Charities plan to distribute $2 million in aid for Colorado shooting victims

Other organizations that have faced similar floods of donations after a tragedy took a more cautious approach. The Denver Foundation initially told the public through its Web site that it was “currently examining opportunities to provide relief” and “will offer more information in the near future.” The organization then took action Tuesday night by urging donors to give to a “Critical Needs Fund” it has set up.

So far, a few thousand dollars have trickled in, says David Miller, the foundation’s president. There’s a possibility his organization will end up giving the money to the Community First Foundation. Mr. Miller, though, prefers to give the money to needs that aren’t particularly attractive to donors, such as paying utility bills or the salary of a receptionist for a local group like the Aurora Mental Health Center, whose counseling services have been in demand.

Some charities have had to tell their donors they aren’t collecting donations. Denver affiliates of both the American Red Cross and the United Way are directing supporters to Community First Foundation’s fundraising efforts since they are not principally involved in providing services to those in need.

Those charities have given support, though. For example, the United Way set up a number that victims’ families could call to find out which hospital their relatives were in, and the Red Cross provided immediate shelter and food for those displaced by the incident, such as the residents of Mr. Holmes’s apartment building, which was evacuated
after police found explosives there.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, as social networks lit up with news of what had transpired, some individuals urged others to give to the Red Cross to help the victims. Red Cross officials quickly responded on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere that the charity was not currently raising money to help the shooting victims.

Clear messages to potential donors are important at a time like this, says Robert Thompson, a spokesman for Mile High United Way. “We don’t want to muddy the waters. We didn’t want to make things confusing.”

• This article originally appeared at The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

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