MaineLine Haiti: A coalition of concerned Maine businesses for catastrophic relief & rebuilding
To join the coalition and make a pledge of financial support,
gifts in kind, services or expertise,
please contact us at:
CD&M Communications
207.774.7528 or maineline@cdmc.com
LEADERSHIP
COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
SUPPORTED BY:
COALITION
ORGANIZERS:
Why Join?
Coalition membership is open to any Maine company looking to have a direct impact in Haiti by donating funds, goods, materials, pro bono services and expertise.
Getting involved is easy. Your employees may want to do a fundraiser. Or, you could pledge a percentage of sales. Or, you might want to offer a team of employees for a week of service in Haiti. It’s up to you.
Who will receive the funding?
MaineLine will be assessing the needs of multiple aid sectors on the ground in Haiti through the direct, in-country involvement and official representation by an international aid expert (a Maine resident). These sectors are likely to include water and sanitation, food and nutrition, shelter and non-food items. Non-profit organizations that work in these sectors will receive the funding directly from coalition members and will include major international relief providers, as well as Maine-based outreach groups. The decision on which organizations will receive money will rest with the leadership committee of MaineLine, combined with the feedback of each coalition member. In some cases, coalition members may travel to the country and provide expertise, goods or services directly to the rebuilding effort.
- By joining together, businesses of all sizes can have a much greater impact on the situation in Haiti. Pooled resources will accumulate faster by attracting more businesses and provide us with the opportunity to strategically target the funds in the desired sectors. A focused impact always produces greater, longer-lasting, more relevant results.
- By aligning our funds and focusing our efforts, we can effectively match the funds with expertise and resources unique to Maine. For example, if a large pool of funds was directed specifically to helping orphanages rebuild, we can pair that money with Maine’s best natural resource of lumber, our brightest architectural minds, and teams of contractors. We could even add in the expertise of child welfare experts and legal aid. Our impact would be direct, meaningful and widespread. And if many businesses and industries are represented, just imagine what we can accomplish together in many sectors!
- Together, we can do something innovative and create a national model for catastrophe aid in future crises. We are currently exploring the option of linking the coalition to USAID, which would be a national first in a relief / rebuilding effort.
- As the initial urgency and media attention fades (which is already happening) and funding begins to wane, MaineLine will be ramping up and garnering media attention, thus creating a platform to keep awareness levels high and the funds flowing for the staggering rebuilding effort for months to come.
You will not be asked to make a contribution right away. Instead our plan is to conduct an on-the-ground evaluation in Haiti with an international aid expert (a Maine resident), who will help us prioritize the needs, best match them to the resources available from coalition members, and then provide a direct response where aid is needed most. All contributions will go direct to leading relief organizations, including those affiliated with Maine.
When you contact us to join, you may consider pledging a specific contribution, such as a financial support, gifts in kind (raw materials, products, supplies), or pro bono services and expertise. All contributions will be delivered direct from here to Haiti with direct oversight both from Maine and on the ground in Haiti.