Don't Do It.

The authors of The Bad Pitch Blog have made a point to strongly urge professionals in the pr business, or in the business of making pitches, to not attach pitches to national tragedies. His warning comes with the horrific shooting at Virginia Tech and is not only timely, but is also just good advice.
The blog's author says that people and companies who are helping the Virginia Tech students recover are doing so because it is the right thing to do, and not because it is a publicity opportunity.
Perhaps it is just my cynicism, but I think that the blog's author has it wrong. I think that what ultimately drives companies to help victims, needy families etc, is that it is the right thing to do...but these companies have press people who are telling them "this will be great for our image!" So, I find it hard to believe that the benefits of aiding needy people don't factor into a company's decision to do so.