In behalf of, on behalf of, or something else

I often read or hear people using "in behalf of" to mean "on behalf of." What is the difference between the two? "In behalf of" means "for the benefit of;" for instance, "we gathered old clothes in behalf of the victims of typhoon Reming." "On behalf of," on the other hand, refers to representing someone or a group of people. So, "on behalf of my fellow teachers, thank you for this award" or "I'm accepting this award on behalf of my boss who was not able to come today." The thing is, usage seems to have made "in behalf of" acceptable for "on behalf of" that so many writers and speakers now use both expressions interchangeably.

What's my take on this? Well, if you want to be persnickety or picky about it, then use "on behalf of" and "in behalf of" correctly. Or, you could just skip either expression and say: "we collected old clothes for the typhoon victims" or "since I'm accepting this award for my fellow teachers, I'd like to say, 'thank you' for all of us."

Thank you to "Anonymous" who posted a comment on "Cope Up With." I agree with you, it is a common mistake. After all, whether you say "cope up with" or "cope with," people will still understand what you mean.

Thanks too to Justine and GM Tristan for the comments and encouragement.

Have a nice day, everyone!