I would certainly hope that all this money raised by way of appeal can be fully accounted for, that it is indeed used for the purposes of relief and is not subsumed by the ever demanding charity infrastructure.
i hope so too zulu, but if you have to give a tenner to make sure £1 gets to those that need it, then, scuse my french, fk it - a tenner it is - people are dying
Would it not be preferable for the majority of the contribution to go to those in need bj?
yes it would, but right now they need cash - theres no time to stop and analyse the rights and wrongs - in any disaster cash is king - i really don't think we have the right to play god here....yes the system is imperfect but while that should be addressed the immediate need is far greater - just accept some money will be lost we really can afford not to be too precious, governments waste billions every year yet people start penny pinching now??? please.
I am not being unsympathetic to the plight of those injured or made homeless by this disaster, but I have to take issue with the comment that "right now they need cash". No, they don't. Right now they need physical, logisitical help to locate survivors, treat the injured, erect temporary shelter and distribute food. Much of that help is being provided by the US armed forces and, if we were nearer and/or had the capablity, there is no doubt that our own Reme would be of great value.
At a donor's conference in April 2009, some $760m was pledged to Haiti. By September 2009, only $21m had been disbursed.
http://quixote.org/blog/donors-urged-fulfill-pledges-haiti 
In all honesty, money is not the problem, I feel. Of course, for many, the ability to donate does provide some comfort to the donors who feel so helpless watching the suffering. In itself, that's fine. I do wonder, however, how much will actually ever reach its intended target. Indeed, if one gives money to Oxfam, how can one be sure that the money will go to an Haitian or be spent on climate change advertising?
Yes, I'm cynical. Not heartless, though, and I really do feel sad that so many have suffered in this natural tragedy. Let us hope, though, that the Haitians are able to be assisted in rebuilding their lives by the many offers of physical help and that, in the medium term, financial aid actually reaches those who need it most.