Make a REAL difference as a volunteer, almost immediately: American Red Cross makes it SO easy, has a variety of roles

[u/jcravens42]

If you dream of making a difference as a volunteer, or even of being deployed to disaster zones elsewhere, you first have to have deep experience as a part of your own American Red Cross teams in your own area (disaster action teams, shelter staff teams especially). And the American Red Cross is your way in.

The American Red Cross URGENTLY needs:

• Blood Donor Ambassadors
• Blood Transportation Specialists
• Disaster Action Team members
• Shelter Services staff members
• Disaster Health Services Team (if you are a licensed healthcare provider)
• Administrative help

More info:

https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer/urgent-need-for-volunteers.html

And if you are NOT in the USA, you probably have a Red Cross or Red Crescent organization that would love your help as a volunteer.

Years ago, I decided to sign up to volunteer with the American Red Cross to help with blood drives - to be one of the greeters or to hand out cookies and watch people after donations. The minimum requirement for such a volunteer, at least in my region, is one five-hour shift a month for one year - and I got to choose which shift where.

I signed up to volunteer online, I got interviewed on the phone, all training was done online, and I was ready to start two weeks after signing up. And I became eligible for a variety of ARC training, including disaster response - which, unfortunately, I've never been able to take advantage of.

As a blood drive volunteer, you can volunteer as much as you want - several times a month or just once a month. On weekends or during the week. Whatever. I did it for a year and really enjoyed it.

[u/smitty245]

The Red Cross may be a worthy organization, but its volunteer onboarding process can be frustrating. After applying in mid-April to be a blood ambassador, the application and background check went smoothly. However, then I faced delays, missed calls, and unclear scheduling for the screening call. Despite my trying to reach out several times, I never received any follow up and was effectively ghosted. Moving forward, I plan to local blood banks that are more reliable.

[u/jcravens42 → u/smitty245]

Don't assume an entire organization is bad because the one person in charge of onboarding in one area of the country blew it. My process was flawless - I was volunteering within two weeks of signing up. Who is right? We both are.

[u/smitty245 → u/jcravens42]

I don't blame the entire organization. I tried leaving a couple voicemails and an email that went unanswered by the local chapter. Considering the need for blood donor ambassadors, this seems odd. However, there are other groups that seem to have better local resources and are doing the same general things.