The American Red Cross: An Agency Profile

            One of the major activities of the American Red Cross is the maintenance of a safe blood supply in the event of emergency need.  There are 35 American Red Cross blood services regions in the United States.  These regions are responsible for recruiting blood donors, collecting blood, shipping it to one of five national testing labs, and then providing it to hospitals as needed. 

            The American Red Cross is a non-profit organization.  Although it is chartered by Congress, the Red Cross is not considered a federal agency and does not receive federal funding.  Therefore, the Red Cross must finance its own operations.  The organization subsists largely on the efforts of a massive corps of volunteers.  The Red Cross itself estimates that one out of every 43 Americans is a Red Cross volunteer, either as a blood donor, a charitable donor, or an unpaid service provider.  Ninety-six percent of the national labor force of the Red Cross works on a volunteer basis: The Red Cross employs 30,000 paid workers, compared to 900,000 volunteers.

            Forty-five percent of the nation’s blood supply is provided by the American Red Cross, and this blood is obtained from healthy volunteers through blood drives.  To help fund its operations, the Red Cross  charges for blood products as a means of recovering the costs it incurs in supplying the nation’s blood banks.  In addition to these cost recovery measures, the agency relies heavily on fundraising activities to encourage individual Americans and corporations to make financial donations    

            Every year, the Red Cross National Headquarters issues an annual report outlining its general financial position and files a tax return as an exempt non-profit organization.  Starting in 2007, the Ombudsman’s Office also issues an annual report.  In addition, each local Red Cross chapter is required to issue its own annual report setting forth its financial position, including assets, public support, revenue, expenses, and losses. 

            The American Red Cross, through its local chapters, and regional service divisions, provides five main types of services: Blood Services, Health and Safety Services, Disaster Services, Armed Forces Emergency Services, and International Services.  Blood Services involve the collection, testing, storing, and provision of blood to hospital blood banks throughout the country.  Health and Safety Services involve increasing individual awareness of and preparedness for potential disasters and educating the public to better handle emergencies by providing classes in CPR, first aid, aquatics, and other forms of training.  More than 12 million people per year sign up for the Red Cross’s Health and Safety classes.              Disaster Services involves the immediate response of the Red Cross to disasters, both manmade and natural, by providing food, shelter, medical treatment, and mental health support as needed.  It is estimated that local chapters of the American Red Cross respond annually to more than 70,000 disasters of different types and different levels of severity.  

            Armed Forces Emergency Services involve enabling communications to and from members of the armed forces during emergencies, providing support and information to military families, and referring military personnel and their families to appropriate local resources.  International Services involve disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; disease prevention, international family tracing, and dissemination of humanitarian law.  International programs sponsored and administrated by the American Red Cross include: the Measles Initiative, the Malaria Prevention Program, HIV/AIDS Programs, and the Tsunami Recovery Program.  More information about the American Red Cross can be found at its website, www.redcross.org.