American Red Cross Mission Statement Analysis
The mission statement simply states, that the American Red Cross, is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross Movement. It was created to provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The American Red Cross is a non profit organization founded in 1881 by Clara Barton to aid victims of fires, floods, and hurricanes. This charity, though they are congressionally chartered, does not receive federal funding. The main source of financial support is provided from the donations of many philanthropic organizations, people and corporations. Ninety-one cents from every dollar donated goes
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to humanitarian services and programs. Branches are located across the U.S. and internationally that provide relief to people suffering from the aftermath of disasters and war.
Its human resources come predominately from volunteers willing to travel to disasters and offer assistance and to aid families searching for information on loved ones missing in time of disaster and abroad.
“Today, in addition to domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers compassionate services in five other areas: community services that help the needy; support and comfort for military members and their families; the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products; educational programs that promote health and safety; and international relief and development programs.”
The Red Cross is governed by a board of governors.
The board consists of eighteen members located across the United States. They are or have been CEO 'sof major corporations and organizations. There are also eight committees: Audit and Risk Management Committee, Quality and Regulatory Compliance Subcommittee, Board of Trustees of the Endowment Fund, Compensation and Management Development Committee, Executive Committee, Governance and Board Development Committee, Investment Committee, Philanthropy Committee.
Because it is congressionally chartered their audit, conducted by an outside firm, must also be reviewed by the Department of the Army. The audit for fiscal year 2010 shows that the Red Cross made significant progress in improving their financial stability. This was achieved by building a more cost conscious culture that resulted in decreased office costs in chapters, biomedical units and at the national …show more content…
headquarters.
The future goals of the Red Cross are to achieving financial stability, strengthening fundraising, revitalizing the Red Cross brand, advancing blood safety, improving teamwork and revamping our IT systems. A SWOT analysis of this organization would identify areas that are least cost effective or revenue generating. The strengths already in place and opportunities of the future can be used to address the areas that will help reach the goals of the organization.
This analysis shows that if the Red Cross uses the name recognition they already have in print and advertising media it will strengthen not only donations but increase its volunteer base as well.
The Red Cross has also begun using the evolving technological resources provided by social networking and wireless communications to make volunteering and donation more efficient. “Results show that practicing public relations through social media is effective and necessary in the emerging digital age, as shown through the Red Cross’ development of a two-way dialogue with younger constituents, the media, and the community. This two-way dialogue has been accomplished primarily through Twitter and Facebook, with barriers such as lack of staff and time, and opportunities to improve National Headquarters and local chapter relations.” The insights shared by the American Red Cross are useful for both public relations scholars and professionals to help them understand and apply social media practices to build strong, lasting relationships. These tools can also help improve and continue to strengthen the management of disasters in real time. This would justify revamping the IT systems. Building a communication network between the local chapters and the national headquarters would improve the ability to relay real time information regarding the need in the event of disaster and to improve the quality of service it provides as related to the blood donation efforts. This was a noted difficulty
when the Red Cross had to respond to the aftermath of Katrina. The workers that were at the disaster had difficulty getting the much needed supplies and medical help to the victims. This could have been improved with improved telecommunications equipment and wireless networking devices.
The threat of economic uncertainty could be offset by the ability to provide government supported tax relief for monetary and material donations. Providing special financial benefits such as tax credit or reduction for major philanthropic funding would help to secure a continuous source of revenue in difficult times. This would also help prepare the Red Cross in the event of multiple disasters that would have the potential to deplete supplies and volunteer resources.
The President’s sees the need for providing services and training while being culturally sensitive reflects the need for communication and marketing that specifically targets each segment of the population they serve. The symbol of the Red Cross is widely recognized as the source of help and training and will be easy to gain the trust and involvement necessary to reach this goal. Recruiting will be a key factor in making sure there are resources in place to address multi lingual communication and cultural sensitivity. “After nearly every large-scale disaster there are reports that the Red Cross 's largely homogeneous volunteers encounter difficulty with the racial, ethnic, and income diversity of the Americans that they are trying to help. The next CEO must make this a priority issue by moving the organization beyond sensitivity training of existing volunteers to recruit and retain volunteers who fully reflect our country 's growing diversity. This is imperative if the Red Cross is to effectively deliver disaster relief in any and every community in the United States.” This also can aid in international efforts to provide assistance when political unrest is an issue. The knowledge of the customs and nuances of these countries can help deliver aid quickly and safely to those who desperately need it.
The solid philanthropic funding sources that have strongly supported the Red Cross will support this organization during economically distressed times. These donors will be least affected by economic fluctuations therefore, the donations will not be as volatile as individual donors with limited resources.
The World Wide Web has opened up vast opportunities for creative fundraising using the internet as a tool. Technology can be used to create a marketplace not only for information but also to offer opportunities to donate materials and money. Corporate sponsors can also offer incentives to donate by exchanging their surplus inventory for donations or offering discounts on services and products they provide. This would broaden the base of funding from the traditional middle aged, usually Caucasian donors to a more youth oriented diverse group. This would also serve as an excellent way to encourage a younger audience who seems at this time to be eager to find community service opportunities to volunteer, donate blood, or help with babysitting training, and lifeguard training.
The final result if all of these were implemented would expand the presence of the American Red Cross both nationally and locally. This would result in providing a pool of expertise in the medical and emergency management at local levels who are already in place should a disaster occur. While the Red Cross has been under much scrutiny for its handling of two major disaster, Katrina and Haiti, it can learn from those incidents that the need for a more streamline communication system and an improved method to deliver need quickly is imperative to protect the reputation of the Red Cross. Mishandling of these events could cause a lack of confidence in donors and affect funding and resources. The Red Cross must find a way to prepare before disaster strikes by having resources and procedures in place and to also make sure that all local chapters are knowledgeable in regard to the personnel and methods to secure what they need in a timely manner. It seems that communication is the foundation on which all of the other areas can either be strengthened or weakened.
“The last decade has been a financial roller coaster for the American National Red Cross. It raised $1-billion in a matter of weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks and more than $2-billion in short order following Hurricane Katrina, but it has been plagued by deep deficits and forced to borrow money to finance its relief services.” The new approach of not waiting for a disaster to accumulate the funds needed to respond will help the Red Cross reduce the amount it must borrow to respond to disasters.
Concrete steps must be taken now to continue to build upon the foundation that was laid by Clara Barton when she saw the need to help humanity. Eliminating wasteful spending and redundancy in tasks, decreasing the number of separate committees and departments, developing a more diverse network of volunteers, and focusing on excellence in communication are necessary to take the Red Cross into the coming years.
References:
Briones, R. L., Kuch, B., Liu, B., & Jin, Y. (2011). Keeping up with the digital age: How the American Red Cross uses social media to build relationships. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 37-43. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.12.006
Wilhelm, I. (2009). A Red Cross Fund-Raising Auction Offers a Window on History. Chronicle of Philanthropy, 22(4), 46.
Hall, H. (2009). Red Cross Retools Its Fund Raising to Overcome a Troubled Financial Picture. Chronicle of Philanthropy, 22(2), 7.
The American Red Cross, 19FEB2011 http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=477859f392ce8110VgnVCM10000030f3870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default
to humanitarian services and programs. Branches are located across the U.S. and internationally that provide relief to people suffering from the aftermath of disasters and war.
Its human resources come predominately from volunteers willing to travel to disasters and offer assistance and to aid families searching for information on loved ones missing in time of disaster and abroad.
“Today, in addition to domestic disaster relief, the American Red Cross offers compassionate services in five other areas: community services that help the needy; support and comfort for military members and their families; the collection, processing and distribution of lifesaving blood and blood products; educational programs that promote health and safety; and international relief and development programs.”
The Red Cross is governed by a board of governors.
The board consists of eighteen members located across the United States. They are or have been CEO 'sof major corporations and organizations. There are also eight committees: Audit and Risk Management Committee, Quality and Regulatory Compliance Subcommittee, Board of Trustees of the Endowment Fund, Compensation and Management Development Committee, Executive Committee, Governance and Board Development Committee, Investment Committee, Philanthropy Committee.
Because it is congressionally chartered their audit, conducted by an outside firm, must also be reviewed by the Department of the Army. The audit for fiscal year 2010 shows that the Red Cross made significant progress in improving their financial stability. This was achieved by building a more cost conscious culture that resulted in decreased office costs in chapters, biomedical units and at the national …show more content…
headquarters.
The future goals of the Red Cross are to achieving financial stability, strengthening fundraising, revitalizing the Red Cross brand, advancing blood safety, improving teamwork and revamping our IT systems. A SWOT analysis of this organization would identify areas that are least cost effective or revenue generating. The strengths already in place and opportunities of the future can be used to address the areas that will help reach the goals of the organization.
This analysis shows that if the Red Cross uses the name recognition they already have in print and advertising media it will strengthen not only donations but increase its volunteer base as well.
The Red Cross has also begun using the evolving technological resources provided by social networking and wireless communications to make volunteering and donation more efficient. “Results show that practicing public relations through social media is effective and necessary in the emerging digital age, as shown through the Red Cross’ development of a two-way dialogue with younger constituents, the media, and the community. This two-way dialogue has been accomplished primarily through Twitter and Facebook, with barriers such as lack of staff and time, and opportunities to improve National Headquarters and local chapter relations.” The insights shared by the American Red Cross are useful for both public relations scholars and professionals to help them understand and apply social media practices to build strong, lasting relationships. These tools can also help improve and continue to strengthen the management of disasters in real time. This would justify revamping the IT systems. Building a communication network between the local chapters and the national headquarters would improve the ability to relay real time information regarding the need in the event of disaster and to improve the quality of service it provides as related to the blood donation efforts. This was a noted difficulty
when the Red Cross had to respond to the aftermath of Katrina. The workers that were at the disaster had difficulty getting the much needed supplies and medical help to the victims. This could have been improved with improved telecommunications equipment and wireless networking devices.
The threat of economic uncertainty could be offset by the ability to provide government supported tax relief for monetary and material donations. Providing special financial benefits such as tax credit or reduction for major philanthropic funding would help to secure a continuous source of revenue in difficult times. This would also help prepare the Red Cross in the event of multiple disasters that would have the potential to deplete supplies and volunteer resources.
The President’s sees the need for providing services and training while being culturally sensitive reflects the need for communication and marketing that specifically targets each segment of the population they serve. The symbol of the Red Cross is widely recognized as the source of help and training and will be easy to gain the trust and involvement necessary to reach this goal. Recruiting will be a key factor in making sure there are resources in place to address multi lingual communication and cultural sensitivity. “After nearly every large-scale disaster there are reports that the Red Cross 's largely homogeneous volunteers encounter difficulty with the racial, ethnic, and income diversity of the Americans that they are trying to help. The next CEO must make this a priority issue by moving the organization beyond sensitivity training of existing volunteers to recruit and retain volunteers who fully reflect our country 's growing diversity. This is imperative if the Red Cross is to effectively deliver disaster relief in any and every community in the United States.” This also can aid in international efforts to provide assistance when political unrest is an issue. The knowledge of the customs and nuances of these countries can help deliver aid quickly and safely to those who desperately need it.
The solid philanthropic funding sources that have strongly supported the Red Cross will support this organization during economically distressed times. These donors will be least affected by economic fluctuations therefore, the donations will not be as volatile as individual donors with limited resources.
The World Wide Web has opened up vast opportunities for creative fundraising using the internet as a tool. Technology can be used to create a marketplace not only for information but also to offer opportunities to donate materials and money. Corporate sponsors can also offer incentives to donate by exchanging their surplus inventory for donations or offering discounts on services and products they provide. This would broaden the base of funding from the traditional middle aged, usually Caucasian donors to a more youth oriented diverse group. This would also serve as an excellent way to encourage a younger audience who seems at this time to be eager to find community service opportunities to volunteer, donate blood, or help with babysitting training, and lifeguard training.
The final result if all of these were implemented would expand the presence of the American Red Cross both nationally and locally. This would result in providing a pool of expertise in the medical and emergency management at local levels who are already in place should a disaster occur. While the Red Cross has been under much scrutiny for its handling of two major disaster, Katrina and Haiti, it can learn from those incidents that the need for a more streamline communication system and an improved method to deliver need quickly is imperative to protect the reputation of the Red Cross. Mishandling of these events could cause a lack of confidence in donors and affect funding and resources. The Red Cross must find a way to prepare before disaster strikes by having resources and procedures in place and to also make sure that all local chapters are knowledgeable in regard to the personnel and methods to secure what they need in a timely manner. It seems that communication is the foundation on which all of the other areas can either be strengthened or weakened.
“The last decade has been a financial roller coaster for the American National Red Cross. It raised $1-billion in a matter of weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks and more than $2-billion in short order following Hurricane Katrina, but it has been plagued by deep deficits and forced to borrow money to finance its relief services.” The new approach of not waiting for a disaster to accumulate the funds needed to respond will help the Red Cross reduce the amount it must borrow to respond to disasters.
Concrete steps must be taken now to continue to build upon the foundation that was laid by Clara Barton when she saw the need to help humanity. Eliminating wasteful spending and redundancy in tasks, decreasing the number of separate committees and departments, developing a more diverse network of volunteers, and focusing on excellence in communication are necessary to take the Red Cross into the coming years.
References:
Briones, R. L., Kuch, B., Liu, B., & Jin, Y. (2011). Keeping up with the digital age: How the American Red Cross uses social media to build relationships. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 37-43. doi:10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.12.006
Wilhelm, I. (2009). A Red Cross Fund-Raising Auction Offers a Window on History. Chronicle of Philanthropy, 22(4), 46.
Hall, H. (2009). Red Cross Retools Its Fund Raising to Overcome a Troubled Financial Picture. Chronicle of Philanthropy, 22(2), 7.
The American Red Cross, 19FEB2011 http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=477859f392ce8110VgnVCM10000030f3870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default