The American Red Cross is a volunteer-led and mostly staffed organization that relies heavily on generous donations. With our weakening economy, Americans are giving less money to charity, which, in turn, has caused recent budget cuts for the Red Cross.

Jennifer Ryan, the CEO of the Lee County chapter of the Red Cross, has been a Red Cross volunteer since Hurricane Andrew hit Miami, FL in 1992. Since then, Ryan has observed many changes within this non-profit organization.

The Red Cross used to rely on their national headquarters for proper media coverage, but has recently become proactive in embracing social media networking as a cost-cutting measure.

Ryan, who also serves as the Public Affairs Manager and the Fundraising Manager during disaster assignments, explains how the Red Cross can now directly communicates to the public via social media networking.

“We’re taking the pictures. We’re writing the stories. We’re posting them into an online newsroom. We’re recording audio on Utterli. We’re putting pictures on Flickr. We’re doing Twitter. We’re doing Facebook,” she said.

Not only are these tools cheaper for the organization, but they also allow The Red Cross to communicate directly to the public.

It is a quick, cheap and easy way for The Red Cross to get out the most up-to-date information. Ryan uses her personal camera to instantly upload pictures and videos to the website.

In disaster situations, the organization’s 24-hour newsroom is a great tool for informing the public on what to bring to safety shelters and what to expect upon arrival.

“When we’re out on disaster assignments, everybody can see what’s going on. Its kind of a transparent operation, you feel like you’re part of it yourself,” said Ryan.

Social media networking has been an effective money-saving communication device for the Red Cross.


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