Written by Amanda Waddell, American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is a humanitarian organization.
The American Red Cross is a disaster response organization.
The American Red Cross is a blood donation center, a safe-haven, an internationally recognized symbol of relief.
As the most recognized nonprofit across the globe, we all know these key points. But, did you know that the services provided by Red Cross staff and volunteers stretch way beyond direct support?
I had the honor of learning about another facet of the big work that this internationally respected organization offers; the internship program. This rare combination of exploring and enriching future career opportunities WHILE serving others allows undergraduate and graduate students to participate in a truly meaningful, unique intern experience.
In the Colorado-Wyoming region, a beautiful example of this program was brought to my attention just a few weeks ago. A young man, Wesley Vanvliet, found the Red Cross Internship Program in December, 2019. He soon found himself working with Shawn Schulze, Regional Chief Operating Officer, and this is where the magic happened.
Wesley, an International Business student studying at Avans University in the Netherlands, was required to complete an international internship with a company abroad. Seeing the value in learning about nonprofits, and that unique opportunity to provide volunteer service at the same time, he jumped at the chance to intern with Shawn. And Shawn immediately saw Wesley for the intelligent, tenacious human that he is, connecting with him and tasking him with a big project.
In Wesley’s words, “Immediately during my onboarding, the entire team made me feel very welcome, and I noticed that everybody had a reason why they were working at Red Cross, which meant that everybody had that extra spirit and passion in the work they delivered. This passion results in fantastic work. However, they lacked a way to track their finances.
The only way they knew what they were spending was Shawn telling them every month where they were at. So Shawn challenged me to find a way to make finance more approachable and trackable for everybody spending a donor dollar because after all, we need to make sure the donated money gets used the right way.”
Hence, the Zero Based Budget Tool was created.
Shawn was thrilled.
A budgeting tool that was easy to use and makes sense – his team, and so many others now have the control over their budgeting in a way that more aligns with the Red Cross mission. Instead of being handed a number that one has to financially adhere to, the beginning budget is “0” and his team tells him what they need to achieve their goals – “we are building a budget based on the mission, not on financials.”
Wesley further explained – “The main reason why the zero-based budgeting works on the scale that it has is because it makes sure that everybody has planned their year in advance. Due to this people have to think about every penny they spend ”is this going to help me perform my job”, ” will this purchase maximise the money I am spending” this kind of thinking makes sure that every dollar donated goes to good use.”
What Shawn, Wesley, and team created has already changed the financial landscape – allowing the first region here to be the only one to come in under-budget and under-variance. Which, I’m guessing, is a big deal. But, from another perspective, it also provided an invaluable experience for Shawn and Wesley. The respect and admiration for each other is obvious even through our virtual conversations, and Wesley ended his thoughts with such gratitude – “My time at the Red Cross was extremely beneficial. I learnt so much and had a really amazing time, and for that, I will always be thankful and grateful to the amazing team at the Red Cross.”