Haiti Donations Exceed $1.3 Billion: What To Do with that Money

Relief organizations in the United States raised over $1.3 billion for earthquake ravaged Haiti, according to fundraising experts. What is also interesting is that most of this money has not yet been spent.

"That's potentially worrisome with the hurricane season about to begin," said Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. "The kind of shelters that people are in right now are tarps and things that would not necessarily be able to withstand a hurricane. The goal is to get sturdier kinds of housing."

The $1.3 billion raised for Haiti comes close to matching the $1.6 billion raised in the 2004 tsunami in the South Pacific. Much of the money was raised by the American Red Cross, which raised $468 million. The Red Cross has faced criticism in the past for not distributing funds to the specified target in a timely manner. The organization now claims that they are doing a better job at getting money out faster.