Day of Blogs

One of my favorite features of charity websites is the part where they tell you how your donations can help.  Here is what RAINN’s website tells us about what your contribution can do:

National Sexual Assault Hotline
$42 = pay for telecom costs for 12 hotline calls.
$135 = distribute training info to 90 local affiliates.
$720 = operate the hotline for 8 hours.

National Sexual Assault Online Hotline
$28 = pay for 4 hours of training for a hotline volunteer.
$90 = operate the Online Hotline for 30 minutes.
$625 = provide 25 hours of hotline volunteers tech support.

Public Education
$30 = provide sexual assault prevention tips to 1,500 college students.
$71 = print posters that will be viewed by 10,000 students in college dorms.
$348 = provide sexual assault information kits to 58 reporters.

Public Policy
$160 = pay for one day of research/analysis of sexual violence statistical trends.
$240 = provide DNA briefings to 4 Congressional offices.
$900 = produce a DNA policy briefing for media and legislators.

Looking at these numbers, I find it somewhat daunting just how much it costs to run the hotline and provide these services.  But they tell me just how important contributions are and how badly a great organization like RAINN can use our help.

Thank you again to everyone who has contributed so far.  We’ve passed my original goal, which makes me very happy, and we’re 93% of the way to the modestly higher one that I set after that point.  You can donate by using the widget in the sidebar or by going to my ChipIn page.

So far, we’ve raised enough for 2 days of research/analysis of sexual violence statistical trends, or enough posters to be viewed by 30,000 college students, or telecom costs for 72 hot line calls, or to run the online hotline for over an hour.  And that does make a difference.