GiveWell has very sensible advice for those who are thinking about making donations to charitable organizations for relief in Japan. It kind of boils down to this: If a nonprofit is asking you to give for Japan, that may be a signal to say no to that group.

Charities are using the Japanese tragedy as a fundraising pitch, GiveWell says, when the capacity for meaningful aid at the disaster sites may be already saturated. Any aid you give in the name of Japan will probably be used in other countries or in Japan for non-emergency needs. If you feel the need to do something, GiveWell says, donate to the Japanese Red Cross or to Doctors Without Borders. Doctors Without Borders is well-run, transparent and efficient. And its good faith is proved, Give Well says, by the fact that it is NOT soliciting for Japan.

More from GiveWell:

* Those affected have requested very little, limited aid. Aid being offered far exceeds aid being requested. (Details below.)

* Charities are aggressively soliciting donations, often in ways we feel are misleading (more on this in future posts).

* Any donation you make will probably be used (a) by the charity you give it to, for activities in a different country; (b) for non-disaster-relief-and-recovery efforts in Japan.

* If you’re looking to pursue (a) and help people in need all over the world, we recommend giving to the best charity you can, rather than basing your giving on who is appealing to you most aggressively with images and language regarding Japan.

* Overall, though, a gift to Doctors Without Borders seems to us like the best way to effectively “respond to this disaster”. We feel they are a leader in transparency, honesty and integrity in relief organizations, and the fact that they’re not soliciting funds for Japan is a testament to this. Rewarding Doctors Without Borders is a move toward improving incentives and improving disaster relief in general.