October 29, 2025 • 8 mins
Many people are motivated to support relief for survivors of Hurricane Melisssa, which stormed through Jamaica as a Category 5 and has also impacted Cuba, the Bahamas and Haiti. We speak with Bryan Oglesby of the West Florida Better Business Bureau on giving wisely and avoiding scams.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here Beyond the news, of course, Hurricane Melissa
has been a devastating storm in its effects on Jamaica
and elsewhere it made landfall. There is a Category five
on Tuesday, the most powerful hurricane recorded impacting the island,
and with a very powerful storm as it moved on shore.
(00:22):
There are of course a lot of people there who
are displaced, who are without power, who may not even
have a house at this point, and they're trying to
deal with the aftermath of the storm. There's a lot
of outpouring in the Tampa Bay area and around Florida.
Of a concern for people in Jamaica and other areas
(00:42):
that are affected and are going to be affected by
Hurricane Melissa, which is still active right now. We may
want to keep some things in mind in order to
make sure that we're donating in the right way to
the right places where it will do the most good,
and to make sure not dealing with a scam. We
have Brian Oglesby with the Better Business Bureau for West
(01:05):
Florida on the line with us to talk about some
things we need to keep in mind when we support
Hurricane Melissa relief efforts. Brian Oglesby, Welcome to Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Gordon, Well, first of all, your group obviously has been
involved in these sorts of issues for a long time,
and you have some guidelines that you follow as far
as what people should do to support any kind of
relief effort, charity or nonprofit. If you could kind of
start us off by going over the guidelines that you
give to people who are looking for a way to
(01:38):
give and support Melissa survivors or any other cause.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, definitely. So anytime there is a natural disaster, unfortunately,
scammers will see this as an opportunity to take advantage
of people who want to give and help people that
were victims of the natural disaster. So as donors, as
people in our community, we want to give, but we
also want to give wisely after a disaster and in
(02:04):
a crisis. The best way to do that and help
give is to experienced organizations that already know how to
respond effectively. So now's the time to be proactive, seek
out research these organizations and make sure you're donating to
the ones that you are choosing instead of being reactive
to maybe a text message, a phone call, or an
(02:27):
email with a click now, donate now, help these victims out,
and you don't really know who it is you're dealing with.
Next thing, you know, you're clicking on a link, you're
submitting money to an organization, you don't know who it
really is, and that money is not going to the
true cause. And even worse, they could be collecting your
personal data and if it's a scam, they're going to
(02:49):
take advantage of you as a donor just trying to help.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
One of the things that we've seen so far with Melissa,
and of course it's only been as we're speaking, only
about twenty four hours since landfall in Jamaica, is that
there is a large Jamaican community in many parts of Florida,
in the Tampa Bay area, in South Florida, in Orlando
and elsewhere, and they have been organizing ad hoc relief
(03:16):
efforts and through their organizations to try to get resources
to Jamaica, And of course there's crowdfunding going on. What
should people keep in mind? They may feel, you know,
an affinity, they may have relatives on the island and
they want to work through groups that have a presence
(03:37):
there and know about conditions there, and what should people
keep in mind if they want to contribute through their
local Jamaican communities or businesses, or if they want to
contribute to something like crowdfunding.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, so the first thing that all donors want to
be careful with is groups that appear overnight. Even though
these groups might have good intentions, they may not have
the experience or the infrastructure to follow through. So when
you have someone local asking for donations, just understand where
those moneies are going, what they're doing, and just get
a clear identification of what the cause is happening, especially
(04:15):
when it comes to crowdfunding. If you're giving through crowdfunding,
it's always the safest to donate to campaigns organized by
people or groups that you know personally and that you trust. Unfortunately,
individuals will create stories on crowdfunding sites. They may not
really have that need and you don't know if that
(04:36):
money is going to the cause that they're claiming it
to be. So if you really know the individuals or
know the group that's really making a difference and you
personally know that that's the ones you want to donate to.
Not all crowdfunding platforms vet their fundraisers, so it is
important to understand the site's policies before donating, and as well,
even though you're donating to a crowdfunding platform, you may
(04:59):
be donating to an individual and it's not a charity.
So also those mondays that you donate may not be
tax deductible, even if it's at a local restaurant or
a local small group or putting cash in a bucket,
which is fine to do, but just be aware that
those funds may not be tax deductible if that's the
intent that you have as well.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Now, the Better Business Bureau does keep a list of
accredited charities that are responding to Hurricane Melissa, and you
have that, I'm sure on your website. If you could
kind of go over the standards that you have for
a charity accountability for those organizations that are helping out
(05:41):
in Melissa relief.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, so we vet all charities in the marketplace and
we hold those charities accountable to standards. There are twenty
standards of accountability. All charities can be vetted through those standards.
We will review those standards. We will see if they
have met the standard, if they do not meet the standard,
or if we were unable to verify that, and our
(06:03):
report on those charities can be found at give dot
org to allow you, as a donor to vet those charities,
and then any charity that has met all of the
twenty standards are identified as accredited charities, and some of
those can identify that with the use of our logo
and identifying that they meet those standards. So that is
(06:24):
one tool consumers have to vet charities, and then going
to our website and reading our article about these tips.
We have a list of charities that are not only accredited,
but ones that have identified of providing resources to victims
of the hurricane hitting Jamaica, and that list is continuing
(06:44):
to update on a daily basis as well.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
And that is at your website. To give dot org
any other advice, any other advice you'd like to give
to kind of wrap things up here. As people are
trying to find ways to help Melissa survivors.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
One thing you want to think about is really encouraging
cash donations. Those are often the fastest and most effective
way to help. They let relief workers buy exactly what's
needed and right where it's needed. I know sending food
or clothing feels generous, but unless a charity specifically asks
for those donations, those items can actually slow down relief efforts,
(07:23):
so really look for donating cash where it's needed, or
ask the charity if they're specific goods that you can
donate and if they're able to get them to the
victims of this hurricane. Also look for appeals that clearly
explain where your money's going. If an organization can't tell
you how your donation will be used, that's going to
be a red flag. You want that transparency and that
(07:45):
accountability of these charities. Also, don't be fooled by these
one hundred percent claims of donations going to the victims.
All charities have overhead cost, and every legitimate charity has
small administrative cost and that's how they stay accountable. So
if a charity is claiming that one hundred percent of
the donations are going straight to the victims, that could
(08:06):
actually raise a red flag. How is their charity actually
being operated and is this really a truthful statement that
they're making. Transparency is an efficiency. It's a sign that
a charity is managing donations responsibly. So it's important to
be aware of that and give to the charities that
are transparent, that meet standards, and that are providing the
(08:28):
services needed.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
To the marketplace Brian Oglesby with the Better Business Bureau
serving West Florida, and once again that website where you
can find out more information about charities and giving to
help the survivors of Hurricane Melissa is give dot org.
Give dot org. Brian Oglesby, thank you very much for
joining us on beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Thank you Gowhen, I appreciate it.
Gordon Bird here Beyond the news, of course, Hurricane Melissa
has been a devastating storm in its effects on Jamaica
and elsewhere it made landfall. There is a Category five
on Tuesday, the most powerful hurricane recorded impacting the island,
and with a very powerful storm as it moved on shore.
(00:22):
There are of course a lot of people there who
are displaced, who are without power, who may not even
have a house at this point, and they're trying to
deal with the aftermath of the storm. There's a lot
of outpouring in the Tampa Bay area and around Florida.
Of a concern for people in Jamaica and other areas
(00:42):
that are affected and are going to be affected by
Hurricane Melissa, which is still active right now. We may
want to keep some things in mind in order to
make sure that we're donating in the right way to
the right places where it will do the most good,
and to make sure not dealing with a scam. We
have Brian Oglesby with the Better Business Bureau for West
(01:05):
Florida on the line with us to talk about some
things we need to keep in mind when we support
Hurricane Melissa relief efforts. Brian Oglesby, Welcome to Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Thank you for having us.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Gordon, Well, first of all, your group obviously has been
involved in these sorts of issues for a long time,
and you have some guidelines that you follow as far
as what people should do to support any kind of
relief effort, charity or nonprofit. If you could kind of
start us off by going over the guidelines that you
give to people who are looking for a way to
(01:38):
give and support Melissa survivors or any other cause.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, definitely. So anytime there is a natural disaster, unfortunately,
scammers will see this as an opportunity to take advantage
of people who want to give and help people that
were victims of the natural disaster. So as donors, as
people in our community, we want to give, but we
also want to give wisely after a disaster and in
(02:04):
a crisis. The best way to do that and help
give is to experienced organizations that already know how to
respond effectively. So now's the time to be proactive, seek
out research these organizations and make sure you're donating to
the ones that you are choosing instead of being reactive
to maybe a text message, a phone call, or an
(02:27):
email with a click now, donate now, help these victims out,
and you don't really know who it is you're dealing with.
Next thing, you know, you're clicking on a link, you're
submitting money to an organization, you don't know who it
really is, and that money is not going to the
true cause. And even worse, they could be collecting your
personal data and if it's a scam, they're going to
(02:49):
take advantage of you as a donor just trying to help.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
One of the things that we've seen so far with Melissa,
and of course it's only been as we're speaking, only
about twenty four hours since landfall in Jamaica, is that
there is a large Jamaican community in many parts of Florida,
in the Tampa Bay area, in South Florida, in Orlando
and elsewhere, and they have been organizing ad hoc relief
(03:16):
efforts and through their organizations to try to get resources
to Jamaica, And of course there's crowdfunding going on. What
should people keep in mind? They may feel, you know,
an affinity, they may have relatives on the island and
they want to work through groups that have a presence
(03:37):
there and know about conditions there, and what should people
keep in mind if they want to contribute through their
local Jamaican communities or businesses, or if they want to
contribute to something like crowdfunding.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Yeah, so the first thing that all donors want to
be careful with is groups that appear overnight. Even though
these groups might have good intentions, they may not have
the experience or the infrastructure to follow through. So when
you have someone local asking for donations, just understand where
those moneies are going, what they're doing, and just get
a clear identification of what the cause is happening, especially
(04:15):
when it comes to crowdfunding. If you're giving through crowdfunding,
it's always the safest to donate to campaigns organized by
people or groups that you know personally and that you trust. Unfortunately,
individuals will create stories on crowdfunding sites. They may not
really have that need and you don't know if that
(04:36):
money is going to the cause that they're claiming it
to be. So if you really know the individuals or
know the group that's really making a difference and you
personally know that that's the ones you want to donate to.
Not all crowdfunding platforms vet their fundraisers, so it is
important to understand the site's policies before donating, and as well,
even though you're donating to a crowdfunding platform, you may
(04:59):
be donating to an individual and it's not a charity.
So also those mondays that you donate may not be
tax deductible, even if it's at a local restaurant or
a local small group or putting cash in a bucket,
which is fine to do, but just be aware that
those funds may not be tax deductible if that's the
intent that you have as well.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Now, the Better Business Bureau does keep a list of
accredited charities that are responding to Hurricane Melissa, and you
have that, I'm sure on your website. If you could
kind of go over the standards that you have for
a charity accountability for those organizations that are helping out
(05:41):
in Melissa relief.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Yeah, so we vet all charities in the marketplace and
we hold those charities accountable to standards. There are twenty
standards of accountability. All charities can be vetted through those standards.
We will review those standards. We will see if they
have met the standard, if they do not meet the standard,
or if we were unable to verify that, and our
(06:03):
report on those charities can be found at give dot
org to allow you, as a donor to vet those charities,
and then any charity that has met all of the
twenty standards are identified as accredited charities, and some of
those can identify that with the use of our logo
and identifying that they meet those standards. So that is
(06:24):
one tool consumers have to vet charities, and then going
to our website and reading our article about these tips.
We have a list of charities that are not only accredited,
but ones that have identified of providing resources to victims
of the hurricane hitting Jamaica, and that list is continuing
(06:44):
to update on a daily basis as well.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
And that is at your website. To give dot org
any other advice, any other advice you'd like to give
to kind of wrap things up here. As people are
trying to find ways to help Melissa survivors.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
One thing you want to think about is really encouraging
cash donations. Those are often the fastest and most effective
way to help. They let relief workers buy exactly what's
needed and right where it's needed. I know sending food
or clothing feels generous, but unless a charity specifically asks
for those donations, those items can actually slow down relief efforts,
(07:23):
so really look for donating cash where it's needed, or
ask the charity if they're specific goods that you can
donate and if they're able to get them to the
victims of this hurricane. Also look for appeals that clearly
explain where your money's going. If an organization can't tell
you how your donation will be used, that's going to
be a red flag. You want that transparency and that
(07:45):
accountability of these charities. Also, don't be fooled by these
one hundred percent claims of donations going to the victims.
All charities have overhead cost, and every legitimate charity has
small administrative cost and that's how they stay accountable. So
if a charity is claiming that one hundred percent of
the donations are going straight to the victims, that could
(08:06):
actually raise a red flag. How is their charity actually
being operated and is this really a truthful statement that
they're making. Transparency is an efficiency. It's a sign that
a charity is managing donations responsibly. So it's important to
be aware of that and give to the charities that
are transparent, that meet standards, and that are providing the
(08:28):
services needed.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
To the marketplace Brian Oglesby with the Better Business Bureau
serving West Florida, and once again that website where you
can find out more information about charities and giving to
help the survivors of Hurricane Melissa is give dot org.
Give dot org. Brian Oglesby, thank you very much for
joining us on beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Thank you Gowhen, I appreciate it.
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