We gave money to the Red Cross to help with Katrina and the tsunami;

[question everything]

I used to be a blood donor, and even now we get requests for donations to the Red Cross.

Thus it is disheartening to read that the Red Cross has to pay $15 millions in fine for blood safety violations.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4364068.html

Is this where our contributions are going? To pay the fines?

[WCGreen]

1. And they refused a million dollar donation from the Dixie Chicks...

Plus, they unleashed that vapid vamp from the Carolina, Liddy Dole...

I look elsewhere to donate...

[Maddy McCall]

2. Did you read the article you posted??

And I quote:

The Red Cross does not use donated money to pay fines, but instead relies on operating funds, according to the organization. Those include revenue from the sales of blood products.

The Red Cross provides more than 40 percent of the nation's blood supply, selling blood products to health facilities.

[question everything]

3. Emptying one pocket to fill the other

Operating funds are obviously used to pay staff and to support day to day operations. Thus, when those are dwindled because of the fines, donations would be used.

[Sydnie]

5. But, aren't the blood products they sell donated too?

thus, their operating costs are also the product of the SALE of something that was donated ... no?
:shrug:

[Warpy]

4. They sure didn't go where you intended them to

It was quite a scandal a year or so ago that the American Red Cross had been sitting on all that money donated for both disasters.

I always suggest giving to your LOCAL Red Cross, but the national organization has been a mess since Liddy Dole fucked it up.

If you want the biggest bang for your buck, the Salvation Army and Doctors Without Borders are two you might consider. They're favorites of mine.

[question everything]

6. Thank you. Just got a request from the Salvation Army

and am sending them a check today.