why you shouldn't donate to red cross

by Alysha Muller 5 min read

Although they're not necessarily at fault, the ARC itself can't do much. They aren't medical professionals like Doctors Without Borders, and they rarely ever build permanent housing. All they do is provide temporary shelter for victims, along with small immediate care packages.

Why is the Red Cross Association so bad?

Sep 14, 2017 · Why You Shouldn’t Donate to the Red Cross. During times of disaster, many feel obligated to make donations in order to help out. Most recently, Hurricane Harvey’s devastation of Texas has displaced thousands, a situation that will continue for several years. The organization at the forefront of all others is the American Red Cross (ARC).

Can you donate to the Red Cross in Texas?

Sep 07, 2017 · While the Red Cross has and will continue to deceive people and claim that “91 cents of every dollar goes to relief efforts,” NPR states that “the real number could be in the 70s, or lower.” As students at a world-renowned university, we know not to dedicate our efforts 70 percent of the time, and we believe working with 100 percent of our efforts is the only way to …

Should we give money to the Red Cross?

Aug 28, 2017 · The Red Cross Association has a terrible history of raising a lot of money in donations for disaster relief and not actually putting good use to it. During the 2010 earthquake that struck Haiti, the Red Cross raised around half a billion dollars in donations, yet only built six permanent homes for victims who lost everything they had. There were 3 million people …

Can you donate to the Red Cross during the hurricane?

The International Federation of the Red Cross took a 26 percent cut for overhead while the “American Red Cross’ management and other costs consumed an additional 24 percent of the money.”. 50% of donations were taken from earthquake victims in 2010 for overhead and management costs.

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What percentage of my donation to the Red Cross goes to victims?

The Red Cross is proud that an average of 90 cents of every dollar we spend is invested in delivering care and comfort to those in need. Each year, the generous support of donors like you enables our disaster workforce— 90% volunteers—to help millions of people in the U.S.

Is Red Cross good to donate to?

The Red Cross' overall ranking on Charity Navigator is three out of four stars and an overall score of 89 out of 100. A charity that spent 9 cents of every dollar raised on its programs wouldn't get a good score, Charity Navigator spokesman Kevin Scally said.Jul 13, 2020

What problems do the Red Cross have?

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) found that millions of people may not be reached because of issues including: Out of reach communities cut off by geography, insecurity, war, violence against humanitarian personnel, and other conditions.Oct 31, 2018

Why the Red Cross is good?

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families.Mar 3, 2016

How much does the CEO of the Red Cross earn?

For the past 11 years, Gail McGovern has served as president and CEO of the American Red Cross, and in 2018, she was paid $694,000, which reflects her leadership of the country's largest humanitarian organization.Dec 6, 2019

Is the Red Cross ethical?

The American Red Cross is a not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to providing services to those in need. The Red Cross has traditionally demanded and received the highest ethical performance from its employees and volunteers.

Is the Red Cross religious?

It's also not a religious symbol The Red Cross is not a religious symbol: due to our Swiss roots, it's actually the reverse of the Swiss flag. However, some National Societies use red crescent or red crystal symbols to avoid negative religious connotations, ensuring it represents protection for all.

How has the Red Cross impacted the world?

The Red Cross has delivered lifesaving assistance to more than 229 million people around the world this past year. In 2012, we plan to expand this work to help even more individuals, communities and countries.

What does the Red Cross do?

What the Red Cross does well is position very short-term relief in certain kinds of situations. They're better at it in a very small-scale disaster, where basic logistical networks aren't being affected. So if there's a single house fire or something like that, they can be effective.

Why is disaster preparedness important?

Disaster preparedness is key to keeping people safe and mitigating the effects of weather and health emergencies.

Is the Red Cross a dysfunctional organization?

One is that the Red Cross is a dysfunctional organization. The second problem is that disaster relief in general is a much bigger and a much different problem than the one people are solving when they send a single donation in the wake of a particular disaster.

Does the Red Cross help with disasters?

But there are many, many other things that have to be done, both after a disaster strikes and before it strikes in terms of risk prevention, and the Red Cross doesn’t help with that.

Is the Red Cross transparent?

If you read the investigative work that Pro Publica has done about the Red Cross and their actions after the Haitian earthquake, after Hurricane Sandy, after the Louisiana floods last year, and many other disasters, you see the same pattern. The Red Cross leadership has misled Congress and resisted oversight at every step. They don’t open their books, they’re not transparent, and they only release details after they’ve been publicly shamed.

What is the worst thing you can do?

One of the worst things you can do is just send stuff into a disaster zone. This is another thing we see in disaster after disaster: people hurriedly send old clothes, canned food, and toys, and no one has any idea what happens to that stuff. If you’re compelled to give, always give cash.

Is giving money to the Red Cross an emotional act?

Giving money to disaster relief organization like the Red Cross is an emotional act, which is disproportionate to the amount of money you give. You send over your $10 and it feels like a significant act. And I can relate to that. I'm sure you can, too.

Who is the CEO of the Red Cross?

It goes on to state her alleged salary and explain how the nonprofit spends its money. This is not true. Evans left the nonprofit in 2005. Gail McGovern is the Red Cross’ current CEO. She’s led the nonprofit since 2008. Her annual salary in 2018 was $694,000. USA TODAY has reached out to Totman for comment.

Who is Marsha Evans?

The viral post, shared in April 2018 by Mike Totman, shows a woman who is identified as Marsha Evans and says she is the president and CEO of the American Red Cross.

What is the Children's Cancer Recovery Foundation?

The Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation is one of 8 similarly dubious charities run by Greg Anderson. As with all his other “worthy” endeavors, the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation uses the underhand tactic of passing off soliciting calls as charitable donations on their tax returns. As a result of training its solicitors to discuss how individuals can lessen their chances of a cancer diagnosis, 80% of the charity’s annual profits end up in the hands of its solicitors (rather than in the hands of the families it’s meant to be supporting).

What is the Firefighter's Charitable Foundation?

The Firefighter’s Charitable Foundation says it provides financial assistance to the families of those who’ve been affected by fire or other disasters. Charity Navigator disagrees vehemently, affording the organization a devastatingly low 0 out of 4 stars. The reason? A deplorable 90% of the charity’s donations end up being claimed as fundraising expenses, leaving just 10% to go where it should be.

Who runs the Cancer Fund of America?

Cancer Fund of America. Cancer Fund of America is just one of many philanthropic centers run by James T Reynolds and his somewhat crooked family. That the no-shame Reynolds takes home an annual salary of around $230,000 is bad enough (and properly tells you all you need to know about where your donations are going).

Does the International Union of Police Associations donate to its beneficiaries?

Unfortunately, the International Union of Police Associations donates only 1% of its donations to its claimed beneficiaries.

Who is James Reynolds' wife?

Remember James Reynolds from the Cancer Fund of America (number 1 on our list, if you need a refresh). He’s back… or at least, his on-off wife Rose Parkins is. Parkins heads up the Children’s Cancer Fund of America, a foundation that allows her to draw a healthy annual salary of $227,000 (according to the IRS records of 2011, at least), a figure that is just about matched by the fund’s annual donations to charity. Of the millions of dollars’ worth of medical supplies it claims to have donated to developing nations, there’s no sign. Perhaps they ended up in the same place the Reynolds family’s credibility did…

Who is Allen Lee?

Allen Lee is a Toronto-based freelance writer who studied business in school but has since turned to other pursuits. He spends more time than is perhaps wise with his eyes fixed on a screen either reading history books, keeping up with international news, or playing the latest releases on the Steam platform, which serve as the subject matter for much of his writing output. Currently, Lee is practicing the smidgen of Chinese that he picked up while visiting the Chinese mainland in hopes of someday being able to read certain historical texts in their original language.

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