[6] The telethon was patterned after the form begun with the 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes program and continued with the 2005 Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast.

Funds raised by the telethon and from the sale of an accompanying album and video, which was immediately made available for pre-order on iTunes, were distributed to seven non-profit organizations doing relief work in Haiti.

[7] The event drew an estimated audience of 83 million viewers in the United States between the initial broadcast and web and mobile streams throughout the weekend.

[8] On January 23, it was reported that the telethon had raised over US$58 million, not including corporate and large private donors or sales of the album and video.

Presented in a format similar to 2001's America: A Tribute to Heroes, the two-hour broadcast consisted of musical performances with speeches, reports from Haiti, and conversations between celebrity operators and donors calling in.