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News publications and other organizations are encouraged to reuse Direct Relief-published content for free under a Creative Commons License (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International), given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

When republishing:

  • Include a byline with the reporter’s name and Direct Relief in the following format: "Author Name, Direct Relief." If attribution in that format is not possible, include the following language at the top of the story: "This story was originally published by Direct Relief."
  • If publishing online, please link to the original URL of the story.
  • Maintain any tagline at the bottom of the story.
  • With Direct Relief's permission, news publications can make changes such as localizing the content for a particular area, using a different headline, or shortening story text. To confirm edits are acceptable, please check with Direct Relief by clicking this link.
  • If new content is added to the original story — for example, a comment from a local official — a note with language to the effect of the following must be included: "Additional reporting by [reporter and organization]."
  • If republished stories are shared on social media, Direct Relief appreciates being tagged in the posts:
    • Twitter (@DirectRelief)
    • Facebook (@DirectRelief)
    • Instagram (@DirectRelief)

Republishing Images:

Unless stated otherwise, images shot by Direct Relief may be republished for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution, given the republisher complies with the requirements identified below.

  • Maintain correct caption information.
  • Credit the photographer and Direct Relief in the caption. For example: "First and Last Name / Direct Relief."
  • Do not digitally alter images.

Direct Relief often contracts with freelance photographers who usually, but not always, allow their work to be published by Direct Relief’s media partners. Contact Direct Relief for permission to use images in which Direct Relief is not credited in the caption by clicking here.

Other Requirements:

  • Do not state or imply that donations to any third-party organization support Direct Relief's work.
  • Republishers may not sell Direct Relief's content.
  • Direct Relief's work is prohibited from populating web pages designed to improve rankings on search engines or solely to gain revenue from network-based advertisements.
  • Advance permission is required to translate Direct Relief's stories into a language different from the original language of publication. To inquire, contact us here.
  • If Direct Relief requests a change to or removal of republished Direct Relief content from a site or on-air, the republisher must comply.

For any additional questions about republishing Direct Relief content, please email the team here.

California Wildfire Donation Policy: No Fine Print, Disclaimer, or Qualification

Direct Relief will use all contributions designated for the California wildfires solely for relief and recovery efforts related to the California wildfires.

News

California Wildfires

Direct Relief supplies arrive in Butte County, CA to assist wildfire relief efforts. (Drew Fletcher/Direct Relief)

Amid the outpouring of generosity and offers of assistance in the aftermath of catastrophic California wildfires, Direct Relief wishes to note its policy regarding donor-designated contributions.

Direct Relief’s policy regarding any contributions that are designated for the California wildfires is simple:

Direct Relief will use all contributions designated for the California wildfires solely for relief and recovery efforts related to the California wildfires.

Direct Relief’s donation policy includes no fine print, disclaimer, or qualification.

Direct Relief practices have long recognized the importance of enabling donors to communicate their intentions regarding donations and explaining how the organization carefully accounts for and uses designated contributions to honor the donors’ intentions. Direct Relief takes several steps, spelled out below, to ensure that both donors’ intentions and the organization’s use of contributions are clear.

We want this be very clear because, unfortunately, we are aware of far-too-common misleading practices that arise in connection with high profile emergencies that spur people to make contributions – for example, solicitations for a specific event such as the current California fires that include a provision stating that “funds determined to be excess to the needs of this specific event will be redirected to wherever they are needed most.”

Such statements are grossly inconsistent with and effectively nullify the principle that nonprofit organizations must honor donor intent. Obviously, if an organization reserves the unqualified, independent right to determine when and how much such funds are “excess” and where and for what purposes they may be used, the donor’s intent is irrelevant and has no meaning. Such practices noisily exploit a specific tragedy and the public’s desire to help those affected by it while quietly avoiding any duty to do so. Direct Relief does not engage in such practices, never has, and never will.

Ensuring Donor Intent

To ensure that donors communicate their intention regarding a gift, we note that Direct Relief’s online donation page requires that donors consider the options of “wherever needed most” or to designate their gifts by choosing from a drop-down menu that includes “California Wildfires” as the first item among several other particular activities or areas where Direct Relief works and to which donors may also elect to restrict their gift. Other methods of contributions, such as by check or wire transfer that include a “California wildfires” or “California fires” or similar notation in the check memo line or accompanying correspondence also will be considered as an instruction to restrict the gift for this particular response effort.

Similarly, Direct Relief will restrict any funds raised for the California wildfires through Facebook, Twitch or other online platforms to the California wildfire relief effort.

Detailed Accounting for California Wildfire Funds

An internal fund is created with all designated contributions, and all expenditures related to the California Wildfires response are recorded for both internal management and external reporting purposes. Independently audited financial statements are prepared and published annually, but Direct Relief will share current information on its website as events unfold regarding programmatic activities and expenditures.

No California Wildfire Funds Are Used for Fundraising Expenses

A bequest pays 100 percent of Direct Relief’s fundraising expenses. This means that no portion of any California wildfire contribution (or any other contribution) will be used for fundraising purposes.

What Restricted Funds May Be Used For

California wildfire contributions will be used only for California wildfire-related programmatic costs and administrative expenses directly related to California wildfire response activity.

Programmatic costs include those related to purchasing, storing, transporting, and distributing essential medical material to affected areas of California, making financial grants to qualified nonprofit organizations performing work directly related to the wildfires or to eligible classes of persons who are victims of the fires, and the personnel and travel expenses of staff performing, managing, and auditing wildfire relief-assistance functions.

Directly related administrative expenses include credit-card processing fees associated with the receipt of California wildfire contributions; accounting fees associated with managing California wildfire funds; postage related to issuing receipts to California wildfire donors; banking fees related to wire transfers of California wildfire donations; warehousing and packaging of medical material; and IT support costs that are necessary to conduct California wildfire-related programmatic activity (such as inventory management of medical material being provided in the relief effort).

Direct Relief is obligated to – and will always – honor the intent of a donor-designated financial contribution, including, obviously, in this instance with regard to California wildfire contributions.

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