As Australia’s bushfire crisis continues, firefighters have been injured, lost their homes and, tragically, lost their lives.

Many people are wondering how best to help and donate to the firefighting and recovery effort. Here’s what some of the organisations on the frontline recommend.

Donating directly

The various state fire services all have options to donate money directly.

Some states give you the option to donate to the firefighters as a whole, or to specific brigades. You can also donate specifically to the families of firefighters who have died fighting the blazes.

In New South Wales, the Rural Fire Service lets you donate to the RFS as a whole, or to specific brigades. You can donate through bank transfer, credit card or cheque.

For bank transfers, there is a set bank account (account name: NSW Rural Fire Service, BSB: 032-001, account number: 171051). This account is for the RFS as a whole.

For credit cards, this link will take you to the landing page. You can choose specific brigades from a dropdown box, or donate to the RFS general fund. And if your brigade is not listed, or if you are unclear, you can contact your local brigade.

The RFS also has a specific page to donate to the families of Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O’Dwyer from the Horsley Park brigade, and Samuel McPaul from the Morven brigade, who died while fighting fires in December. All three donation pages are here.

In Queensland, Fire and Rescue advise that you can donate both money and items through the website givit.org.au.

The website allows fire-affected communities to list what they specifically need, from water tanks in Yeppoon to school uniforms in Zillmere.

In Victoria, the Country Fire Authority has two bank accounts, one for specific brigades and one for the general fund.

In South Australia, the Country Fire Service accepts donations through the CFS Foundation. You can donate to them here. You can also leave a bequest.

In Western Australia you can donate here.

For the RFS, this year’s flood of donations has already hit the tens of millions (up from last year’s $768,044), and the commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, said the organisation did not yet know how it would spend the money, but it was “a nice challenge to have”.

Donating supplies

People can also donate supplies, goods, clothing and more – either directly to evacuation centres, or via other charities.

But people should avoid donating supplies if centres are already full.

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has urged people to give money rather than clothing, goods or food.

“I know a lot of people want to get stuck in and lend a hand,” he said. “But it’s important to remember that the emergency relief effort is being run by experienced organisations, and they don’t have space to sort or store donations.

“If you want to help, please consider donating to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. Every dollar raised will go towards immediate support for those who have lost everything.”

The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, also encouraged donations in cash rather than in kind.

Thank you to everyone across NSW for your generosity to the victims of the bushfires. Times like this unite us and bring out the best in people. If you want to make a donation, a financial contribution is the best way. 👇https://t.co/2yS3urwpGD https://t.co/mgvyDLC52i — Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) January 7, 2020

Helping the recovery

Various state governments have official recovery organisations. In Victoria, the government established a new agency on Monday – Bushfire Recovery Victoria – to oversee the recovery effort, with $50m of government funding.

As previously mentioned, people wanting to help can donate to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. This is a fund, endorsed by the Victorian government and managed by Bendigo Bank, that will distribute charitable grants to communities affected.

In South Australia, the government has created a similar new fund – the State Emergency Relief Fund. This will collect donations and distribute them to those affected by the fires, with a $1m starting donation from the government. People can donate here.

In Western Australia, the City of Perth runs the Lord Mayor’s Distress Relief Fund, which also distributes money to those affected.

In terms of charities, the Red Cross Relief and Recovery Appeal, St Vincent de Paul or the Salvation Army regularly help with the recovery effort.

You can also donate, provide items or volunteer at specific evacuation centres – a list can be found here. But in general it is always better to give money to charities unless there is a specific request for certain items from the centre.

Each centre may have different needs, so it is important not to arrive unannounced with goods to donate.

Donating to wildlife

Animals and wildlife have also been devastated by the fires.

In NSW, people can donate to the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES), which is running a bushfire emergency appeal via Facebook donations.

In Victoria, people can donate to Wildlife Victoria, and in South Australia, they can donate to the emergency vet service SAVEM.

Nationally, people can donate to the state branches of the RSPCA. The NSW and Victorian branches currently have their own donations appeals.

The World Wildlife Fund have a Help Save Koalas fund. Donations will be used to plant trees in koala habitat, provide medical care and lobby governments to stop deforestation and protect woodlands and koala habitats.

Buying local

The bushfire survivor Turia Pitt has launched a new account on Instagram called SpendWithThem, that allows local businesses in bushfire-hit communities to promote their products.

People can also visit the pre-existing campaign Buy From The Bush, which promotes rural businesses, initially hit by drought, and now ravaged by fire.

Holding a fundraiser

You can also hold a fundraiser for the fire authorities, or donate to a fundraiser.

However, the NSW RFS advises that you should donate only to verified fundraisers. That’s also true for those setting up fundraisers – get authorisation from the RFS first.

“It’s important that fundraising activities are conducted in a way that is transparent and aligns with the values of the NSW RFS,” the RFS told Guardian Australia.

To hold a fundraising event, you should email executive.support@rfs.nsw.gov.au.

You’ll also need to provide information on your group, how you will raise funds and what portion will be donated, and the specifics of any item being sold or donated.

“The NSW RFS may place restrictions on the use of its insignia (which includes its name, logo or imagery) for legal reasons, and any use of the insignia must be expressly approved,” a spokesperson said.

“So that the community can be assured that fundraising is legitimate, unless undertaken by NSW RFS brigades members, the service does not support fundraising activities that solicit donations from members of the public beyond members within your registered business, group or association.”

The RFS said it had been flooded with requests to hold fundraisers, so it might take some time to respond.

The Victorian CFA also has a fundraising kit here, with information on how to host one.

Inquiries can be directed to cfapromotions@cfa.vic.gov.au or 1800 232 233.

Volunteering

Queensland Fire and Rescue also advice that you can volunteer your time to the bushfire effort.

“The best way you can help is to check on the safety of your loved ones, neighbours and friends and help them however you can,” it says.

You can also formally register as a volunteer at Emergency Volunteering. You can also call Volunteering Queensland on 1800 994 100.