This is part three in a series of interviews where our President and CEO Gail McGovern will answer some of your most frequently asked questions about our response and recovery efforts for survivors in Haiti.
For part 3, we’ve asked her if the American Red Cross plans on spending all the designated donations we received in Haiti? This conversation includes an explanation of our overhead costs.
We are proud of the fact that 91 cents of our donors’ dollars go to the people we serve and Haiti is no exception. The money people gave us for Haiti will be spent in Haiti. The 9 cents of every dollar is overhead and we are constantly looking for ways to be as efficient as possible so that we’re great stewards of our donors’ dollars.
Overhead consists of things like having a human resources department so we can attract and recruit the best people to respond to disaster operations. It includes things like our finance department so we have the right controls in place and the right tracking mechanisms to make sure all our donor dollars are being spent wisely. It includes things like our legal department so that the partnerships we get into to provide relief are the best partnerships and that our contracts are sound. That gives you a flavor for what some of the 9 cents is about.