Norway is breathing a little sigh of relief. Schools and daycare centers are reopening, and for most people, life is getting back to normal. Things aren’t normal, but we can see the outlines of a daily life we can live with.

At the same time, a great many people have had their daily lives turned upside down. From furloughs and layoffs to not being able to socialize with family or go shopping safely, the “new normal” presents challenges. In addition, the crisis has hit many countries harder than Norway. The stories from refugee camps and countries with poor healthcare systems are powerful.

Fortunately, there are many people willing to help. The Salvation Army, the Church City Mission, and the Red Cross are experiencing increased demand for their services. Several accredited organizations report that Norwegians want to help, and are doing so both by volunteering and by donating money.

This is fantastic, but at the same time, we’re already seeing some people exploiting the crisis for less than honorable reasons. Charity Monitoring Norway has recently seen an increase in the number of inquiries. This applies both to “known issues” that are already listed on our OBS list and to new issues. In some cases, there are well-meaning individuals who lack the expertise to carry out charitable work or fundraising, but there have also been obvious cases of dishonesty.

Charity Monitoring Norway therefore has a request for all of you who want to help. Whether you’re opening your wallet or simply want to pitch in with goodwill and a spirit of volunteerism: Look to the established organizations first.

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreaks, Charity Monitoring Norway received several inquiries from people who wanted to start organizations. Often, this involved the distribution of food, goods, or services. These were people who wanted to do everything right and who wanted to help right away.
This spirit of volunteerism is great, but running a nonprofit fundraiser and organization properly takes a lot of resources. You must keep records, establish procedures for determining who should receive assistance, and reach out to those who want to help and those in need. If you’re sending money abroad, the challenges become even greater.

In collaboration with those who reached out to us, we found that in most cases there were already established organizations carrying out similar work, whether in the immediate neighborhood or in the camps in Greece.

We are proud of all the volunteers who are now stepping forward. We are proud of the care we see and that we know our accredited organizations receive. Keep helping one another.