An Application of Anthropological Theories to Diversity Research
During the spring semester of 2019, I interned with the American Red Cross in the International Services Division. My internship took place with the Central and South Texas chapter of the Red Cross in Austin, which is responsible for the cities of Austin, San Antonio, Midland, Bryan/College Station, and the outlying counties surrounding these cities. The mission of the Red Cross is, “To prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.” The Red Cross relies heavily on volunteers to carry out this mission and to spread awareness. With this in mind, my supervisor at the Red Cross developed the idea of a research project that would help them to better understand the areas in which they can serve their clients and volunteers. In order to achieve the goal of this project, I designed a research plan containing several components and stages of research.
Figure 1: A picture of myself at the Red Cross office in Austin, TX.
During my internship, I developed skills such as database usage, project coordination, and qualitative/quantitative analysis of the collected data. By working with the volunteer coordinators, I was able to gain a thorough understanding of common methods and protocols used for volunteer recruitment, training, and retention by the Red Cross. I participated in volunteer trainings on public affairs essentials, inclusivity awareness, psychological first aid, and restoring family links. Participating in these trainings allowed me to gain firsthand knowledge about the training experience and curriculum undertaken by volunteers.
The Red Cross offers many services to the general public like blood donations, disaster relief, veteran aid, and international services. The Red Cross has built a vast humanitarian network with 13 million volunteers in 187 countries. The Red Cross responds to 70,000 disasters in the United States annually, from home fires affecting single family homes to hurricanes affecting thousands. Life-saving blood donation supplies account for 40% of America’s total blood supply for those in need of it. The Red Cross supports military members and their families while they overcome the mental and financial challenges of war. Additionally, the Red Cross works with displaced refugees and missing family members using the family links program. Three services offered by the family links program are: locating missing family members, restoring communications, and providing documentation of war-time internment. Missing family members are located using international tracing and online inquiries with information provided by the client. Restoring communications between family members is accomplished using Red Cross Message. Clients can fill out this document with information they wish to share with their family member which will then be mailed to the recipient. Attestations of internment can be provided to clients including certificates of detention and ICRC travel documents. ICRC documents are only provided to the detainee if they wish to resettle permanently in a different country. When conducting family links casework, it is of utmost importance to protect client confidentiality and remain impartial as a caseworker. Impartiality is crucial to build trust with a client so they feel comfortable seeking aid from the Red Cross.
The Research Plan
I had several goals to achieve: a complete demographic breakdown of the 80-county region, the identification of volunteer needs, and the utilization of results in the development of solutions to enhance the Red Cross experience as a whole. My supervisor wanted an executive report, final white paper, and presentation to leadership as deliverables. In order to accomplish these objectives, I organized my research into several phase: defining objectives, designing research, collecting data, analyzing data insights, and developing an action plan.
Data collection for my research included several sources of input. My research plan included the use of RC View GIS mapping software to create a demographic heat map of the residential populations within the region to gain a proper understanding of the communities served in times of disaster. I also conducted a survey through Survey Monkey intended for current Red Cross volunteers to determine the collective concerns and observations in the field. Additionally, I arranged interviews with several Volunteer Services Coordinators and DPMs (disaster program managers) throughout the Central Texas chapter to identify trends and areas for growth within the Red Cross. The following sections describe these procedures in detail.
RC View Geospatial Mapping
Data for this section was taken from the United States Census Bureau and responses from a survey on Survey Monkey. The data was synthesized into 10 excel spreadsheets separated by ethnicity. These spreadsheets were then converted to the proper file format and uploaded into RC View to create the heat-map.
The demographics of the Red Cross’s current volunteer pool are 75% Caucasian, 10% Hispanic, 8% African American, 6% Asian, and 1% American Indian. These percentages are similar to the demographics reported by the U.S. Census Bureau of 79% Caucasian, 39% Hispanic, 12% African American, 5% Asian, and 2% American Indian. These percentages are similar in regards to the populations of Caucasians, African Americans, Asians, and American Indians. However, the Red Cross needs to increase their outreach to Hispanic demographics. This can be done by increasing public awareness about the volunteer opportunities and services the Red Cross offers at local churches, community events, Hispanic-owned businesses, etc.
Figure 2: Demographic heat maps for the Central and South Texas region from RC View.
As shown in Figure 2, the highest concentrations of Hispanics are located in the Southwest area of Texas from South Austin to the Rio Grande Valley. Furthermore, there is an outlying concentration towards the Texas Panhandle and Midland, TX. In direct contrast, the highest concentrations of African Americans are located in Northeast Texas from Austin to the outlying areas of Dallas and Houston. It is interesting to see how the Hispanic and African American demographics are focused in directly opposite locations whereas, the concentrations of Asian Americans are strikingly similar to that of African Americans. The concentrations of Caucasian Americans are evenly dispersed throughout the 80-county region with no specific areas showing more significance than others, according to Figure 2. This was the same for the smaller populations of American Indians in the region. The findings from this map can be used to continually ensure the Red Cross’s volunteer pool is representative of the current population demographics in their respective cities.
Volunteer Experience Survey
In this section I will discuss the implications of the results from my Volunteer Experience survey conducted using the Red Cross Survey Monkey account. To create the survey, I read over Red Cross surveys from the past and collaborated with my supervisor to design the questions. The survey was 20 questions in length and was made available to all current volunteers in the CSTAR region via an email announcement.
Volunteers expressed concern in regards to trainings being offered at convenient times (26%), distance from their home to trainings (15%), and complications with the EDGE software itself (27%). A total of 58% of respondents reported satisfaction with the current training system which means that a significant 42% are dissatisfied. It is important to note that although there is some dissatisfaction, 86% reported that the trainings adequately prepared them for their volunteer obligations. This indicates that dissatisfaction must primarily lie in where and when the trainings are taking place rather than the content of the trainings. This can be improved by offering trainings at more convenient times for the working population. This can be accomplished by conducting regular surveys for volunteers to share the training times that work best for them then scheduling the training events accordingly. Additionally, the dilemma of distance to trainings can be alleviated by introducing an extensive online equivalent on EDGE and/or allowing volunteers to participate remotely via Skype and/or conference call. In doing so, the volunteer will still have access to essential mentoring from Red Cross employees while meeting their personal needs and the needs of the Red Cross.
Another area for growth is new volunteer engagement and current volunteer engagement. A significant number of volunteers (20%) desired an easier onboarding process, more guidance, and more initial follow-up when they first registered. Respondents have indicated that the Red Cross loses newly registered volunteers because there was no initial follow-up or guidance regarding the next steps. Furthermore, respondents reported a desire for more points of contact at Red Cross offices because they feel the current number of employees is insufficient. Due to this insufficiency, it can be difficult for employees to maintain personal communications and volunteer interest because of the vast number of volunteers one employee manages. My proposed solution for this is for the Red Cross to introduce new internship positions in the Volunteer Engagement, Disaster Services, Services to the Armed Forces (SAF), and General Administration branches. These positions would increase their ability to develop and maintain a personal touch with their volunteers as well as, help the Red Cross staff achieve their yearly goals and quotas.
Figure 3: Age Distribution of the Red Cross Volunteer Pool
According to my survey, 86% of volunteers reported they planned to continue volunteering with the Red Cross, which indicates the Red Cross is doing an adequate job with regards to retaining their volunteers. However, 3% of respondents reported they will no longer be volunteering, which could be due to a number of reasons other than dissatisfaction such as work, family commitments, health factors, etc. Figure 3 depicts the left-skewed or negative distribution of the current volunteers’ ages. In contrast to Figure 3, I know the volunteer populations are not primarily made up of elderly volunteers due to my participation in trainings where I observed a variety of ages present. Therefore, the reason for the observed skewness must be due to older volunteers having more time on their hands to participate in my survey. This is supported by the percentage of volunteers that are currently working (22%). Additionally, most respondents were retired (54%), which explains the age distribution without a doubt. It is highly likely that younger generations did not have time to participate, did not see the email launch, or simply chose not to respond.
Employee Interviews
In this section I will discuss the major findings from my interviews with Volunteer Services Coordinators and DPMs for the Central and South Texas chapter. Additionally, I will compare these findings to the survey results in an effort to develop a cohesive understanding of the logistics behind the Red Cross. I conducted in person and by phone interviews with Volunteer Coordinators and DPMs working throughout the Central Texas chapter. I interviewed a total of 11 employee interviews. During my interviews, I discovered that it is challenging for employees to get past “gatekeepers” as this requires persistence. A gatekeeper is a general term used to describe individuals that control the access of something. In this instance, the gatekeepers are the receptionists that decide whether or not they will allow the Red Cross employee to speak with higher management. These discussions are essential for the Red Cross to form new partnerships to gain the resources and support needed during disasters. It is also challenging for employees to ensure volunteer hours are being recorded accurately as the current system relies on the volunteer remembering to report their hours virtually or employee intervention for manual recording. My solution for the two dilemmas discussed is to increase the number of Red Cross interns in the divisions listed in the Volunteer Experience Survey section of this report. Each internship position would vary slightly between cities, as each city has unique populations to represent.
I also discovered that employees occasionally find it challenging to recruit volunteers in their county using the strategies they have at their disposal. This concern was suggested during my discussions with Volunteer Coordinators, because they often use strategies that are delegated to them from National Headquarters rather than from within their chapter office. The main takeaway is that the difference in lifestyles from county to county must be accounted for when developing effective recruitment and engagement strategies. For instance, Midland is a city focused heavily on the oil industry, which requires long hours of work for a relatively high starting salary of $41,000 per year (Weber 2012). This suggests that the general population is more than willing to donate money to the Red Cross’ efforts. However, they may not have the time to volunteer. A unique recruitment strategy would need to be developed that would draw interest from those who work long hours such as, shortening the volunteer time slots. Shortening the time commitment for volunteer opportunities could increase the likelihood of it being compatible with their work hours, thus increasing participation.
Establishing interns at local chapter offices would allow the Red Cross to improve their capacity to develop specialized strategies for engaging with each community. This is because the interns would mainly be responsible for the county where their office is located rather than the chapter as a whole, which is the responsibility of Volunteer Coordinators. The Red Cross can recruit these interns from college campuses in Austin, San Marcos, San Antonio, College Station, and Midland by posting informative flyers, reaching out to internship advisors, collaborating with the Red Cross Clubs on campuses, and having a Red Cross booth at internship fairs to advertise the opportunities being offered.
Conclusion
I received many statements of adoration from current volunteers and employees regarding the Red Cross and its mission. I loved reading the statements from the Red Cross volunteers, who are all just as passionate about humanitarian work as the Red Cross employees are. This backbone of common interest and drive shared between the employees and volunteers is one of the most important factors contributing to the success of the Red Cross thus far. I personally feel the Red Cross is doing an amazing job promoting diversity among their volunteers. However, they can increase their representation of the general population by continually working with local communities and targeting different residential or communal areas to guarantee volunteers with varying backgrounds and attributes are actively recruited. By placing an importance on diversity and inclusion, the Red Cross shows their desire as an organization to serve and satisfy any client or volunteer regardless of their demographics.
References
Weber, Jeremy. 2012. “The effects of a natural gas boom on employment and income in Colorado, Texas, and Wyoming”. Energy Economics 34: 1580-1588.