If you cut a check to a Haiti aid group after last year’s earthquake disaster, surely you did so with lofty visions that your money would sit in a bank account, doing absolutely nothing for months on end.

NPR reports that’s just what happened to most of the $1.5 billion Americans donated to 60 Haiti-aiding causes last year. The story cites a Chronicle of Philanthropy survey that found the nonprofits have spent less than 40 percent of the funds.

A Red Cross spokesperson says the organization is holding on to its funds in order to spend them effectively.

“The Red Cross has a real commitment to spending those dollars wisely and transparently,” the spokesperson said.

The president of Doctors Without Borders says nonprofits sees things differently, saying “We are indeed accountable to the Haitian people, and I think we have a lot of explaining to do.”

When you’re donating money, what expectations do you have about how the funds will be spent?

Haiti Aid Groups Criticized As Money Sits Unspent [NPR via Fark]

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