Watching the horrific events in Japan unfold on live TV is sobering and sad.  And, it may just be me, but it doesn’t seem like there is a spontaneous and widespread outpouring of American support – yet. 

This is a personal observation, not a professional analysis based on data.  I just don’t feel the momentum of grassroots giving that we have observed in past disasters.  I hope I’m wrong.  I’m not seeing a steady stream of celebrities appealing for our help on TV and radio.  There is not a constant banner running across the bottom of my screen telling me how to help.  I haven’t seen a single web click-ad for a disaster related organization.  The news of the disaster feels crowded out by what’s going on in Libya, the struggles of the Wisconsin state house, and March Madness. 

If my perception of an uninspired giving response is correct, could it be that we don’t feel as compelled to help the 3^rd largest world economic power?  Are we fatigued from our personal economic challenges and other recent disasters?  Or, could it be that since events are still unfolding, we are waiting and hoping that the nuclear mess and body count is not going to get worse? Or, do we still harbor feelings related to Pearl Harbor and WWII? 

I have to admit that it is weird to see the people of Tokyo already going about business as usual while thousands of people are still unaccounted for and three nuclear reactors are in trouble.  The image may be out of context and not a fair portrayal of the Japanese emotional response, but it’s what we see on our televisions. 

The Philanthromax Atlas of Giving team is collecting and analyzing data and will give updates as we have them.  

In the meantime, please do something personally to help the hurting people of Japan.

This horrible disaster will undoubtedly have a significant impact on US Giving.

The American people are the most philanthropic on the face of the earth.  The outpouring of US philanthropic assistance for the Japanese people will be proportionate with the scale of human tragedy in this event. 

Disaster relief organizations will of course experience a significant surge in giving in the coming weeks and months. Other charities and churches that are not soliciting disaster donations should prepare for an immediate downturn in giving that will likely last for several months. The impact of the giving decline will be most acutely felt by nonprofits that rely primarily on small gifts from individuals and those that rely on corporate contributions.   History has shown that individuals and companies will redirect a significant portion of their charitable support toward helping the victims of the tragedy. 

The Philanthromax Atlas of Giving has already begun working on an analysis of the impact of the Japanese disaster on US Charitable Giving.  We are examining monthly giving data following similar events, US economic impact of similar disasters, and specific historical data related to specific organizations and groupings of organizations.  To get this right, we must wait for events to unfold that measure the loss of life, damage to infrastructure, property loss, and impact on the Japanese and global economies.

Subscribers to the Atlas of Giving will receive updates and notifications.  Subscriptions are free at www.atlasofgiving.com.