Practice 34 American Red Cross interview questions covering humanitarian values, crisis response, and mission-driven service.
Question 9 of 34
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Isaiah Swanson is a volunteer recruitment professional who has interviewed, trained, and supervised thousands of volunteers supporting dozens of nonprofit programs helping families in crisis, homebound seniors, and victims of natural disasters.
Now is your chance to display your ability to use creative thinking to solve a complex problem. Think of alternate locations that are accessible or different ways you can use that time if the storm truly prevents any access.

Isaiah Swanson is a volunteer recruitment professional who has interviewed, trained, and supervised thousands of volunteers supporting dozens of nonprofit programs helping families in crisis, homebound seniors, and victims of natural disasters.
"As an event coordinator, I have extensive experience updating event times and locations due to inclement weather. In these cases, I find it useful to have previously chosen an alternate date and have confirmed it with the location. Next, I make sure to have communicated an inclement weather plan with volunteers and event attendees prior to the event. Finally, if a snowstorm prevents the blood drive from taking place on its originally-scheduled date, I can be confident that I have a backup plan to reduce confusion and ensure the Red Cross still receives essential blood donations."

Isaiah Swanson is a volunteer recruitment professional who has interviewed, trained, and supervised thousands of volunteers supporting dozens of nonprofit programs helping families in crisis, homebound seniors, and victims of natural disasters.
"Because I live and work in Mississippi, we rarely get snow, and it is especially rare for it to snow enough to stick to the ground. However, as an event planner for the county, I must have a plan for these sorts of situations should they unfold. Since we do not have the infrastructure support to quickly resolve issues related to heavy snow, our only option is to delay the event. Therefore, for every event I plan, I establish two alternative dates and add them to the official calendar for volunteers, employees, and the public to access. Then, I work with the communications team to send out emails to our supporters sharing the alternative dates.
When I first established this procedure, I also met with the volunteer recruitment and human resource teams to edit our volunteer and employee manuals to include our updated weather policies and how to find rescheduling information. Since this position is in a Mississippi field office, I am confident this would be an effective approach when facing inclement weather during a scheduled blood drive."

Isaiah Swanson is a volunteer recruitment professional who has interviewed, trained, and supervised thousands of volunteers supporting dozens of nonprofit programs helping families in crisis, homebound seniors, and victims of natural disasters.
If you decide to reschedule the event, focus your answer on the steps you will take to accomplish this. Talk about how you will secure a location for the adjusted date and communicate this change clearly to potential attendees.

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Written by Isaiah Swanson
34 Questions & Answers • American Red Cross

By Isaiah

By Isaiah