Propublica came out with another screed about the American Red Cross and its leadership,; and a) I was starting a 3-day training with FEMA, and b) I knew when I thought about it I’d have more to say. I said I’d think about it and respond here.
I want to preface my remarks here by saying that I’ve never met Gail McGovern, or Richard Reed, Senior VP for Disaster Cycle Services. Several people might have overheard my opinion that Richard Reed clearly doesn’t have a volunteer partner, but one of the perks I do enjoy about being a volunteer is that I get to choose the opportunities I want to engage in.
I also don’t know Justin Elliott, the author, nor do I have any more or less respect for his reporting than I would for anyone else. Okay, stating at the outset that Red Cross leadership has “presided over a string of previously unreported management blunders that have eroded the charity’s ability to fulfill its core mission” sounds a little like bullshit hype. I have no idea whose interests he serves beyond his own and getting a paycheck.
There were two fires in Northern California in September. The response I worked on had been started beautifully by local and regional staff and volunteers (a goal of reorganization) with augmentees from nearby and then more distant regions as needed to staff the response as quickly as possible while limiting travel delays and expense. Working with partners in the impacted communities, including a Native American rancheria, clients were sheltered, fed, and assistance centers were opened quickly. Obviously I can’t speak to every response in every region from Maine to Saipan, but I’ve never felt hamstrung by “National.” I don’t think “National” even goes out anymore.
I was never under the impression that we were going to maintain a physical presence “in every single community.” When I first volunteered at the end of 2007 there were chapter offices in many more communities, but many of them were unsustainable and standards of service varied widely from chapter to chapter. I understood that two of the major goals of that phase of reorganization were to standardize the brand and the services provided across the country (Unity) and to centralize financial responsibility for Red Cross assets. As much as it pissed me off to have my local chapter close, I can’t say that it was a bad call.
When I first started going out on responses my boss at the time asked me what we provided and, when I told her, she said: “Is that all!?!” Well, no, it’s not all, because Client Casework (I don’t do Client Casework anymore) works in partnership with each impacted family using whatever resources are available in the community until the client’s disaster caused needs are met. I don’t necessarily love Direct Client Assistance, but it’s much easier to deliver and easier to teach to new responders, and we still partner with each family through the recovery process.
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My body doesn’t do cots in staff shelters as well as it used to, so now I deploy with a little air mattress. Yes, I’d much rather be in a motel, even with that guy who watches ESPN to fall asleep (but barely), but I’m pretty sure most donors don’t intend to put me in a motel while evacuees are on cots. I believe that many volunteers who leave the Red Cross because the perks are changing have taken their eye off the mission: so long as we’re safe, voluntary service is never about us but the clients.
Volunteers come and go all the time, and the few employees whose job requires them to lead volunteers are woefully overworked and underpaid. Recently staffing levels have been standardized across the nation based on population served and, I believe, on how common disaster are in a Region. I don’t know what else to say about that; I don’t believe most donors intend to support a lot of non-responding paid staff. (I do want my employee support replaced, please.)
The mission of the Red Cross, although it was changed somewhat a few years ago, remains supportable: The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. I’m good with it.
As an afterthought, I haven’t said anything about Gail McGovern. I don’t know her. I really don’t care about bosses. Once I have the direction I need, I’m pretty much done with them. I wish her, and all who love her, a long and happy life. The same is true for Richard Reed, although he seems to create more issues for my employee partners and he might benefit from a volunteer partner.
