Last updated: Jan. 5, 2005 at 11:57AM
     CHICAGO, Jan. 4 (UPI) — The Internet is proving integral to the tsunami relief effort for major American charities, from Episcopal Relief and Development to the United Jewish Fund. Empathetic donors are wielding debit and credit cards to contribute cash instantly, rather than sending a check that could take days to arrive, development directors told United Press International.
      The tragedy that last week killed upwards of 150,000 people in Southeast Asia and East Africa is, in its own way, reshaping the way non-profits raise funds, just as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's campaign remade political fundraising -- via the Internet -- during the last presidential election.
      Instant access to donated money means charities can immediately spend the funds on priority items, such as medical supplies, providing comfort to victims of the natural disaster in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
      "We've raised $900,000 just in the last week from the Web," Malaika Kamunanwire, director of development and public relations at Episcopal Relief and Development, a charity founded by the Episcopal Church in New York City, told UPI's The Web.
      -- The Web is a weekly column covering the technological, and cultural implications of the World Wide Web. Contact: Gene J. Koprowski, sciencemail-AT-upi.com