few people who seem to grasp this idea.

ROI goes like this: I am a big corporate sponsor. You are a charity. You ask me to support you. Sounds like a good idea. OK, what do I get out of helping you?

And, no. Your "Thanks" just doesn't cut it anymore. When sponsors are few and far between we need a much better effort than the, frankly speaking, half-assed efforts we've been getting from most charities up until now.

Yesterday I had a guy ask me to try to arrange travel tickets for his charity that will be held in 7 weeks time. I was so surprised. There's just no way that can be done. Maybe Clark Kent could pull that one off, but Mike Rogers can't.

Recently, I arranged airfare for two to London on British Airways for a school charity at St. Mary's International School that will be held second week of May, but I started organizing that deal over three months ago. With that, I made a proper professional quality business presentation on Power Point along with several pages of documentation and presented that to the client along with several follow up phone calls and dozens of emails.

The guy who asked me to help yesterday? Nothing. No data, details, nothing. In fact, it was the first time I had heard of it.

Anyway, I can't help them. It's totally impossible as it is way too late. Talk about poor planning! (I've mentioned many times that 80% of success lies in good planning). I then asked my friend about what sort of metrics that the sponsor could be offered? Meaning, what sort of visibility on flyers, posters, etc. I was told that the flyers were already made and distributed that there would be no visibility for the sponsor at all.

Now, if there is no ROI benefit for the sponsor, why in the world does anyone think a sponsor is going to say "OK" to something like this? There's no way. 

I also refuse to look stupid in front of a client by even asking such a dumb and ridiculous question. Just because the charity is unorganized and fouled up, doesn't mean that I am willingly going to go there and look stupid too! 

ROI! ROI! ROI! What does the client get in return for their help investment? That's the only question that matters. This is not fun and it is not a game. It is a business decision!

There's many reasons why corporations have rules concerning charities and standards concerning ROI. The biggest one I can think of right off the top of my head is to prevent abuse. I mean, if there's no rules concerning these sorts of activities, then what's to stop a, country manager from giving away a thousand dollars of goods to, say, her best friend's ladies luncheon group or their son's kindergarten school function?

I don't write this blog post to blast some of these charities but I write this to help you folks out (I write it directly too as I haven't the time or patience to be giving out free advice all the time). Some basic common sense and a basic understanding of this simple concept of ROI - as well as some thought put into, "Gee, if the sponsor supports us, what kind of bang do they get for their buck?" Will help separate the charities that receive from the charities that don't.

The bottom line? What does the client company get out of sponsoring and helping your charity and how does the in-charge at that company justify to his boss and book-keeping manager the fact that he wants to approve giving you thousands of dollars worth of support in cash or in prizes? 

Sponsors need something to show for their efforts. You had better figure out how to give it to them too if you want their help. Trust that, as time goes by, the charities who do figure this out and take my advice to heart will be the ones who get. The others who fail to recognize this common sense fact of life might as well close their doors.

Here's one good idea: On a recent relief trip to the tsunami hit area, my partners who helped me organized, made sure we created a top-quality professional video of the effort and we placed sponsors and supporters names at the end of the video with company logos.

Now, when I want to arrange any sort of charity to help the earthquake and tsunami sufferers, all I need to do is direct people to that video on YouTube and they can see for themselves what their ROI is. See the video Ishinomaki - Black Water here.

Compare that with your charity that is asking for free airline tickets to support your event or festival, yet you can't even give me metrics on how many posters are to be printed or where my company logo will be placed.

In this day and age where corporate sponsorships are getting harder and harder to come by, a better understanding of their needs is critical. 

Everyone already knows what the charities need. That doesn't need explaining too much. Explain to me, the client, "What do I get?"

Japan Red Cross? Too Slow to Help Out

The toll of the terrible tragedy in the Tohoku region of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami has yet to be fully accounted for. As of the time of the writing of this article, The Japanese National Police Agency has confirmed 13,778 deaths, 4,916 injured, and 14,175 people missing across eighteen prefectures, as well as over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed. On top of this, in the middle of a freezing winter, while the snow fell, over 100,000 people were forced to live in evacuation centers.

Surely, as time goes by, the trauma and toll will rise. 

LOU REED - PERFECT DAY

Soon after the disaster hit images of the carnage and destruction of biblical proportions shocked the entire world. Who couldn’t feel the fear, desperation and utter hopelessness of the situation when viewing those images? 

This one event has taught a lesson to many as to who is really in charge of the earth and that is surely not technology or humankind; Mother Nature is undoubtedly in total control. 

There probably hasn’t been a natural event on this scale since the destruction of Pompeii where the Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted over the span of two days in 79 A.D. and destroyed that city under a pile of 6-meter-high ash and pumice. It wasn’t until 1,500 years later that the city, and the extent of the disaster, was discovered.

In the case of Ishinomaki and Kesenuma in Miyagi prefecture the fury of nature showed under an irresistible tsunami onslaught that crested at 10 meters high and obliterated an area of over 470 square kilometers in Japan.

Photo of downtown Ishinomaki taken one month after the tsunami

In the immediate aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and the tsunami disaster good people from all over the world opened their hearts and pocketbooks for well over $156 million US dollars in relief monies donated to the Japan Red Cross alone. People who viewed this disastrous event from the safety of their homes wanted to immediately help out those poor men, women and children who had suffered, lost their livelihoods and loved ones and in the stricken region. 

Special: Is your charity missing out on handling potential 

sponsors and getting more donations?

Upon a recent trip to one of the hardest hit areas in Ishinomaki, at a center for disabled persons, I was told that the people in the area had nothing to eat for the first few days and one banana and one rice ball for next ten days after the ordeal! (See that relief effort here in a short documentary entitled: Ishinomaki – Black Water.)

Everyone who donated to the Japan Red Cross did so because they knew of the helplessness of the situation and they knew that the victims needed immediate relief as fast as possible. 

I thank everyone who donated. Never think, even for a second, that your kindness is not appreciated nor that your karma or your god... won’t someday reward you

Unfortunately, also at the time of the writing of this article, more than one month after the crisis began, Japan Red Cross has not allocated a single yen to the disaster victims. On the web page of the Japan Red Cross, in a post dated April 15th, 2011, they had finally announced that they had decided how much money will be allocated to which areas - so that the monies can then be sent to committees in those areas to be decided how they should be allocated! Odd, but something here seems to reek of bureaucracy.

This is outrageous. 

I thought an organization like Japan Red Cross would be acting immediately to relieve those in desperate need rather than debating in long meetings what local chamber gets how much money or making sure their bookkeepers have their antiquated accounting in order by the end of each month. But, if this event and past scandals such as the poor handling of the relief efforts for the Katrina disaster or Haiti is any indicator, the glacial speed of reaction to crises by the Red Cross leaves much to be desired. 

When people and small children are suffering and starving in the freezing cold they need help right now, not after six to eight weeks. They certainly need help quicker than the former government bureaucrats at cushy positions at the Japan Red Cross seem to be capable of delivering. Of course all collected monies and donations must be dutifully and faithfully accounted for as a matter of course, but when children are cold and starving they need relief now - not in one or two months after the books are closed.

One would hope that the Red Cross would be one of the quickest ways to personally help the victims by donating out of their own pockets. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It is a sad statement about the way the Red Cross operates that whenever these sorts of crises arises, there seems to be much more criticism than praise over Red Cross efforts.

There’s got to be a better way.

-Thanks to Michio Hashimoto for photo