# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/41 "2005-09-06T17:02:57Z")
A year ago I got up and walked out of a blood donation site. There were about 15 us who had answered the questions and were waiting to have our blood pressure, temps taken, that whole routine. Of the five people on staff, one was on a cell phone, one was on break eating a donut reading a book, one was unpacking and putting together the kits of the bags the blood flows into. One more was doing paperwork. The fifth went outside and was gone for 10 minutes when I finally got up to leave. I knew one other person who was waiting the whole time I was, he got up and left too, as did a few others. Why was I mad? There was NOBODY on any of the cots currently donating. A line of people sitting there waiting for what? I was there 45 minutes, I’ve been in and out in 45 minutes. If there was a line of people waiting for room to clear on the cots I’d have been happy to wait. I got home and started making phone calls. I reached a regional supervisor who said he would looking into it and call me back. Yeah right. Since then I have donated blood again but that level of poor time management pissed me off for people who do this every day. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/42 "2005-09-06T17:47:01Z")
I used to donate $25 each month to the Red Cross. When I finally got around to reading the receipt, I found that they had a suggested next donation of 10 times that amount. And they had a suggested date when I should donate. It torked me off. It felt like a bill and that they felt I owed them. They had an easy 300 a year if they had just said thanks, and eventually twice that, as I now give 600 to another charity. Bottom line, I didn’t like the attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/43 "2005-09-06T18:35:49Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > 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. I think you are right. This past Sunday a local charity came to our church and asked for volunteers to help with the hurricane evacuees who are coming to our area. She was not with the Red Cross but she stressed that they and other local charities were being organized by the Red Cross and they were the ones in charge of the whole shebang. Most smaller organizations just do not have the resources to undertake something like this and look to the Red Cross for direction. I would imagine their overhead would be higher and I would be willing to donate money to their administrative costs since quality leaders and employees means better aid to people who need it. I don’t think $400,000 is exceptionally high for the CEO, that is a position that needs someone highly experienced and competent and I don’t think that many people would be fighting for that job if it paid $100,000. I am sure that the CEO could be making a lot more money as a CEO elsewhere and when you are considering taking a position of leadership at the Red Cross I really doubt that “for the money” is one of your top reasons. I don’t doubt that there are areas of wastefullness and such but they are highly scrutenized and as others have pointed out, they make changes when things do come up. I give money to them because I am confident that they do a lot of good, and I give to other charities as well that are more localized. Both are necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/44 "2005-09-06T19:07:40Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > My cousin’s husband Mike (who is large) flies quite a bit on business. While waiting for a flight, Mike saw a guy who was just as large, if not larger. They got to talking about how uncomfortable the seats are. At this point, the other guy (who was traveling on Red Cross business) bragged that the RC buys him two seats so he can be comfortable. The guy was flying **FIRST CLASS**. In addition to that, the guy was bringing his dog (not a service animal) along simply because he wanted to travel with his dog. The RC paid for the 2 First Class seats, plus the animal in the cargo hold. > > This is where my money would go? So the entire ARC is representative of this one fat jerk? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/45 "2005-09-06T19:42:36Z")
> [@Knowed Out](#): > > So the entire ARC is representative of this one fat jerk? :rolleyes: Well, that’s just as good as the reference to their high overhead, which is actually quite low. People are willing to believe whatever they’re told, so long as it doesn’t come with evidence from a reliable source. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/46 "2005-09-07T01:35:22Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > Pardon me, I have to go donate some money to the Salvation Army. So…how much did you send them? ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/47 "2005-09-07T09:19:45Z")
> [@](#): > > So the entire ARC is representative of this one fat jerk? It’s not the fat jerk, it’s the fact that the RC, a nonprofit organization, would even entertain the notion of sending a representative First Class. The money they could have saved if the guy had flown COACH could have gone to someone a lot more deserving. The fact that they are flying someone First Class and not sending that money to people who desperately need it says a LOT about the organization, IMHO. > [@](#): > > ]People are willing to believe whatever they’re told, so long as it doesn’t come with evidence from a reliable source. My cousin is a reliable source. > [@](#): > > So…how much did you send them? I don’t make it a practice to announce how much I donate to an organization. I believe that is personal-between me, the organization, and God. As I have stated before, thank God we live in a country where we have the right to disagree. I don’t want to turn this into a hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/48 "2005-09-07T11:48:23Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > As I have stated before, thank God we live in a country where we have the right to disagree. I don’t want to turn this into a hijack. As opposed to the many countries in which you’re not allowed to disagree with people on message boards? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/49 "2005-09-08T01:58:08Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > As opposed to the many countries in which you’re not allowed to disagree with people on message boards? :rolleyes: All I’m saying is thank God we have the right to agree to disagree. Some people in other countries don’t have that luxury. If you disagree or seen as a “problem”, you’re cut off from society by either jail or death. It is obvious that **chique** and others have their opinion, and I have mine. I am willing to respect their opinion (even though it is different from mine) and _move on_. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/50 "2005-09-08T02:25:37Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > All I’m saying is thank God we have the right to agree to disagree. Some people in other countries don’t have that luxury. If you disagree or seen as a “problem”, you’re cut off from society by either jail or death. > > It is obvious that **chique** and others have their opinion, and I have mine. I am willing to respect their opinion (even though it is different from mine) and _move on_. I can’t imagine what possible relevance you think your “right to disagree” has. ---
**Author:** ![Etherman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Etherman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Etherman)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/51 "2005-09-08T07:35:09Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > I can’t imagine what possible relevance you think your “right to disagree” has. Keep in mind that this is a person who said upthread that “Uncle Bob said so 60 years ago, so they must be evil” is a good reason to hate, even when presented evidence that things are not as they wish to believe. I have no doubt that ARC has high administrative numbers. I would like to see a comparison between the admin costs of the ARC, and a comparably staffed for-profit. That to me would be more meaningful. Sure ARC pays more than my local homeless shelter for admin costs, and they have a lot more volunteers. And we are seeing, in the aftermath, where one administration is working, and one has failed badly. Who is earning thier paycheck? Admining that many people has costs, in communications, in facilities, in office supplies, etc. more people mean more admin costs. ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/52 "2005-09-08T09:13:23Z")
> [@Etherman](#): > > Keep in mind that this is a person who said upthread that “Uncle Bob said so 60 years ago, so they must be evil” is a good reason to hate, even when presented evidence that things are not as they wish to believe. I never said I hated the ARC. I just don’t like them. The title of this thread is _Please share your beef with the Red Cross_ NOT _Change people’s mind about the Red Cross_. I’ll say it one more time: I am willing to **respect** an opinion that differs from mine simply because we live in this beautiful land called America. The question is \*\* are some of you willing to do the same\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/53 "2005-09-08T14:39:55Z")
My personal Red Cross story: About a year and a half ago my apartment caught fire. My apartment was uninhabitable. Someone contacted the Red Cross. A representative came and gave me a toiletry kit and money for food and clothing. It wasn’t an extravagant amount, but it was something, and it was free. So if some of you want to use anecdotes to bash the Red Cross, I’ll use mine to praise them. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/54 "2005-09-08T18:12:25Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > I never said I hated the ARC. I just don’t like them. The title of this thread is _Please share your beef with the Red Cross_ NOT _Change people’s mind about the Red Cross_. > > I’ll say it one more time: I am willing to **respect** an opinion that differs from mine simply because we live in this beautiful land called America. The question is \*\* are some of you willing to do the same\*\*. You know what opinions are like, right? Every now and again an “I hate the Red Cross” post or thread shows up and it’s always the same shit - blood policy, something the organization did 60 or 30 or 15 years ago, the CEO’s salary, fundraising practices (which are industry wide, **Khadaji** , by the way), or something stupid one individual employee or volunteer did. It’s stupid and I’m tired of it. Not the opinions - those come from ignorance. Continuing to belive the same damn thing after the real story is pointed out, though? That’s stupidity. > [@Etherman](#): > > I would like to see a comparison between the admin costs of the ARC, and a comparably staffed for-profit. That to me would be more meaningful. Sure ARC pays more than my local homeless shelter for admin costs, and they have a lot more volunteers. I don’t know how easy that would be to do. The Red Cross has around 35,000 paid employees and more than 1,000,000 volunteers. Some volunteers work 40 hours a week and some work 2 hours a year. And ARC doesn’t really produce anything tangible except for paperwork. I’d like to see a comparison, too, if someone who knows business could do the numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/55 "2005-09-08T18:39:07Z")
> [@chique](#): > > \, fundraising practices (which are industry wide, **Khadaji** , by the way), or something stupid one individual employee or volunteer did. It’s stupid and I’m tired of it. Not the opinions - those come from ignorance. Continuing to belive the same damn thing after the real story is pointed out, though? That’s stupidity. ::YAWN:: The OP asked for us to share our beef with the Red Cross. This is what we did. If you want a debate, start one in Great Debates. BTW, the charity that I currently donate to DOES NOT practice fundraising that way. If they did, I would stop sending to them as well. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/56 "2005-09-08T19:08:40Z")
> [@Carm6773](#): > > My cousin is a reliable source. And that guy would _never_ lie to Mike. I always trust strangers. Why, I’ll have you know that the Salvation Army pays me $180,000 a year and I really only work 5 hours a week. And I get all the free donuts I want. And they kill kittens once a month at company BBQs for the fun of it. Thanks for your donation. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/57 "2005-09-09T15:19:34Z")
We know the ARC has administrative/fundraising costs of about 10% of their total budget, does anyone want to post the same percentage for some other national charities to compare? ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/58 "2005-09-10T01:52:56Z")
> [@chique](#): > > Every now and again an “I hate the Red Cross” post or thread shows up and it’s always the same shit - blood policy, something the organization did 60 or 30 or 15 years ago, the CEO’s salary, fundraising practices (which are industry wide, **Khadaji** , by the way), or something stupid one individual employee or volunteer did. It’s stupid and I’m tired of it. Not the opinions - those come from ignorance. Continuing to belive the same damn thing after the real story is pointed out, though? That’s stupidity. So much for **respecting** others’ opinions. :rolleyes: In all of this, I have never said you were “ignorant” or “stupid” because of your beliefs. Yet you have practiced this character assasination on me at least twice. I even gave you a few subtle hints that even though I may not agree with your opinion, this is America, and you are entitled to yours just as much as I am entitled to mine. You persisted on trying to change my mind. Insisting on pushing your opinions on someone else is **IGNORANCE** of basic American rights. This is supposed to make me **respect** the organization that you are defending? On the contrary, it makes me dislike it even more. Who looks **STUPID** now? > [@Khadaji](#): > > ::YAWN:: The OP asked for us to share our beef with the Red Cross. This is what we did. If you want a debate, start one in Great Debates. **Thank you!** I will not be participating, because I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person. ---
**Author:** ![Carm6773](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2bfe46/32.png) [@Carm6773](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carm6773)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/59 "2005-09-10T01:54:36Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > We know the ARC has administrative/fundraising costs of about 10% of their total budget We do? Cite? ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091/60 "2005-09-10T02:30:57Z")
You could try looking at the cites earlier in the thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-share-your-beef-with-the-red-cross/320091.md?page=4)