American Red Cross: Disaster Assistance Would Benefit from Oversight through Regular Federal Evaluation
Abstract
The Red Cross is the nations largest nonprofit organization involved in disaster relief. The organization provides services such as sheltering and food assistance, and it has a leadership role in the federal disaster response framework. However, questions have been raised over its ability to respond effectively to large disasters. GAO was asked to examine the organizations disaster services. This report addresses (1) the key factors affecting the nature and extent of the Red Crosss disaster services, (2) how it coordinates with the federal government on disaster assistance, and (3) what external oversight exists of its disaster services. GAO reviewed relevant policy documents and federal statutes and interviewed officials from the Red Cross and FEMA; interviewed staff involved in a nongeneralizable sample of three disasters from 2012 to 2014 that varied in magnitude, type, and location; and interviewed officials from federal agencies with a role in Red Cross oversight, six state attorney general offices selected to achieve diversity in their approaches to charity oversight, and several nonprofit organizations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 09, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1106003
Entities
People
- Amanda Goolden
- Andrew Sherrill
- Charles Fox
- David Lysy
- Helen Desaulniers
- Holly Dye
- Jessica Botsford
- Kathy Leslie
- Leslie Holen
- Lorin Obler
- Paul Wright
- Peter Del Toro
- Sarah Veale
- Scott Spicer
- Sheila Mccoy
- Walter Vance
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office