Activity Guides

The American Red Cross has developed fun activity guides for your group to use to help spread the word about the Red Cross and its mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.

Activity guides can be used by Red Cross Clubs, youth groups, or classes who want to organize around Red Cross mission-related activities.

These activity guides will help you lead Red Cross activities. No matter what activity you choose, get in touch with your local Red Cross chapter or Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) station. The Red Cross can provide you with helpful resources and guidelines to make your activity a success!   Find your local chapter here!

 

Download your activity guide here:

Guides for chapters as well as more information can be found on The Exchange.

Preparedness Guides:

Prepare and Share Kit Drive
A Kit Drive activity in which essential preparedness items are collected, assembled in a pack and delivered to those who need it most.

Fire Safety Canvassing
Distribute lifesaving fire safety information to residents in your neighborhood.

Disaster Speaks
A powerful school-based event that gives students the opportunity to personalize disaster.

Preparedness Week
A five-day campaign that aims to motivate students to take action in preparing themselves and their peers in case of a disaster!

Zombie Apocalypse Party
A party that utilizes an impending ‘zombie apocalypse’ to help educate your school and community how to prepare for disasters like a zombie outbreak.

Citizen CPR
Citizen CPR is a 30-minute program developed by the American Red Cross to teach people how to perform Hands-Only CPR.

Blood Services Guides:

Hosting a Blood Drive
An event that gives community members the opportunity to donate blood with the American Red Cross.

Tweets to Thank
A competition between digital advocates where members of your group will use Twitter to thank blood donors.

Iron Rich Feast
A community dinner hosted in the days leading up to a blood drive.

Fundraising Guides:

Change for Change
A coin drive fundraising competition that engages your group with elementary school students to raise money for the American Red Cross.

Helping Hands
A service-based group fundraising event that allows community members to utilize your group to perform various outdoor tasks.

Ready Relay
A fundraising activity where teams of participants compete against one another to complete a series of mission-related tasks.

Top Fundraising Ideas
There are so many ways that you can raise money for the Red Cross. Here are some fundraising ideas you can use to help get you started!

Flirting for Disaster
A social fundraising event for young professionals to mingle, network, learn about and raise money for the American Red Cross.

Sponsored Volunteerism
A service-based fundraising activity where you seek donations for the time you spend volunteering.

Zip Kits
A way to raise funds for your Red Cross Club by selling first aid kits.

Red Cross Rocks: Battle of the Bands
A contest where several musical acts compete for the title of best band. The event is a great and fun way to raise money to support the Red Cross’s lifesaving mission.

Battle of the Clubs
A friendly competition that gets your friends, family, and peers preparing others for emergencies and disasters, donating blood, and raising money for the Red Cross mission.

Taste of Diversity
A great fundraising event where you invite the community to eat a delicious meal, and learn more about the Red Cross’s international work.

International Services Guides

Raid Cross
Raid Cross is a role-playing simulation activity that helps students understand the basic rules of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) – and recognize that even war has limits.

Vaccinate a Village
Vaccinate a Village is a fundraising activity in which youth become American Red Cross Measles & Rubella Initiative advocates and help raise funds to vaccinate children and save lives.

Artwork of Armed Conflict
Artwork of Armed Conflict is an activity that displays artwork focused on important humanitarian issues that result from armed conflict. The artwork is shared at your school or throughout the community.

Assistance Under Attack
Assistance Under Attack is an activity that uses a dodge ball game to helps students understand principles of international humanitarian law (IHL).

Bake for Humanity
Bake for Humanity is an activity where students sell baked goods and attach Red Cross and international humanitarian law facts to each item sold.

Services to the Armed Forces Guides

Holiday Mail For Heroes Card Making Party
Host a party and create cards with messages of thanks and holiday cheer to military members, veterans, and their families.

Birthday Party For Veterans
This event is a birthday party hosted at a local Veteran’s hospital or veterans program for all the birthdays in a particular month.

Totes for Hope
Totes of Hope is a personal care kit drive in which items for homeless veterans are collected, assembled in a backpack or tote bag, and distributed through Veteran’s hospitals or veterans outreach programs

Have you ever wondered which events work best during each month? If so, check out the Activity Guide Calendar below!

  • January: Blood Donor Month
    • Hosting a Blood Drive
    • Iron Rich Feast
  • February: National Heart Month: Find Your Red Cross Heart
    • Flirting for Disaster
    • Tweets to Thanks
  • March: Red Cross Month
    • Battle of the Clubs
    • Red Cross Rocks: Battle of the Bands
  • April: Youth International Services Month
    • Raid Cross
    • Vaccinate a Village
  • May: National Water Safety Month
    • Disaster Speaks
    • Citizen CPR
  • June – August: Summer Fiesta
    • Helping Hands
    • Taste of Diversity
    • Change for Change
    • Birthday Party For Veterans
    • Zip Kits
    • Ready Relay
  • September: National Preparedness Month
    • Prepare and Share Kit Drive
    • Preparedness Week
  • October: Fires, and Zombies and Red Cross, Oh My!
    • Zombie Apocalypse Party
    • Fire Safety Canvassing
  • November: NYIM
    • Top Fundraising Ideas
    • Sponsored Volunteerism
  • December: Winter SAFety Month!
    • Holiday Mail for Heroes
    • Totes for Hope

 

Questions about the guides or need more information? Email [email protected].