The international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/M�decins Sans Fronti�res (MSF) is telling donors it has received a "sufficient" amount of money for its tsunami relief efforts and is instead asking them to contribute to its general fund, the New York Sun reports.

The organization, which has dispatched emergency medical teams to the hardest-hit areas and has purchased and transported two hundred metric tons of relief materials, has raised about $20 million for its tsunami relief efforts, said MSF spokeswoman Kris Torgeson. "It is very important to MSF," a note on the MSF Web site states, "that we use your contribution as you intend it to be used. This is why we want to let you know that at this time, MSF estimates that we have received sufficient funds for our currently foreseen emergency response in South Asia." The site requests that contributions be directed to the general emergency relief fund to support work in Darfur, Sudan, and other locations, as well as tsunami relief.

The decision by MSF to channel donations away from its tsunami relief efforts reflects broader caution among relief agencies about honoring donor intent. Many charitable organizations remember all too well the media-fueled anger directed at the American Red Cross in the wake of the 9/11 attacks after the organization announced it planned to set aside money donated for 9/11 victims for other uses not directly related to the attacks.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy estimates that major American relief agencies have raised $163 million since the earthquake-triggered tsunamis struck on December 26 — money that is supporting what is said to be the largest humanitarian assistance effort ever mounted. The Red Cross alone has raised $79.2 million — almost half the private giving total. Like many relief organizations, however, it has not set a specific fundraising goal because it has not yet been able to complete its assessment of the emergency needs. Meanwhile, Atlanta-based CARE, another major relief organization, has declared a fundraising goal of $25 million, said CARE spokeswoman Lurma Rackley. The organization has raised $11.5 million to date, and Rackley said it is unlikely to stop accepting donations for tsunami victims because "we are positioned a lot better than other agencies to absorb the donations." CARE has 1,500 workers in the disaster area and has had a presence in many of the affected countries for decades.

Still, most relief agencies are expected to shift their focus to longer-term aid, including money for rebuilding infrastructure, in the coming weeks. "A lot of the groups are being much more cautious," said Chronicle editor Stacy Palmer, who doesn't expect donations to exceed emergency need to the extent they did after the 9/11 attacks, "but it might be too much for the immediate relief effort."