I heard earlier on CNN today (bored with the FN loop) that the Red Cross had already received $485 million in pledges. They also stated that most of the money received would be going to help the Hurricane Katrina survivors, although between 8% and 9% would be used for "administrative costs."

Doing the math I figure that would come to between $38,800,000 and $43,650,000. For "administrative costs?" And that figure can only go up.

I'm sorry, I gotta say that's BS.

Where's do you think that money is REALLY going?

As I understand it, "administrative costs" absorb more than 8-9% with the Red Cross.

And while I won't say that what they experienced was standard Red Cross policy, the one experience my parents had with the Red Cross in a disaster has put them off from ever donating to them.

Me too.  I gave to the Salvation Army.  

Quoted: I gave to the Salvation Army.

Ditto

I don't think they are "crooked" as much as they are disorganized and maybe more importantly, disillusioned as to their ability to "save the world."


Oh, I won't donate to the RC either.  

I WILL however donate some goods or cash directly into the hands of some truly needy and appreciative person/family (and have done so here in Houston).

CMOS

They keep some money to cover costs now and in the future when donations might be leaner. Instead of relying on false corruption charges how about you just look at their website and read their annual report. Not really all that difficult.

ALL charities take a % of donations to fund their operations, otherwise they wouldn't exist. Many charities use 20 to 30%.

Their financials are audited by the US Army every year and by KPMG.

Salvation Army for me. I saw that at the Great Western Gunshow, Pomona Calif(20 miles east of Los Angeles) before the L.A. County Board of Supervisors put the Show out of business.

I don't know about being crooked, but I remember something a Navy corpsman once told me at a blood drive on post. The Red Cross can raid the military blood banks at will (yes, I believe the military maintains its own stock of blood), but if the military needed blood from the RC it can BUY it.

Don't know how much truth there is to that story, but I make it a point to donate directly to the military whenever I'm on post.

Jeez, dont you remember 9/11?

Red Cross does good works but it's a huge organization with limited accountability.

yep

i still remember them milking off donations after 9-11--spending it on other stuff

I didn't catch it all on FOX News but they were saying that any money donated to the United Way for the victims of Katrina would first go to the cost of re-building the infrastructure of the United Way in the affected area.  They said this would be repairing United Way buildings, replacing their destroyed real property (vehicles etc.) before one dime would go to the victims in any way.

Quoted: Quoted: yep i still remember them milking off donations after 9-11--spending it on other stuff That's what I was going to mention.  They had a huge public relations nightmare following the fantastically large amount of money donated post-9/11--and not passed on to the victims and families (so soon everyone seems to forget).  They crawfished and said they needed it for "ongoing expenses" and such.  Pack of thieves--same as all charities. I donate blood to them--that is a little harder to steal.

No, they don't steal it, but at the prices they charge for it to hospitals, they are making a large profit off of it (whole blood, plasma, clotting compounds, and everything else they can get out of it).  When I was able to I donated blood to the Red Cross but don't think for a minute that they give that to hospitals at cost for people who need it.  They squeeze every dime they can get out of every drop of blood they drain from you.  

You would probably be doing more good by selling you blood at a place that pays you.  Of course, probably a bunch of undesirable people in those places.

ARC is a massive bureaucracy which is so amazingly enamored with itself to the total detriment of their stated mission, and so inflexible that it puts the govenment to shame.  I will not donate a dime to them (and I used to volunteer).

I dont like the Red Cross WHAT-SO-EVER. After I heard a veterin from WWII tell me this story about the RedCross, i will never forgive or give to them. What he said was that when he was wounded in the pacific, the redcross gave all the servicemen at the hospital "free" care packages (toothbrush, bandaids, deodorant, ect) when they left the hospital to return to action, or back home. Except, when his time was up to get out of the service, they made him pay for the "Free" Carepackage before he got out of the navy. This may not seem like much, but they screwed over thousands of veterins out of their HARD EARNED money. Can you imagin that? These young men fighting and DIEING for YOUR fucking freedom, and they have the balls to CHARGE THEM for band-aids to help wounds recieved in combat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.  Fuck em.

Quoted: Quoted: You would probably be doing more good by selling you blood at a place that pays you.  Of course, probably a bunch of undesirable people in those places. There's no such thing here--and I think they actually made it illegal to pay money for blood in Illinois.  I'm not positive of that though.  I live in a town of 80,000 and the RC is the only game--so I figure if people need it (obviously), and I have it (along with perfect health) then it's best to donate it, even if the leeches sucking it make out fat on it.  Not exactly a win-win, but still the right thing to do.

Some have posted that military bases have blood donation centers in which  the blood is used for the military troops in combat areas.  Don't know if that is true though.

Quoted: Quoted: Some have posted that military bases have blood donation centers in which  the blood is used for the military troops in combat areas.  Don't know if that is true though. I would do that in a heartbeat--but it's a three hour drive to either one--Great Lakes or Scott.  Not feasible, as I have to blow off work to do it as it is.

Go to the local VA hospitol and donate blood there

Crooked? I don't know.

Too much overhead/administration?...a BIG yes.

Quoted: They keep some money to cover costs now and in the future when donations might be leaner. Instead of relying on false corruption charges how about you just look at their website and read their annual report. Not really all that difficult. ALL charities take a % of donations to fund their operations, otherwise they wouldn't exist. Many charities use 20 to 30%. Their financials are audited by the US Army every year and by KPMG.

HA !  Bet THAT worked out well for them !  

damn..............all you critics sure do piss alot.  why not start your own charity where everyone donates their own time and no one gets paid.  That's what is sounds like you want.  You can start it and "hire" a bunch of dumbasses who work for nothing and do everything for free.  Do you donate 40 hours a week to charity?  Of course we'd all like our donations to go directly to help the needy, but let's get a reality check here.  Someone has to make it happen, and they need to be paid.  

Quoted: I dont like the Red Cross WHAT-SO-EVER. After I heard a veterin from WWII tell me this story about the RedCross, i will never forgive or give to them. What he said was that when he was wounded in the pacific, the redcross gave all the servicemen at the hospital "free" care packages (toothbrush, bandaids, deodorant, ect) when they left the hospital to return to action, or back home. Except, when his time was up to get out of the service, they made him pay for the "Free" Carepackage before he got out of the navy. This may not seem like much, but they screwed over thousands of veterins out of their HARD EARNED money. Can you imagin that? These young men fighting and DIEING for YOUR fucking freedom, and they have the balls to CHARGE THEM for band-aids to help wounds recieved in combat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.  Fuck em.

My Dad told me a similar story of his experience with the Red Cross in WWII.  They'd have the mess hall make up a bunch of donuts and coffee, as well as gather as much coca-cola they could find on base.

They'd then setup a tent on the edge of the airstrip and SELL the donuts, coffee and coke to GI's as they got off the planes. Coke was a luxury item back then, and not readily available, so there was always a demand for it. They would get the base to close the REC centers, so that the only place to get the Coke was to buy it from the RC tents. Then, to have it served by females, to guys coming straight off the line...  He said some of the women also did 'personal favors' for 'donations'.  Apparently it was quite the money making scam. USN supplies, prepared by USN personnel and sold for personal profit by RC workers. What really pissed him off was the times he'd go to the Western Union office to wire his $20/mo home to his mother, he'd run into these same Red Cross women sending their hundreds of $$ home.

As a kid, he would never let me donate anything to the Red Cross. Even in elementary school, the RC had a donation program where if you donated 10 cents to them, they'd give you a little tin Red Cross button that you'd wrap over your shirt collar. It was a huge campaign in the 60's. Entire schools would get a certificate of appreciation if they had 100% participation. Dad wouldn't give me the 10 cents to donate. It really upset me that I was the only one in my class not to have donated, at least until I was old enough to understand.

When 9/11 occurred, Dad just sat there watching TV and would say "some things never change", "60 years and they're still crooks", "now you know why I hate the Red Cross", etc. There isn't much that gets him upset, but bring up the RC and be prepared to take cover.

The RC takles in a lot of money, and it's administrators pay themselves well.  I know that, when I was in a military hospital, the Salvation Army is who showed up.

Quoted: damn..............all you critics sure do piss alot.  why not start your own charity where everyone donates their own time and no one gets paid.  That's what is sounds like you want.  You can start it and "hire" a bunch of dumbasses who work for nothing and do everything for free.  Do you donate 40 hours a week to charity?  Of course we'd all like our donations to go directly to help the needy, but let's get a reality check here.  Someone has to make it happen, and they need to be paid.

Hey, a Red Cross apologist....

Personally, I say f*ck the Red Cross, I have heard too many bad stories, I won't give them a penny.

And yes, I do think they are crooked (the organization at least, not the volunteers)

It's better than average but IMHO all charities that exist to serve the highly paid executives working for them are scam.