# Please share your beef with the Red Cross **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 4, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091 "2005-09-04T20:51:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/21 "2005-09-05T15:30:09Z")
More personal experience: After the Alaska earthquake of 1965, after people’s houses had slid into the ocean, power was off and the water lines were broken. The ARC came with trucks to sell blankets to people, and charged them for helping to recover personal belongings from their ruined homes. This left a very bitter taste for Alaskans, many of whom _still_ will not donate to the ARC. I didn’t until 9/11, and even then specified the fund it was to go to. We donated to the hurricane relief through them, as well, so maybe I’m over it. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/22 "2005-09-05T16:24:21Z")
The administrative costs, for sure. I know people who work in non-profit (though not for the ARC), and I don’t like the idea of my funds going to pay people to play on the Internet all day. I actually don’t donate money to ANY middleman non-profit because I can see how badly most of them are mismanaged. I hadn’t heard about the paying-for-rescue-supplies thing, but that’s just icing on the cake. Lousy capitalist philanthropists. I still donate blood through them, but that’s because you can’t use blood to pay people to go on convention-vacations in Mexico. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/23 "2005-09-05T16:39:40Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > More personal experience: > > After the Alaska earthquake of 1965, after people’s houses had slid into the ocean, power was off and the water lines were broken. The ARC came with trucks to sell blankets to people, and charged them for helping to recover personal belongings from their ruined homes. This left a very bitter taste for Alaskans, many of whom _still_ will not donate to the ARC. I didn’t until 9/11, and even then specified the fund it was to go to. We donated to the hurricane relief through them, as well, so maybe I’m over it. Sorry, that should read ‘1964’. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/24 "2005-09-05T17:31:19Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > Why do I dislike the Red Cross? This is why: > > My Uncle Bob was a POW in Japan for 3.5 years and was in the Bataan Death Marches. He was so thin when he came home his own mother (who was sent a telegram from the govt. telling her he was dead) didn’t even recognize him :eek: . He gets off the train and sees a table set up with coffee and doughnuts. Being that he is tired, very thin, and in uniform, he takes a cup of coffee and a doughnut from the table. At this point the Red Cross worker informs him that the coffee and doughnut will cost him 25 cents (keep in mind, this is 1945). My uncle proceeded to throw the coffee and doughnut back down on the table, tell the worker what she can do with the food and drink, walked over the Salvation Army table and gets the coffee and doughnut for free. > > IMHO, a supposedly charitable organization asking a soldier who was obviously a POW to pay for his refreshments after a long journey is just plain wrong. [About that.](http://www.greaterkzooredcross.org/News/Myths%20&%20Legends.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/25 "2005-09-05T18:23:45Z")
> [@1920s Style "Death Ray"](#): > > I hate to be one of these annoying “cite” people, but this sounds a bit urban-legendish, so…cite? I’m having trouble finding a specific cite on this, but I’ve read audits of noprofits, and auditors regularly ask for evidence that nonprofits spent restricted funds in the appropriate fashion. Google “Designated Gift” or “restricted gift” to see many different nonprofits explain their policies on such gifts. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/26 "2005-09-05T18:52:17Z")
I’ve noticed the anti-ARC sentiments here before, and never understood them – I’m grateful to the OP. I don’t know a lot about the Red Cross, or non-profits in general, but The following links might be helpful: [Better Business Bureau Assessment of the ARC](http://charityreports.give.org/Public/Report.aspx?CharityID=679) [Red Cross Tax Returns (and more) for the last 3 years](http://www.redcross.org/pubs/#report) ---
**Author:** ![mcott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@mcott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcott)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/27 "2005-09-05T19:09:34Z")
> [@StephenG](#): > > I’ve noticed the anti-ARC sentiments here before, and never understood them – I’m grateful to the OP. > > I don’t know a lot about the Red Cross, or non-profits in general, but The following links might be helpful: > > [Better Business Bureau Assessment of the ARC](http://charityreports.give.org/Public/Report.aspx?CharityID=679) > > [Red Cross Tax Returns (and more) for the last 3 years](http://www.redcross.org/pubs/#report) > [@The Report from your First Link](#): > > Chief Executive Officer: Marsha Johnson Evans , President and Chief Executive Officer > Compensation\*: $468,599 Something really rubs me the wrong way when a non profit that is supposed to be helping people deal with disasters, both big and small, doesn’t seem to have any problem with that kind of salary. Look at the other reports on the [give.org](http://give.org) site, and most of the others don’t make anywhere near that kind of coin. The most I’ve seen so far is aprox 190,000. Not to say that a CEO shouldn’t make good money, but almost half a million dollars just seems wrong in this case. If one goes by the other charities, that’s almost 300,000.00 that could have gone to people in need, instead of someone who obviously doesn’t need it. As to 9/11, read the book _[After: How America Confronted the September 12 Era](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0743237099/qid=1125947615/sr=1-6/ref=sr_1_6/104-0224856-5879905?v=glance&s=books)_ for an interesting look at how the Red Cross reacted to the event, and how the board screwed over former CEO Bernardine Healy when she wanted to segregate funds just for the 9/11 victims. The parts of the book which cover that don’t paint a pretty picture of the Red Cross. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/28 "2005-09-05T23:36:05Z")
I’m a little tired of defending the organization for which I’ve volunteered these last couple of years, mostly because it doesn’t really matter: People who dislike ARC will continue to do so no matter what. Blood services? People _within_ ARC think the policies are stupid but we’re hamstrung by FDA requirements and a permanent Federal injunction, a result of the 20+ year old HIV/AIDS/tainted blood scandal. Write your congressmen and get the law changed if you don’t like it. Selling coffee/donuts/cigarettes? ARC was ordered to do so then. Now? **All assistance is free**. All. No exceptions. High CEO salaries? Pales in comparison to the private sector. Considering the responsibilities the organization is charged with by Congress, half a million is getting off cheap. The fact of the matter is that the Red Cross was chartered by Congress to do this, and we’re good at it. As of this morning’s sitrep ARC has opened 487 shelters and evacuation centers housing 142,121 people and has served 3,359,703 meals and 3,931,128 snacks. No one else has those numbers. If you want to give to the Sally Anns or Noah’s Wish have at it - no skin off my nose - but not donating for spurious, outdated reasons is ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/29 "2005-09-06T01:18:44Z")
> [@chique](#): > > but not donating for spurious, outdated reasons is ignorant. So now I’m ignorant because of my reasons for not giving to the Red Cross? Resorting to name calling…_That’s_ really good PR there, **chique**. :rolleyes: Pardon me, I have to go donate some money to the Salvation Army. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/30 "2005-09-06T01:28:47Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > So now I’m ignorant because of my reasons for not giving to the Red Cross? Only if your reasons are outdated and spurious. > [@](#): > > Resorting to name calling…_That’s_ really good PR there, **chique**. :rolleyes: …which is why I do client services, not PR. It’s easier to deal with people up close and personal than write pretty press releases. > [@](#): > > Pardon me, I have to go donate some money to the Salvation Army. Thanks! Every bit helps. 🙂 All of the big groups work together, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/31 "2005-09-06T01:56:14Z")
Pay in the not-for-profit sector is lower than in the private sector as it is. It stings a bit that one’s money is paying for a CEO, but the truth is, these companies _need_ CEOs. If they don’t pay them a decent wage, they won’t get decent staff. Would you rather (hypothetically) the Red Cross CEO to be someone with little experience and education or one who has lots of experience and education? Because if you want the experienced one who will do a good job, you need to pay for it. Why would a person with 20 years experience take a job with the Red Cross if their wage would be equivalent to what they were on 10 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/32 "2005-09-06T03:47:42Z")
I have no feelings for the Red Cross one way or the other. But does anyone else in the world do what they do on such a large scale? It may not be fair to compare their adminstrative costs to those of other charities, because so few work on the scale they work on. It may be a matter of accepting some ineffeciency in exchange for the incredible amount of good they do, and not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. Again, I’m just speculating, as I know nothing of the organization. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/33 "2005-09-06T05:14:12Z")
I’m wondering: is 8-10% unusual overhead for charities? What do some of the other national (I’d imagine small local ones can do better) charities have as their overhead figure? If it’s the same ballpark; it’s hard to hold that against them. It sounds like the WWII donut story was not really ARC’s fault. What seems most disturbing now is **Chefguy** ’s account of charging for disaster services in Alaska. Can we get a cite on that? If it’s true, I can totally understand not donating to the Red Cross, and I might not donate to them in the future either. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/34 "2005-09-06T05:35:06Z")
> [@davenportavenger](#): > > The administrative costs, for sure. I know people who work in non-profit (though not for the ARC), and I don’t like the idea of my funds going to pay people to play on the Internet all day. I’ve got to say you’re painting with a broad brush here. I’ve worked for three non-profits in the last six years, and two were excellent organizations where the people truly accomplished a lot. One was not so good. I don’t think it’s non-profits as a class that don’t get anything done; I think it varies from organization to organization (just as with for-profits incidentally; case in point: I’m always amazed at how often my friends working for Electronic Arts get to go to some movie or other on company time & the company dime). ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/35 "2005-09-06T05:52:01Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > **GusNSpot** My **German** family sticks together and we take a while to forgive, let alone forget a wrong (especially when someone in the family has been wronged in such a grievous manner). We’re just that way. This explains a lot. My ex-husband has an irrational hatred of the Red Cross, also based on the “charging for donuts and coffee” thing from when his Dad was in the service (career military, not just during WWII) and no amount of new information or policy changes or explanation will change his mind. He is also half German, his mom being a former Luftwaffe nurse. As for me, I give to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) whose administrative costs are paid out of other funds…!00% of your donation goes to relief. But I used to donate blood to ARC, and plan to begin again now that I’ve lost weight and they can find my veins. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/36 "2005-09-06T08:33:01Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I’m having trouble finding a specific cite on this, but I’ve read audits of noprofits, and auditors regularly ask for evidence that nonprofits spent restricted funds in the appropriate fashion. Google “Designated Gift” or “restricted gift” to see many different nonprofits explain their policies on such gifts. > > Daniel Thanks. ( **DMark** too.) ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/37 "2005-09-06T10:02:04Z")
> [@chique](#): > > Only if your reasons are outdated and spurious Thank God I live in a country where I can have my reasons, no matter how “outdated” or “spurious” they are. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/38 "2005-09-06T14:52:35Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > I’ve got to say you’re painting with a broad brush here. I’ve worked for three non-profits in the last six years, and two were excellent organizations where the people truly accomplished a lot. One was not so good. I don’t think it’s non-profits as a class that don’t get anything done; I think it varies from organization to organization (just as with for-profits incidentally; case in point: I’m always amazed at how often my friends working for Electronic Arts get to go to some movie or other on company time & the company dime). All I know is, on another message board I post on there are at least five people who work for nonprofits and they all spend all day posting on said message board, working on outside writing projects, or gabbing with coworkers. Without knowing which nonprofits have a cushy setup like that, I’m forced to ignore all of them and offer help directly. Yeah, people posting on the Internet from work bother me just that much. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/39 "2005-09-06T15:03:45Z")
My friend and I went to volunteer yesterday and it was a clusterfuck of ineptitude. I don’t have anything against the Red Cross, but they are so incredibly unorganized in Indianapolis. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/40 "2005-09-06T15:32:40Z")
That’s interesting about writing designations on checks themselves - I’m assuming you mean on the memo line, not sure where else it would fit. I worked for a local United Way a few years ago, during the Boy Scouts brouhaha, and received a number of checks that said “Boy Scouts” on the memo line. Since I **was** the office at the time & had never been given any training on the subject, I just tossed the checks in the pile with the rest. Apparently I was breaking the law! I never suspected. However, I knew from donor feedback that an equal number of supporters held opposing views. And really, what the Board decided to give each group wouldn’t have been affected - we’d’ve just shifted money from another agency to make up the shortfall. I can’t recall the auditors saying anything about it one way or another. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091.md?page=3)