Eugene Lin Week 1: Organizational Culture

My first week working at the American Red Cross was mostly spent familiarizing myself with my role. This comprised of completing staff orientation and setting up all the necessary accounts, such as my Red Cross email, shared staff files, and media platform access. My time during the first week did not prove to be the most eventful, but it did provide a good understanding of the duties and goals within the American Red Cross organization.

The American Red Cross is one of the oldest and well established nonprofit organizations in the U.S. It dates all the way back to 1881 in Washington D.C with the goal of providing disaster relief to those in need. With this in mind, people always expect Red Cross workers to constantly be out in the field and at the scene of a disaster. Although this is true to some degree, there is much more administrative work that people realize. There are so many other departments that the American Red Cross covers, such as community outreach and biomedical, that requires lots of desk work. Thus, my responsibility is to build up and maintain the presence of the organization through all the departments. This includes managing their social media platforms, updating old graphic and documents, and creating content material.

I am the only intern here at the Richmond, VA chapter and have the impression that I am to act as a personal assistant for the different department heads. My assisgnments are assigned to me spontaneously with only moderate direction. There is an expectation for me to be independent and make decisions as I see fit. Although I appreciate this  responsibility, it can be a nuisance at times when I have a question or concern and no one to direct it to.

Nonetheless, I’ve come to realize that maintaining and managing the presence of the American Red Cross is a very important role. The American Red Cross presents itself as an organization that is active and trustworthy in the local community. There is high value in maintaining a brand and image that many people are familiar with because people are more likely to volunteer, donate, and respond to an organization that they have heard before. Building and supporting the Red Cross brand is the backbone for the rest of its operation. As a result, my first week has given me a strong appreciation for my role in communications, and has inspired me to go above and beyond to carry out my duties in the oncoming weeks.