Is the Red Cross a bad organisation to donate to?
Posted by TreadingThoughts@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 19 comments
Hi all,
As per the title. I'm not rich and I don't make mega donations or anything. But I have donated hundreds of £s to the BRC over the past few years.
Recently Valencia experienced their massive floods with many dead, and many missing. Lots of people lost everything and they need donations for food/clothes/medicines/cleaning supplies.
I am seeing hundreds of videos on social media popping up of people having to collect donations and distribute them themselves out of vans because of the awful organisation of the Red Cross (Cruz Roja) and how they are gatekeeping supplies rather than distributing them. There are videos that are saying that they are assuming the people in the area don't need water or whatever, and then when these individual volunteers go round it's apparent that that's not true - there are many asking for water or food. Individual voluteers are doing a better job than this massive organisation. There is also a sense that the supplies the Cruz Roja are giving/have amassed must be only such a small fraction of actual donations.
There is a sense in Spain that the money donated doesn't actually get to the people who need it, and that they are just very poorly organised.
Should we be donating to other organisations to support these crises?
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
Usually donate to DEC but they've not opened an appeal - UK government organised response. Red Cross is in a no win position - it is easy to administer aid to people genuinely in need in small numbers and such valued. But Red Cross is co-ordinating a massive roll-out and may be triaging.
Final_Flounder9849@reddit
DEC do not organise UK government responses.
DEC is a group of 15 charities who, because it’s easier sometimes, come together under one umbrella (DEC) in order to respond to extraordinary events.
The link to the UK government is that donations to the DEC are usually matched by the government.
However the funds raised by the DEC are used to cover the costs incurred by the member charities arising from providing support and materials etc to the DEC.
That’s not to say that they don’t do a fantastic job because they do. And the difference a DEC appeal can make to the monies raised is mind blowing but DEC is more a facilitating and coordinating mechanism than a means of providing direct assistance.
Also worth pointing out that the DEC has all running costs funded by the member organisations so each £1 donated goes in its entirety to member charities.
Members include:
Action Against Hunger
Actionaid
Age international
British Red Cross
CAFOD
Care
Christian Aid
Concern
International Rescue Committee
Islamic Relief
Oxfam
Plan Intl.
Save the Children
Tear Fund
and I think I’ve forgotten a couple but it’s been a while since I’ve worked in the charity sector.
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
Apologies - misunderstood. Because usually donated through the *.gov site or at ATM when prompted during transaction, I assumed government coordinated.
Final_Flounder9849@reddit
No worries! It’s just a bugbear of mine when folks misunderstand the in’s and out’s of how charities etc. are organised.
Be under no illusion though, DEC are great and having the members decide to launch an appeal is always a good thing for the end goal. It raises awareness and it raises funds so that they can do what needs to be done.
The protocol of ATM panels asking for donations, TV spots, press ads etc works and they’re all donated precisely because it’s a coalition of so many charities.
Timely_Egg_6827@reddit
Am surprised that one not raised for Valencia but suppose in discussions with the Spanish government
Final_Flounder9849@reddit
As odd as it sounds the need probably isn’t great enough to trigger a DEC appeal.
Clearly member organisations will be helping already as required by the charities that will be coordinating things locally but there is a reticence about pulling the trigger on a DEC appeal too frequently. They understandably want to avoid compassion fatigue.
GrandAsOwt@reddit
MSF is good, if you want to give to disaster relief. They’re independent from all political, economic and religious power and last time I checked a very large proportion of what they raise goes to where it’s needed, not to head office.
Final_Flounder9849@reddit
Red Cross is also scrupulously neutral. They take no monies from any national government as that would compromise their neutrality.
That neutrality is enshrined in law. It’s part of the Geneva Convention.
Final_Flounder9849@reddit
In each country the local Red Cross/Crescent can call upon other country Red Cross committees to help. British Red Cross specialises in logistics and also in things like cave rescues.
Money donated to the British Red Cross stays mainly in the UK with something like 60% staying here and 40% going to overseas emergencies/help.
There are also specific fundraising initiatives that happen from time to time where monies raised are ring-fenced for specific projects/issues.
BRC costs are quite low. Of each £1 donated in the UK, 21p is spent fundraising the next £1 and 14p goes on all staffing and support costs (so that’s IT, HR, management, finance and governance etc).
The Red Cross is scrupulously neutral in all matters. It cannot ever take sides. It will help everybody. That’s partly what sets it apart from other humanitarian aid and disaster response charities and means that it’s absolutely worth supporting.
RelativeMatter3@reddit
There’s a general belief that a heck of a lot of donated money goes on admin and overheads for the back office (CEO salaries) rather than to the actual intended end beneficiaries.
The only way to guarantee your money goes where it needs to is to buy what is needed and deliver it personally.
PetersMapProject@reddit
Personally I prefer to donate my money to an old guy doing laps around his garden rather than one of the more established organisations with experience and oversight.
BppnfvbanyOnxre@reddit
At least it won't be wasted on an indoor swimming pool for his daughter and a 100k salary.
CautiousCapsLock@reddit
This is one of those times I snorted into my coffee. Thank you 😆
Douglesfield_@reddit
Each country's Red Cross/Crescent organisation is it's own entity (there is a federation/committee that coordinates and upholds the values of the movement though).
The British Red Cross will have little to do with the Spanish one so any money given to the BRC will go to the BRC unless you give to a special fund.
I would advise against forming an opinion based on internet videos though, this was by all accounts an unprecedented disaster and they're doing their best under terrible circumstances.
True-Abalone-3380@reddit
As far as I know the British Red Cross is quite a decent charity and I think they are generally well thought of.
I wonder if some of what you are seeing is just showing the absolute chaos following a disaster. Remember often transport is difficult and there will be a lot of local issues making it difficult distributing aid in the immediate aftermath.
TreadingThoughts@reddit (OP)
That is what I thought too which is why I was so shocked to see what I was seeing.
Usually with big disasters they are in countries where I don't understand the language or the finer details of everythibg which is going on. This is probably the first experience where I have had a good understanding of the aftermath of a natural disaster/crisis.
practicalcabinet@reddit
It's important to note that all of the individual Red Cross/Crescent organisations in different countries are separate, so there's a good chance the British Red Cross have an entirely different organisational structure to their Spanish counterparts.
The charity commission in the UK has financial data on most charities, this is the information on the British Red Cross: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/220949
I've never had any experience of them myself, though.
TreadingThoughts@reddit (OP)
This is really good to know. I didn't that they were completely different organisations. Gives me some more comfort!
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