Cross the Red Cross Off My List!

Debby

Debby

Well-known Member
Location
East coast of Canada
https://www.propublica.org/article/...a-billion-dollars-for-haiti-and-built-6-homes

I'm just disgusted and I'll tell you why! Like many folks, I like to make charitable contributions once in a while because it makes me feel good to know that even in a little way, we're helping someone who really needs it. And because so many groups that are happy to take your donations spend so little of each dollar on their 'work', I've often donated to the Red Cross by default. After all, they're the Red Cross right?

But today that changes. I just read the above link (and the source seems pretty credible by the way) and have found out that out of all the money they raised on the backs of the Haitian people after that terrible earthquake, out of half a billion dollars, they've built six houses when their stated goal was apparently to build 700, complete with tiled floors, running water and indoor toilets. SIX! And apparently, they not only will not take the authors at the link above on a tour of their projects, but they won't even say where the hundreds of million dollars have gone. Although one individual who lives there is quoted in the article as saying that the ex-pat aid workers were very well paid.


The whole article is a scathing indictment of that operation and I will never send them a nickel again. If you want to help others by sending donations, I'd suggest that you read the linked article before you donate to the Red Cross. At least Doctors Without Borders is mentioned as a group that quit raising money on the Haiti earthquake once they reached their stated goal instead of using it ad nauseum to line the coffers. I have also read that Operation Smile is pretty good about using the donations to get maximum benefit. One site that I'd researched them on said the only complaint they had with Op.Smile was that they don't hold frequent enough board meetings.

Anyway, a heads up for those who are able to contribute to people in need.
 

Don't take this as any more than a question. Doesn't Canada have it's own red cross organization? Just curious why you would be giving to the ARC instead?
 
Are they different Red Crosses? Or just different arms of the same organization for tax purposes?

I was just reading this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter...vement#National_societies_within_the_Movement

to find out about your question and apparently the International Red Cross is like the head office and each country's Red Cross had to apply to them for approval and acceptance and the right to bear the name. So in essence, they are The Red Cross but operate within the constraints of their own countries laws.

I'm actually glad you asked Jim because I did look to see if Canada's Red Cross was there and came up with several articles that are similar to the following article titled 'Canada Did It Better: Scathing Report Accuses American Red Cross of Bungling $500 Million After Haiti Earthquake: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/c...-red-cross-of-bungling-500m-after-haiti-quake

So for all you Americans, think before you send to your Red Cross and I may dial back my anger just a tad (for the time being :)).
 

Debby, something to think about for sure. I've given a few times to Red Cross after certain natural disasters, but I'll have to think twice before I do it again. Susan B. Komen breast cancer is another suspect organization, which I will never donate to. Perhaps some of the better charity organizations are the Salvation Army, which I have give to in the past, or St. Jude, who offers children cancer treatment with no charge for the needy.


The American Red Cross
President and CEO Marsha J. Evans' salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses


MARCH OF DIMES
It is called the March of Dimes because only a dime for every 1 dollar is given to the needy.

The United Way
President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.

UNICEF
CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE.
Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause.

GOODWILL CEO and owner Mark Curran profits $2.3 million a year.
Goodwill is a very catchy name for his business.
You donate to his business and then he sells the items for PROFIT.
He pays nothing for his products and pays his workers minimum wage! Nice Guy.
$0.00 goes to help anyone! Stop giving to this man.

Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp#EYu83flC87IRqY3C.99
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Dame Warrigal said:
Perhaps the story is a bit skewed?

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/04/americas/american-red-cross-haiti-controversy-propublica-npr/
Click to expand...


Maybe, but when that journalist outfit asked for info and a tour of what they've done, apparently the request was refused. If you're so proud of the work you've done and people have donated money, you'd think they'd make sure to be totally transparent, including where the money went and to which local aid groups. And the article you linked to does say this:

'The news story relied on Red Cross internal documents, field reporting in Haiti and interviews with Haitian and former Red Cross officials, including the agency's former chief of the Haitian shelter program, Lee Malany.
Malany quit after agency officials "did not seem to have any idea how to spend millions of dollars set aside for housing," according to the outlets' report
and also this:

The Red Cross also declined repeatedly to disclose details on how exactly money was spent in Haiti and instead provided only broad categories of expenditures, despite a pledge by CEO Gail McGovern that her agency would "lead the effort in transparency," the news report said.
A CNN review of the Red Cross' tax filings from July 2010 to June 2014 shows no detailed expenditures for its numerous relief programs, including in Haiti.'

If this was any other group, wouldn't there be 'red flags going up everywhere'?
 
Yeah I've given to the Salvation Army too. I feel pretty comfortable with them as a group on the whole, but who knows, maybe we should check that organization out too via some rating agency. The older I get, the more cynical I become.

I just went back and reread your link notes SeaBreeze and now I'm even more disgusted! Thanks a lot! Pretty soon my only charitable contribution will be bags of dog food to a local shelter or maybe the area wildlife rehabber outfit! That Goodwill guy is too much! Imagine $2.3 billion dollar profit because 'we' donate all the stuff he sells AND he pays his employees only the minimum wage! Must be profitable when you have no soul.
 
Red Cross has been off my list for years. And after their "behavior" during our recent fire (s),forget them. People that wanted to help here and were collecting supplies,finally told Red Cross to go jump in the lake and just set up their own distribution stations. Hubby had the predident of the local red Cross as a customer last week and he said a bigger PITA he has never met. So I`m assuming that was who the locals have ben having to deal with. I love that they just bypassed her AND her organization! And yes,Salvation Army is great! For many reasons,not the least of which is that their CEO only has a salary of like $13,000 per year or some ridiculous amount. St. Jude is also a great one!
 
There is a British Red Cross shop here and I often give my old clothes to them, but only because it's the most convenient one to the supermarket. I've read that one of the ones that makes the best use of its donations is Oxfam. They use less of it for admin and more for those who need it.
 
Its pretty sad isn't it, that the list of people and organizations who help the needy and people in distress is so thin. Do you think they start out this way or is it the access to money, goods and power that corrupts them?
 
Debby said:
Its pretty sad isn't it, that the list of people and organizations who help the needy and people in distress is so thin. Do you think they start out this way or is it the access to money, goods and power that corrupts them?
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I started to mistrust charities more when I saw some of the vehicles they drove and the posh hotels and restaurants their staff used while we lived in Uganda. That is why instead of donating to the charities, we chose our own recipients - helping young people we knew go to school or university. Our 'Ugandan daughter' being the biggest recipient. We knew exactly where our money went and how it was spent.
 
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I've not donated to the Red Cross for several years now, in part because of my belief that not as much of their donations went into helping folks who truly needed it. Today I tend to focus on smaller, lesser known charities that I find through sites like Charity Navigator. There is a local charity here in my town that dispenses used goods to families who have nothing and you'd not believe the good work they do. They'll do appeals on Facebook for things like baby clothes, car seats, oversize winter jackets, etc. They're small, they're local and they help folks in need. I feel like my donations really help someone. With the Red Cross, United Way and others, you just feel like your donation goes into a black hole.
 
Ameriscot said:
There is a British Red Cross shop here and I often give my old clothes to them, but only because it's the most convenient one to the supermarket. I've read that one of the ones that makes the best use of its donations is Oxfam. They use less of it for admin and more for those who need it.
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The Red Cross has been on my "black list" since I was a young person and found out that the Red Cross wouldn't 'get around to' notifying my step-brother that his mother had died. He could've gotten off to fly back for the funeral, but they wouldn't notify him. He was in England, flying a bomber. He also said that when he flew medical evac in Korea, the Red Cross charged troops for donuts and coffee.

Yes, I donate monthly to Oxfam. They do superior work.

There are other resale shops, other than GoodWill or Sally's Army ... check out some of them.

And maybe do something else. Buy gift cards, $5 or $10 each, at a local supermarket. Hand them out to people as you meet someone you feel deserving.
 
Rocky said:
The Red Cross has been on my "black list" since I was a young person and found out that the Red Cross wouldn't 'get around to' notifying my step-brother that his mother had died. He could've gotten off to fly back for the funeral, but they wouldn't notify him. He was in England, flying a bomber. He also said that when he flew medical evac in Korea, the Red Cross charged troops for donuts and coffee.

Yes, I donate monthly to Oxfam. They do superior work.

There are other resale shops, other than GoodWill or Sally's Army ... check out some of them.

And maybe do something else. Buy gift cards, $5 or $10 each, at a local supermarket. Hand them out to people as you meet someone you feel deserving.
Click to expand...

In the UK I will shop at Cancer UK, British Heart Foundation, Barnardos (kids charity), and Oxfam. Those and the British Red Cross are the only ones in my area.
 
Ameriscot said:
I started to mistrust charities more when I saw some of the vehicles they drove and the posh hotels and restaurants their staff used while we lived in Uganda. That is why instead of donating to the charities, we chose our own recipients - helping young people we knew go to school or university. Our 'Ugandan daughter' being the biggest recipient. We knew exactly where our money went and how it was spent.
Click to expand...


That was a good idea for sure and I'm sure that you helped that young woman and her family very much by doing it that way. Good for you!
 
Red Cross has been off my list for many years ,They collected millions$$ during natural disasters ( bush fires) in South Aus last year and many of the people in need have not seen a cent
 
Debby said:
That was a good idea for sure and I'm sure that you helped that young woman and her family very much by doing it that way. Good for you!
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That was the best way to do it, but how many can actually do it that way? We got a 'daughter' out of the deal as she's been in our lives for about 6 years now. We helped a few others with school fees, but we sent daughter to university along with some sponsors I recruited from family and friends. She's become a remarkable woman and is working in Scotland in a religious community and we can visit her often.
 
We only give to Barnardos and the Salvation Army. you can't give to everything, so we chose these charities years ago.
 

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