Red Cross Leaders Talk About Big Changes

By Desiree Parker Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Red Cross' recent major reorganization across the region will bring better service to everyone who needs it, according to Red Cross leaders.

The Red Cross recently announced a consolidation of eight Virginia chapters into a newly formed American Red Cross Coastal Virginia Region. This new regional group serves 1.8 million people in 31 Southeastern Virginia communities, including Williamsburg, James City County and York County. The reorganization meant changing responsibilities for staff members and a new organizational structure, the consolidation to one budget (versus several chapter budgets) and the elimination of a few positions. Local offices will remain open and all Red Cross services will still be available.

WYDaily met with the new Regional Chief Executive Officer for the Coastal Virginia Region, Cindy Jackson, and the new Executive Director for the Historic Triangle, Middle Peninsula and Poquoson, Alysia Alister, to talk about what these changes mean for local residents and for the region.

Jackson, who started planning the changes in February, explained, “We are all now working together as a team in the region, instead of eight loosely affiliated chapters doing things on their own."

During the reorganization, some of the larger Red Cross chapters such as those in Hampton and Norfolk have downsized and many administrative functions were centralized, according to Jackson. Overall, just five currently filled positions were eliminated, but some smaller chapters gained staff.

Several staff now work on a regional level and can travel to various areas, and local chapters are coordinated by fewer executive directors who have broader jurisdictions.

The “new executive directors can focus more on fundraising, building partnerships and building community awareness now,” said Alister, who is now one of the new directors. The changes mean that “we’re sure now that services are met, and we’re able to be in the field more… and we are focusing on long-term giving and getting [other] organizations more engaged.”

The Red Cross serves communities by offering disaster relief, helping the needy, offering support for the military and their families, helping to collect and distribute blood and offering educational programs that promote health and safety.

The restructuring was needed in part because “there were some inconsistencies in service,” according to Jackson. “This [new structure] will build capacity and allow us to give more consistent service, which is what people expect from the Red Cross.”

All staff members had to re-apply for their former positions or for new positions because the organizational structure had changed so much, Jackson said. Alister, who decided to apply for her new position and shift from her former responsibilities, said, “this was great, because it allowed us to show where our strengths and weaknesses were.”

Locally, Alister replaced the executive directors of the Colonial Virginia Chapter and the York-Poquoson Chapter. Carolyn Latoski, the former director for the Colonial Virginia Chapter, retired after 48 years in the position. Carol Scott, the former director for the York-Poquoson Chapter, retired after 24 years.

Another problem the reorganization will help fix is uneven funding levels for the former individual chapters. The Colonial Virginia Chapter had been relying on regional money for months when its funding had been depleted; the changes mean one regional budget instead of several, according to Jackson.

“All our general donations are applied where the need is greatest,” she said, explaining how funding from donations will be allocated. General donations allow the organization to help wherever the need happens to be, she said, as opposed to donations to specific locations domestically or abroad.

Other changes include classes that are easier to find and enroll in, thanks to an online service that offers a searchable database based on date, type of class and zip code. The Red Cross will have a regional website available soon, too.

Class participants will also start receiving email updates to get information on new classes, “which will allow them to keep current with new certifications and help keep people fresh,” said Jackson.

Local residents will still benefit from volunteers working out of the same local offices, and the same services will be available, according to both women.

For more information on the Red Cross in eastern Virginia, visit the Red Cross website.