American Red Cross

The American Red Cross may be one of the best-known brands in the country.

When tragedy strikes — like the tsunami in Asia, the destructive earthquakes in Haiti or home destruction by fire or flooding in U.S. cities — Americans are more than willing to make a donation.

What most of us don’t realize is that for the American Red Cross to be effective, it must have substantial resources ready 24/7, 365 days a year.

It can’t wait to prep emergency vehicles, order blankets and tents, and load medicines and bandages for delivery to a disaster zone in hours. And the cadre of staff and volunteers must be trained to go into action without missing a beat.

It takes money — and lots of it.

How IDEAS Helped

In recent years, the Red Cross had stopped asking people to support its good work here and abroad, except in times of crisis. Instead, the organization had grown to depend on corporate donors to underwrite its operating costs.

This is a picture diametrically opposed to how every other major U.S. charity raises funds. Most receive about 90% of their donations from people and only 10% from corporations.

In an effort to reverse this trend, the Red Cross decided to retool and rebrand its Clara Barton Society, named after the organization’s founder.

To that end, IDEAS assisted Nicodemus Communications Group in the rebranding effort. The goal was to make the Clara Barton Society an elite giving level for major individual gifts.

We also helped create a two-day training program for staff and board members to roll out the new brand across the nation. We focused the program on how to better tell the Red Cross story and how to be more effective fundraisers.

The Clara Barton Society is now making a considerable difference in the American Red Cross’ overall funding picture. The initiative has already resulted in a number of significant donations to support the organization’s invaluable work.