Direct Relief

Direct Relief
Direct Relief Logo
Founded Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
August 23, 1948 (1948-08-23)[1]
Founder William D. Zimdin, Dezso Karczag [2]
Type 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization[1]
95-1831116
Focus Disaster Preparedness and Relief Services[3]
Humanitarian Aid[3]
Public Health[3]
Location
Coordinates 34°26′14″N 119°50′36″W / 34.43734°N 119.8432121°W / 34.43734; -119.8432121Coordinates: 34°26′14″N 119°50′36″W / 34.43734°N 119.8432121°W / 34.43734; -119.8432121
Area served
Worldwide[3]
Key people
Thomas Tighe, President and CEO[1]
John Romo, Chairman of the Board of Directors[1]
Revenue
$898 million [5]
Employees
59 full-time[6]
Website Direct Relief

Direct Relief (formerly known as Direct Relief International) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a stated mission to “improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergency situations by mobilizing and providing essential medical resources needed for their care."[1]

The organization is headed by a 31-member Board of Directors and President and CEO Thomas Tighe.[6] Tighe came to Direct Relief from the Peace Corps, where he served as Chief-of-Staff and Chief Operating Officer from 1995-2000.[7]

History

In 1945, William Zimdin, an Estonian immigrant and successful businessman in pre-war Europe, began sending thousands of relief parcels to relatives, friends, and former employees in the aftermath of World War II.[2] In 1948, Zimdin formalized his efforts with the establishment of the William Zimdin Foundation.[8] Dezso Karczag, a Hungarian immigrant assumed management of the foundation following Zimdin's death in 1951, changed the organizations name to 'Direct Relief Foundation' in 1957.[8] The organization assumed the name "Direct Relief International" in 1982, and "Direct Relief" in 2013.[9]

Direct Relief was the first nonprofit organization in the United States to be designated by National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) as a Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributor licensed to distribute pharmaceutical medicines to all 50 U.S. States and Washington, D.C.[10]

Operations

Between 2000 - 2014, Direct Relief's operating budget averaged roughly $11 million.[11] Over the same period, Direct Relief reported delivering more than $1.6 billion in medical resources and supplies throughout the U.S. and the world - a ratio of $36.00 in aid for each $1.00 in operating cost:.[12] Medical supplies from Direct Relief come largely through in-kind donations by hundreds of companies such as Ansell, Abbott, BD, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, and generic pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Direct Relief manages logistics and distribution through enterprise systems that include SAP, Esri, and Palantir, and with in-kind transportation support from FedEx.[3][11][13][14]

Emergency Preparedness and Response

Relief Efforts

April 2015 Nepal earthquake

Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa

Hurricane Sandy

2010 Haiti earthquake

Use of Technology

Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) packs

Disease Prevention and Intervention

Cancer screening and treatment

HIV prevention and treatment

Maternal and child health

Charity Reviews and Awards

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Charity Navigator - Direct Relief
  2. 1 2 Graffy, Neal (January 1, 2010). Historic Santa Barbara: An Illustrated History (1 ed.). San Antonio, Texas: Historical Publishing Network. p. 177. ISBN 9781935377146. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Guide Star - Direct Relief, retrieved 11/7/2014
  4. "GuideStar Exchange Reports for Direct Relief". Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  5. "Audited Financial Report FY 2015" (PDF). www.directrelief.org. Direct Relief. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Charity Review, Direct Relief". www.give.org. Better Business Bureau. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. Guidestar Staff (August 2014). "Guidestar Exchange Report". GuideStar Nonprofit Directory. GuideStar USA. pp. People & Governance. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  8. 1 2 MARTELLE, SCOTT (19 May 2002). "A Medical Supplier Without Borders". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  9. Meagher, Chris (21 June 2013). "Direct Relief Drops ‘International’ from Name". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  10. 1 2 Cervenka, Rachael (June 3, 2013). "Oklahoma tornadoes: California-based nonprofit donates medical supplies". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  11. 1 2 Brumback, Elijah (November 7, 2014). "The Business of Aid: Direct Relief Adopts a Corporate Strategy". Pacific Coast Business times. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  12. Wood, Max. "28 Worthy Charities and Causes". www.askmen.com. AskMen. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  13. Carr, David (3 July 2014). "Hurricane Arthur Vs. Data Visualization: Supplies Riddle". InformationWeek. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  14. Michelle Corbet (May 11, 2015). "FedEx delivers nonprofit relief supplies to Nepal". News Report (Memphis, Tennessee). p. 2. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  15. Michelle Corbet (May 11, 2015). "FedEx delivers nonprofit relief supplies to Nepal". Nepal Earthquake Response. FedEx. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  16. Joe DeCapua (February 10, 2015). "Shifting Focus in Ebola Countries". News / Africa (Washington, D.C.). Voice of America. p. 1. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  17. CGI Members, Direct Relief Ship Medical Supplies to Fight Ebola, retrieved 10/3/2014
  18. Gina Potthoff (October 13, 2013). "Mapping Technology Helps Direct Relief Pinpoint Its Assistance One Disaster at a Time". Noozhawk. Malamute Ventures LLC. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  19. Esri Staff (2014). "Interactive Map Helps Speed Aid to Haiti" (PDF). Case Study. Esri. p. 1. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  20. "Direct Relief Scales GIS to Serve Those in Need Around the World". Directions Magazine. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  21. "Hurricane Sandy Disaster Response".
  22. Nosta, John. "Move Over Amazon, Direct Relief Is Already Making Life-Saving Deliveries". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  23. "Calm before the Storms: Direct Relief Employs Data Analytics and Visualization Technologies to Expand Global Hurricane Preparedness".
  24. "Direct Relief for the People Who Need It Most".
  25. "State Partnership- California Direct Relief USA" (PDF).
  26. "Basic Health".
  27. "GlobalCan 2012".
  28. "Direct Relief GuideStar Exchange Charting Impact Report" (PDF).
  29. "Direct Relief Maternal & Child Health" (PDF).
  30. "Partnering to Improve Maternal Health and Access to Obstetric Fistula Treatment".
  31. "Global Fistula Map". Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  32. "Direct Relief Women Celebrate Mother’s Day with Benefit in Support of Maternal, Child Health Care". Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  33. "Last Mile Health Partners". Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  34. "10 of the Best Charities Everyone's Heard Of". www.charitynavigator.org. Charity Navigator. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  35. Fast Company Staff (February 10, 2015). "The World's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Of 2015 In Not-For-Profit". Fast Company Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  36. "The 50 Largest U.S. Charities, Direct Relief". www.forbes.com. Forbes. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  37. Rauber, Chris (Oct 20, 2014). "Chronicle of Philanthropy: 7 of top 50 U.S. charities are based in California". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  38. "Wireless Innovation Project Finalists". Vodafone-us.com. Vodofone. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  39. "CECP Excellence Award Winners". CECP.co. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  40. "Flash Poll: In States Expanding Medicaid, Community Health Centers Report More Patients, Fewer Uninsured". PR Newswire. PR Newswire. Sep 4, 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  41. "Direct Relief Receives President's Award for Outstanding Use of GIS".
  42. "DRUCKER NONPROFIT AWARD WINNERS CHOSEN".

External links

Official website

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