When donating to aid those affected by recent natural disasters, one should reconsider donating to the American Red Cross. The Red Cross has repeatedly demonstrated its focus on image rather than real world results, haphazard planning and a lack of credibility.
“I think that we are near flawless so far in this operation,” said the president and CEO Gail McGovern in an MSNBC Interview on Nov. 11 2012.
However, in an internal American Red Cross document “Observations and lessons learned from Hurricane Isaac and Sandy,” the Red Cross admits that they are culpable in “diverting assets for public relation purposes,” and they even “took emergency vehicles away from aid work and used them as props at press events,” according to an investigation started in 2012 by NPR and Propublica, a nonprofit newsroom specializing in investigative journalism.
Former emergency vehicle driver Jim Dunham said he had been “sent way down on the gulf with nothing to give” being told he has to “just be seen,” according to an Oct. 12, 2014, Propublica story. Unfortunately, Dunham isn’t the only ARC member that has critiqued the organization’s priorities as “ARC leadership was more interested in projects generating good publicity than those that would provide the most homes,” said former ARC official Lee Melany in U.S Senator Chuck Grassleys June 15 “Investigation of the American Red Cross.”
With the Red Cross prioritizing image over results one can never be sure if their money is being spent toward resources that will be used to help those in need or to help fund one of the organization’s vast public relations campaigns.
The Red Cross is also infamous for its lack of planning, which leads to situations like clients sleeping in their wheelchairs for an undetermined amount of time, issues getting medical cots and the staff not know what to do or the procedures to follow, according to their internal document.
The internal document from the American Red Cross listed a slew of mistakes. Sex offenders were meant to be placed in a special area away from the main dorm, but they weren’t; they were all over, including playing with children in children’s area. This caused mothers sheltered by the Red Cross to feel concerned for their children’s safety, according to the RC Internal Document. No one wants to experience that during a time of trouble. Between Hurricanes Sandy and Isaac, the Red Cross mentions over 70 problems that occurred and only listed 14 that went well. People should not donate to an organization that is unable to perform their duties to keep others safe at all times.
Along with losing resources due to improper planning, the Red Cross seems to have lost something even more important, credibility. “An average of 91 cents of every dollar the American Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs,” according to the Red Cross website. When examining this fact closer it turns out Red Cross executives don’t know how much of donations went to Hurricane Harvey relief after the hurricane hit the Texas Gulf on Aug. 25.
“I don’t think I know the answer to that any better than the chief fundraiser knows how many, how much it costs to put a volunteer downrange for a week and how many emergency response vehicles I have on the road today,” said Brad Kieserman, Red Cross operations and logistics executive, in an Aug. 20 NPR article. “So I think if he was on this interview and you were asking how many relief vehicles in Texas, I don’t think he’d know the answer, and I don’t know the answer to the financial question, I’m afraid.”
In the investigation conducted by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, he discovered the Red cross raised nearly $500 million during the Haiti earthquake relief effort; however, they spent almost $125 million, 25 percent, on its own internal expenses. With multiple answers for a single question, it’s hard to trust the Red Cross because it rarely reports where people’s donation money actually gets spent, especially when one considers the fact that the current CEO Gail J. McGovern makes a half million dollars’ salary annually according to the Red Cross Website.
With the Red Cross showing the organization is more focused on its image rather than results, haphazard planning that leads to safety concerns and costly loss of resources and lack of credibility, no one should donate to an organization that is going to pocket people’s money instead of helping those in need.
The Red Cross seems to be the first organization to come to mind for people. Luckily, there are many alternative organizations one can discover using the IRS search tool and Charity Navigator, tools that anyone can use to learn more about relief organizations and how they use their donated funds to help those who need their assistance.
