THE RED CROSS SCAM

Big business, farmerman. I can't tell you how many of these organizations repeatedly call me for donations. Even the Salvation Army has become a business. I'm with you. Give what you can where it's most needed.

we expect better from these institutions, but, I guess, they have their scalawags also

Local blood banks are almost always better. The blood stays in the communtiy and they usually charge less.

But you have to remember, the people working for the Red Cross have to make a living. I dont think that the Red Cross is exactly raking in profits, and they do help around the world in every disaster situation.

rC has one of the highest overheads as presented in Time or Newsweek after 9/11

Check this out:

http://www.give.org/reports/arc.asp

Thanks, Phoenix. I need to digest that article. I sorta got peeved when Elizabeth Dole became president of the Red Cross and commanded a large salary. When it was disclosed that The United Way's chief executive, was at the center of a scandal, I begin to become more cynical about these national fund raising groups:

http://www.etherzone.com/2003/lang082903.shtml

(Is A2K a little slow today?)

I once worked for a national charity organization, which i will not name for sake of the web site. They were greedy and venal; those whom they helped were a commodity to which they could refer to demonstrate their contribution to the community. I worked in their family shelter. We provided housing for homeless families, and furnished the apartments, and brought food, on the understanding that the family would put their paycheck or welfare check aside for three to four months, and then use the savings to get set up in a new home.

The money which paid for the apartments came from the city's largest charitable foundation. Although this organization was the largest collector of donations in the city, from clothing to household goods to furniture and even including automobiles, the furnishings of the apartment were obtained on vouchers from the Salvation Army. Even though this organization ran more than a dozen thrift shops, i would take the client families to Lutheran Social Services with vouchers to obtain donated clothing for them. Catholic Social Services provided emergency shelter for families with a sole, female parent present, and long term housing for women from abusive situations. Otherwise, emergency housing was obtained by using vouchers issued by FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency). The food came from the local Baptist churches and the Mid-Ohio Food Bank, and from a little old lady who drove to every grocery store in town three times a week to collect the unsold baked goods.

Apart from the salaries of an understaffed, overworked staff in the family shelter program (50% of the salary money came from FEMA subsidy), this organization paid not one red cent for the operation of the program. The very vehicles we drove were donated vehicles, and the gasoline we obtained on voucher from a local chain that donated fuel to charitable organizations. Nevertheless, this group preened themselves as the "biggest helping hand" (actual langauge of one brochure) in the region's family shelter provider network. I kept a Callvac directory (Callvac was a clearing house for charitable resources) at hand at all times, because it was the fastest way to help out the clients. The organization raked in large donations on the basis of their image as the workhorse of the family shelter programs in the region, and, after generous salaries and benefits to the man and woman (married couple) who were directors, the bulk of the money was sent on to national headquarters. The two were also grooming themselves for promotion.

I no longer trust any charitable organization which is not soley based in the area it serves, and keeps its books open to public scrutiny.

Letty- It was, about an hour ago. I went about my business, doing other things, and it seems to be OK now!

BTW, you can get reports about many charities from the page that I posted.

Useful info, Setanta.