A Modern-Day Crusade:
Turning Care and Compassion
into Action

From April 17th to the 23rd, our nation will honor America’s volunteers during National Volunteer Week. It’s an annual celebration of volunteering begun in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order establishing National Volunteer Week. This annual event is celebrated the third full week of April (unless Easter or Passover occurs, in which case National Volunteer Week is moved to the fourth week of April).

The national theme of this year’s celebration is “Inspire by Example.” NCJW is expressing its appreciation to volunteers across America by putting the spotlight on a mammoth humanitarian organization which is renowned for mobilizing volunteers, the American Red Cross.

The history of the American Red Cross is replete with volunteers’ time, money and skill transforming chaos and turmoil into a legacy of compassion. Founded by Clara Barton in 1881, the American Red Cross has grown into an organization made up of a nationwide network of nearly 900 locally governed chapters across the country, one million volunteers and 36,000 employees. From its inception, it has been a beacon of hope to victims of disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and fires. In 1943, President Roosevelt called the Red Cross “the greatest single crusade of mercy in all of history.”

The American public’s generous outpouring of financial contributions for tsunami relief is the most recent demonstration of how people across America have grown to trust the American Red Cross. President and CEO Marsha Evans says,

“We are honored and inspired that so many Americans have confidence in the American Red Cross to turn their care and compassion into action.”

Building service-delivery capacity at local levels

The American Red Cross has an ongoing commitment to strong service delivery at local levels. It’s the driving force behind a new organization structure that brought Jane Gilbert, Service Area Executive, Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Service Area, to Raleigh from her previous position as Executive Director of the Hartford Connecticut Oak Chapter. She’s one of eight Service Area Executives across the country and is responsible for the 119 locally governed Red Cross chapters in North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Washington, DC.

2004’s hurricane season disasters, including Alex, Bonnie, Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne, tested the efficacy of the Service Area structure for the Mid-Atlantic Service Area. The new structure was implemented in June of 2004. By July, volunteers were out in the field responding to needs of hurricane victims. “Our first months of operation have been very gratifying, but it has not been without its stressors. It’s kind of like building a bicycle and learning to ride it at the same time,” says Jane.

Jane Gilbert photo by Elizabeth Galecke

Passionate about the mission in action

Jane’s first penchant for the American Red Cross is that it is a volunteer-driven organization. “Our competitive edge is the volunteer engagement. We could not possibly do what we do with paid staff. Thousands of thousands of people respond to help others when they are in need, that’s our first competitive edge,” says Jane. She also believes in the mission of the Red Cross and sees it as something anyone can understand and embrace.

As a new hire, though, Jane was not enamored with the Red Cross. Although she liked her responsibilities as the Omaha chapter’s chief development officer, she missed the internal flame she experienced while working for the Boys and Girls Club.

That was before the most significant ice storm on record hit Omaha and Jane had an opportunity to experience the power of the Red Cross mission in action. She was one of a very small group or staff and volunteers that could get out of her driveway and get to the chapter. She was handed a kit and sent out to open a shelter. She says people came out of the woodwork because they had no electricity, no food and no place to go. She managed the shelter for seven days. She remembers walking back into her office, tired, dirty, exhausted, setting the box down on her desk and bursting into tears saying “I will retire from the American Red Cross.”

Today, Jane is an advocate for the Red Cross “through and through.” With a background in fund development combined with an MBA, Jane brings fiscal savvy to her new position. She’s not shy about emphasizing the importance of this skill. “You can’t, as a woman, expect to play in an arena that’s business-oriented and think you can come to the table with people who understand a balance sheet and the financial impact of what they are doing if you don’t. Take an accounting class, take a finance class, whatever it might be so that you can understand the value of money and be able to articulate it.”

Two other strengths are on the list she shared with NCJW: 1) learning to navigate a large organization; and 2) hiring people with a significant skill bank and letting them do their job.

When asked to share her most important message to NCJW readers, Jane shared a message at both the professional and personal level. Professionally, she emphasizes the importance of the intrinsic value of bringing multifaceted groups of individuals to the table. “I see my responsibility as a female and as Service Area Executive to be the convener, to bring people to the table to find solutions, common goals, to work through problems, to recognize the sum of the parts is much greater than the sum of an individual.”

Personally, as a woman, she says it’s important for women to be good role models. She wants her two daughters and her son to know that their mother has equal abilities to go out and provide and do interesting, energizing and important things in life just as any male role model.

Jane’s Career Growth Tips:

• Risk Taking: “Be willing to go past the comfort zone, step out and be more confident in your ability to do things.”
• Involvement: “Be participatory; volunteer; serve on committees and boards.”
• Networking: “Know your community because networking is important.”
• Competence: “Know your skills and abilities. Everybody has something they bring to the table. Equally important is recognizing what you don’t have and being willing to make the effort to go out and obtain what you don’t have or find someone who complements your skills.”

“Inspire by Example” is National Volunteer Week’s theme, but it could very well be the personal motto of Jane Gilbert. She’s a modern-day crusader swathing new service delivery pathways. She’s building capacity at the local level to ensure volunteers can turn their care and compassion into action. She fully anticipates the outcomes will look like an ultimate report card of the best of humanity.

All photos of Jane Gilbert courtesy Elizabeth Galecke.