In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, may people may feel compelled to donate, but may be wondering where their donations are going. 

When Hurricane Harvey caused extreme flooding and damage in parts of Texas and Louisiana last year, many people felt called to donate to storm victims, but wanted to make sure their donations were going to the right place. 

Stephanie Wagner, regional director of communications and marketing with the American Red Cross, says, “With the Red Cross we honor the intent of the donor so that’s just kind of a fancy expression for if you designate your donation to go to a certain place, in this case if it goes to directly to Florence… that’s exactly where the funding will stay.” 

You can specify where your donations go when giving to the American Red Cross. 

“With the American Red Cross, we do understand that people are very generous so we want to make sure that we are honoring what they want to do with their money and with their time,” says Wagner. 

The American Red Cross responds to 64,000 disasters a year on average. 

They can range from small disasters to more extreme ones like a major hurricane. 

“On average 91 cents of every dollar that is received by the American Red Cross goes back to that response recovery and the preparedness effort for disasters large or small,” says Wagner. 

The other 9 cents goes to administrative costs. 

Wagner says, “The nine cents ends up going to the overhead costs and that can be everything from paying for our Internet to telecommunications to covering salaries. It’s just a very, very small amount that goes back from that 91 cents or in addition to that 91 cents that covers the overhead and the administrative costs.”     

The Red Cross is accepting donations through its website or through text message.   

The American Red Cross in Louisiana has a disaster action team heading to Virginia, as well as the Carolinas.