When the tsunami struck, donations came pouring in to American Refugee Committee International. But rather than feeling that this generosity is taking away from other charities, the major gifts officer for the Minneapolis-based group, one of nearly two thousand great nonprofits trained and coached by Benevon, says that the bar is being raised for philanthropy worldwide.

Ever since the tsunami hit, American Refugee Committee International has been swamped with phone calls, online donations, even fistfuls of money.

"It's just been overwhelming," said Jon Guy, the major gifts officer for the Minneapolis-based nonprofit that provides services in fifteen countries. "The phones are ringing off the hook." Normally they may get five or ten donations on their Web site daily; lately they've been getting about one hundred, he said.

"Every day is amazing," he said of the generosity. "It just blows you away."

American Refugee Committee International was founded in 1978 and has a budget of $25–$30 million; currently, about $2.5 million of that budget comes from private donations. The rest comes from grants through the United Nations and the U.S. government.

The organization's mission is to work for the survival, health, and well-being of refugees, displaced people, and those at risk.

So when the tsunami struck, the group was there along with hundreds of other nongovernmental organizations. Their campaign to replace 21,000 fishing boats in Thailand and Sri Lanka at about $500 each has struck a chord with many people and the media. Guy has endless touching stories about the giving spirit he's witnessed in the past couple of months.

A group of high school students came into the American Refugee Committee offices with a pile of money totaling $5,000 that they had gathered from a dozen different fundraising activities. A bar in Ireland held a fundraiser to support the nonprofit's effort to rebuild fishing boats. A woman came by with her two grandkids to drop off a check and meet the staff. A retired stockbroker came in and got so motivated to give more he got on the phone and immediately made four or five phone calls. A teacher called to say her third-grade class raised $20 and wanted tsunami rubber wrist bands, items given away to raise awareness, in exchange. A local bar of gay men raised money for them stating that they wanted to be known as citizens of the world and citizens of the community.

Guy said he has volunteers that come in and write thank-you notes and send pictures of what the organization is doing so their donors know how much they are appreciated and what a difference they have made. He personally tries to thank as many people as possible in his own special way.

"I give them a hug," he said. "I'm just so touched."

Normally, January is a slow fundraising time for American Refugee Committee, but with the outpouring of support, Guy is excited about expanding their donor base and bringing in more people as part of their "long-term family."

"We've been using the [Benevon] model for a couple of years and now have stable, lifetime donors," he said. "This model has created a very loyal base of donors."

Guy said that when the tsunami hit, that base of donors started networking with their friends and created at least half of the surge in donations that the organization has experienced.

"I give these people a lot of credit for being so thoughtful," he said.

Of the surge of money coming in, half is from donors who've designated the funds be used for tsunami relief, and half of the money designated for the tsunami is earmarked for replacing fishing boats—a project that will continue long after the cameras have left.

The other half of the new money, Guy said, is given for unrestricted operating funds so that the organization can continue to provide services in all of the counties they serve.

The tsunami disaster created some one million refugees, but there are thirty-six million other refugees in the world, said Guy. Unlike the tsunami victims, these other refugees don't even have a home to rebuild. In Iran, he said, there are four-and-a-half million refugees who have been waiting twenty to thirty years to return to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Guy doesn't believe the tsunami disaster is taking away from other charities.

When those high school kids came in with their handful of money, he said, that was not money being taken from another organization; it was new money raised.

"I don't think we're stealing from anyone," he said.

He does think the tsunami disaster is raising awareness.

"Some people say tsunami donors are knee-jerk donors, but I spoke at a Baptist church last Sunday and half of the conversations were not about the tsunami. People asked me, 'What about Darfur (Sudan)? Have we forgotten them?'"

When it comes time for their Ask Event^™ fundraiser this May, American Refugee Committee has a two-fold task.

"We want to give respect to the tsunami challenge but not forget the millions of other refugees in the twelve other countries we serve," said Guy.