As if the reports of the devastation in southeast Asia weren't enough, the federal government is giving Canadians one more reason to donate to charities providing tsunami relief -- a tax incentive.

Canadians can now claim contributions made up until Jan. 11, 2005 on their 2004 tax return, should they wish.

What's more, the federal government will match on a one-to-one basis the donations from Canadians to the tsunami relief efforts.

Donations will be matched retroactive to Dec. 26, 2004 -- the date of the tsunami. The program will be then reassessed following the UN donors' conference on Jan. 11, 2005.

Following is a list of charitable organizations:

• Adventist Development and Relief Agency 1-800-424-2372
• Canadian Food for the Hungry International 1-800-667-0605
• Canadian Lutheran World Relief 1-800-661-2597
• CARE Canada 1-800-267-5232
• Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI)
• Canadian Red Cross 1-800-418-1111
• Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC)
• Doctors Without Borders 1-800-982-7903 or 416-964-0619
• Development and Peace 1-800-494-1401
• Focus Humanitarian Assistance Canada (416) 423-7988
• Foster Parents Plan 1-800-387-1418
• Free the Children (416) 925-5894 / 1-800-203-9091 (US only)
• Mennonite Central Committee Canada 1-888-622-6337
• Oxfam Canada 1-800-466-9326
• Oxfam Quebec (French site only)
• Presbyterian World Service and Development
• Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
• Salvation Army Canada 1-800-725-2769
• Save the Children (416) 221-5501 / 1-800-668-5036
• UNICEF Canada 1-877-955-3111
• United Church of Canada
• World University Service of Canada 1-800-267-8699
• World Vision 1-800-268-5528

How to donate

Donating online to a large charity is the quickest and most cost-effective way to offer help. Tax receipts can often be printed right from an email the charity will send in reply to your donation, saving the charity the cost of mailing the receipt to you.

Besides the big organization, there are other organizations providing relief. For instance, World Accord is a small international development agency based in Waterloo, Ont. With existing partners in India and Sri Lanka, it is now working to send aid overseas.

"Our administration fees are much lower than some groups, because we partner with local organizations," says World Accord's Sandy Heathers. "To pay a Canadian to be in another country costs much more than to pay a salary for a local person to do the work."

Canadians who are confused as to which charities to give to should keep a few pointers in mind:

• Ensure you're giving to a registered Canadian charity. The best way to do that is to look on the Canada Revenue Agency website
• Avoid new or inexperienced charities that are suddenly appealing for donations
• Give donations by cheque, credit card or money orders, not cash, if possible. Make out the cheques to organizations, not to individuals
• Look out for charities promising to dispatch "runners" to pick up your contribution
• Don't give out credit card or other personal information to telephone or Internet solicitors, without first verifying their charity's programs

You could also consider CanadaHelps.org, a registered charity that allows Canadians to make online donations at to any of Canada's 80,000 registered charities, including those involved in the international disaster relief effort.

The Canadian Red Cross says Canadians can also make donations at the following banks:

BMO Financial Group
Canadian Western Bank
CIBC
HSBC Bank Canada
Laurentian Bank of Canada
National Bank of Canada
RBC Royal Bank
Scotiabank
TD Canada Trust

For those worried their money will go toward administration and not to those who need it most, the Red Cross's Tanya Elliott assures that her organization channels its funds directly to its people on the ground.

"We know it's being used to purchase supplies and provide the help that's needed in the affected regions," she says.

Elliott said no matter which charity you decide on, money is the best way to give. Sending goods is "very costly, and almost impossible in terms of distribution."

She says financial donations are used in "direct financial transactions" where the charity's agents "purchase supplies that are culturally appropriate and are meeting the need at that particular time."

Elliott adds that it's difficult to promise Canadians exactly how their money will be spent right now.

"It's difficult in the early stages of a disaster," she says. "They're focused on immediate relief. That's the focus."