Monday, March 29, 2010 -- At a special meeting at Chapter Headquarters, Red Cross executives met with the Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter’s Board of Directors to discuss the recently-announced reorganization of chapter reporting relationships that will take effect on July 1, 2010.

Pat Hofmaster, West Division Vice President, explained the rationale behind the changes, which are intended to make the entire organization more efficient by using centralized systems (such as accounting) to eliminate redundancies.  By utilizing the strengths and talent of the entire organization, each chapter will come out stronger and more effective as we share best practices and forge new relationships. 

The reorganization includes realignment in reporting for our Chapter.  The  Glendale-CV Chapter will now report to the San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter, and that chapter’s CEO, Ben Green, spoke to the Board about his chapter (which includes Arcadia, Claremont and Pasadena) and about the benefits of a unified voice asking for donations instead of many separate requests.  Green explained that the emphasis of CEOs and Boards of Directors in the new organization will be on development -- i.e. fundraising, which is a critical need for the Red Cross.  Donations overall have been declining for years, and the recent economic downturn had a very negative effect on funding.

Paul Schulz, CEO of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter, which will direct the activities of all chapters in the new Region,  described how the new organization will allow management to compare and contrast the member chapters to identify strengths that can be shared among all the chapters.  His presentation was followed by a lively question-answer-session wherein concerns of the Board were addressed.

Photo, left to right:  Ron Farina, CEO, Glendale-Crescenta Valley Chapter; Pat Hofmaster, West Division Vice President; Val Douglas, Board Chairman, Glendale-CV Chapter; Paul Schulz, CEO, ARC of Greater Los Angeles; Ben Green, CEO, San Gabriel Pomona Valley Chapter.