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American Red Cross

Is this your company?

Not in the spirit of Clara Barton - Fundraising Specialist American Red Cross Employee Review

2.0
1 Dec 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Name recognition/prestige of "the American Red Cross!" - Provides important services - 401(k) match up to 4% - Good health insurance options

Cons

- Does not embody its own principle of "Neutrality." Routinely takes positions that are highly political both internally and externally. Positions usually correspond with CNN headlines and Democrat talking points. Don't get me started on the diversity training. They say they value different perspectives but we all know what it is and is not acceptable to say in light of various current events and issues. - Cumbersome internal processes make it difficult to get anything done. A lot of "because we said so" rationale for things that do not make sense. Many unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. - Gives lip service to employee and volunteer satisfaction, but at the end of the day the takeaway is that any grievance should be ignored in light of "the mission." It would not be "the mission" if the CEO or other higher-ups were losing their jobs or being asked to do two or three people's jobs, as is routine for those in the lower echelons. Routine "Engage" surveys are extremely generic and there is no room to really explain your answers, and they task the lower level managers with improving the scores even when the problems do not lie with them. - Very little room for advancement. Only opportunity for advancement in most cases is to apply for a new job. There are few promotions as would be typical in another organization.

Explore other reviews about American Red Cross

5.0
14 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Friendly people and good work

Cons

No cons for this company

2.0
15 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You feel connected to a larger mission, and go to bed knowing you did good work. Most of the volunteers are amazing people. The job is a good stepping stone to other disaster management jobs elsewhere. PTO policy is generous and Healthcare is decent.

Cons

You are INCREDIBLY overworked and GROSSLY underpaid. You get zero work-life balance. Even when you're not on call, you'll still get tons of calls from volunteers with questions and concerns. If a volunteer is unavailable to respond to a fire call or tend to any other responsibility day or night, you're on deck. You're salaried, so there's no overtime pay. Your pay barely covers the basic cost of living in today's economy ($40k-$50k). Diversity is bottom heavy, meaning there are lots of employees of color in entry level or lower management roles, but beyond that there's a steep drop off. Most of the volunteers are great, but the Red Cross is so desperate to keep them, that poor behavior and language (racist/sexist/phobic) is not properly disciplined or responded to, if at all. Employee retention is poor, especially in the Disaster Specialist role, because they burn you out so quickly without decent pay.

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