A few weeks ago, I donated blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive here at NC State. It was the eighth annual blood drive at NC State, and the organization partnered with the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics, and Public Service (CSLEPS) to help put on such a large-scale event. 

I was unnerved for the first few minutes of the experience because it was my first time donating, and the large machines being used by the volunteers were a little intimidating, but my fear quickly turned to pride as I felt confident that the Red Cross (ARC) would use my blood to help those in need. That same confidence is what drives so many people to donate their time, effort, and blood to the Red Cross, so that they too can help communities in need.

However, for over a decade now, the Red Cross has come under intense scrutiny following several allegations regarding the true intentions of the organization. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, for example, the Louisiana attorney general launched an investigation into the ARC following several reports of the mishandling of the funds that the organization had received.

The organization claimed that they launched an internal investigation into the matter, and created new policy to prevent any future fraud. No doubt, the Red Cross knew that these kinds of allegations might cause potential donors to lose confidence in the organization.

The Blood Drive that I participated in last month was organized and well-staffed, and was ready to receive such a large group of donors. Afterwards, they informed me that I could download the Red Cross Blood Donor App to track my donation and see how it might be used. These factors made my experience at the drive very quick and pleasant.

Unfortunately, my experience might not be the same kind of experience that others have had, and it by no means negates the scrutiny they are under.

Most recently, ARC came under fire for their handling of Hurricane Harvey. Houston Councilman Dave Martin pleaded with the public, “I beg you not to send them a penny… They are the most inept, unorganized organization I’ve ever experienced.” Allegedly, the response from the American Red Cross to Hurricane Harvey was extremely delayed, with various supplies not reaching the impacted area until days later.

It is time to consider alternatives to the American Red Cross.

It is disheartening to know that there is a chance that vast amounts of funds and resources that ARC is receiving might be going to waste. When people donate blood, plasma, bone marrow and other types of their own bodily resources, they want to be sure that their donations are actually going to benefit people who need it.

To consider alternatives to the ARC, there are plenty of options out there, such as Team Rubicon and AmeriCares. 

Founded by U.S. military veterans, Team Rubicon seeks to carry out emergency aid with the precision and efficiency of soldiers. The 7-year-old organization is still hard at work today with the resources they can get, and are currently undergoing operation “Hard Hustle” to aid the victims of Hurricane Harvey.

AmeriCares provides disaster relief across the country and provides aid to those in need across the globe. AmeriCares is currently active in Texas and Florida, providing food, shelter and clean water to those impacted by the recent hurricanes. Besides this, they also run their own clinics and provide medicine and other goods and services to third-world countries.  

CSLEPS needs to start considering Team Rubicon, AmeriCares or some of the other viable options out there, at least until the Red Cross can get back on track.

Of course, the greatest weakness of aid organizations such as Team Rubicon and the greatest strength of the ARC are one and the same, aren’t they? Numbers.

An organization as massive and as established as the ARC towers over other emergency aid organizations in terms of publicity. And with publicity comes more volunteers and resources for the ARC. While the approach of an organization such as Team Rubicon is definitely helpful in handling disaster care, the truth is that they simply do not have the numbers that the Red Cross has. Moreover, although AmeriCares does have decades of experience and a greater amount of volunteers, it just does not have the brand recognition that ARC has.

According to Team Rubicon’s website, they currently have over 200 volunteers aiding the Houston area in their recovery from Hurricane Harvey. These numbers are impressive, especially for a younger organization, but they pale in comparison to the more than 3,200 workers reported by the ARC website to be currently actively helping with the recovery from Harvey.  

Because of this comparison, it is evident that the only way that another organization could ever have a chance to rise up to the level of the ARC is if they have great support and devotion from their current supporters.

One key to success for groups like Team Rubicon and AmeriCares is to hold drives similar to the way American Red Cross holds drives, on college campuses. One of the main reasons that ARC is so successful is that they hold drives at universities like NC State, where they can quickly get a large amount of blood and donations in a very short period of time.

Holding a drive at NC State and other similar universities across the country would really help get Team Rubicon’s name out, and bring in more volunteers and support.

We will see what the future has in store for the American Red Cross. We are currently in the middle of one of the strongest hurricane seasons that the country has ever seen, and blood donations will absolutely be crucial for the recovery of affected areas. This means that the spotlight will be on the Red Cross in the coming months, and the country will be watching to see how well the organization performs.

After each controversy that the organization faces, they claim to have found the issue internally and have vowed to fix the problem. I’ll believe it when I see it.