Ian’s Top 4 Tips For Red Cross Club Leadership
As founder and president of my high school Red Cross Club for three years, I’ve picked up on some tips on how to be an effective and efficient leader. Take your own leadership style into account and think about how you might integrate these tips into your leadership activities.
1. Surround yourself with dedicated and hard-working people.
It goes without saying, choosing the right people to surround yourself with when you want to get work done should be a top priority. While leading with friends may seem like fun at first, it may not always work out. Officer meetings not taken seriously, officers flaking on assignments, and the hesitation to emphasize accountability can all be detrimental to leading a Red Cross Club. Promote around your school that you’re looking for dedicated and proven leaders who have experience in club leadership or can demonstrate a strong work ethic. You can set up an application and even schedule interviews. These will be the people you will rely on to ensure the club’s success. Working alongside other volunteers who are dedicated towards the Red Cross mission is rewarding, and you will make a strong connection to these fellow volunteers.
2. Set deadlines and assignment due dates.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve assigned something that ends up being up in the air about when it should be done. Setting clear deadlines and due dates for when you want something helps whoever you’re assigning know when to finish the task and report back to you. Send out a recap email after a club meeting with action items and dates for tasks assigned. This holds officers and club members responsible for their duties.
3. Promote community and team bonding.
It’s easy to drive head-first into club activities. You really want to get this blood drive planned or you need to nail down the details for the upcoming Sound The Alarm campaign, which is great! However, it’s important for your club members to feel valued and a part of a community. This might not be for all clubs, but promoting a sense of community can benefit the club in the long-run. Loyal members who advocate for Red Cross outside of club activities are a big plus! Members can meet new friends and develop lasting relationships. Bonding activities and events are a must! Something simple to implement can be “Highs & Lows”, where each member describes a highlight of their week, as well as something not so great. You can do this at the beginning or end of meetings, and you’ll get some fun answers!
4. Organize, organize, organize!
Whether it’s a strength or somewhat of a dread, a strong and effective Red Cross Club officer team needs to always make sure their organizational and administrative duties are a priority. Setting up a place where all club documents and photos are held is key. VolunteerConnection is a great resource. You can send emails to your entire group, store files and photos, and release news updates for the club. Getting your youth volunteers registered and logging their hours helps demonstrate to chapter staff that youth volunteers are making an impact on your local community. Your Secretary can also keep a spreadsheet of club member details like emails, phone numbers, and if they’re registered on VolunteerConnection. Keep a group chat for officers separate from the main group chat to help plan club meetings and Red Cross events.
Above all, remember to have fun and understand the value of your volunteer hours! The National Youth Council wishes you all the best and is always here to support club leaders and members alike through our Office Hours program. Also take a look at our Red Cross Club Toolkits here on redcrossyouth.org!
— Ian Lee, National Youth Council Member, Youth Consortium Liaison
