Linda adopted a new way of thinking about her philanthropy during the pandemic and shifted to a “giving while living” philosophy. This led her to make a live-saving investment in the Home Fire Campaign.
 

1. How did you first become involved with the Red Cross?
   I’ve been aware of the Red Cross since I was a child when my mother would donate blood regularly and bake cookies for blood drives. I learned more when a local office provided training (e.g. CPR, emergency planning for evacuating the home in a fire, etc.) to my Girl Scout troop.  Beginning in the late 80’s, I began to learn that Red Cross was about more than just blood drives and, when I could afford it, I began making donations supporting RC efforts in specific disasters like hurricanes and fires.
2. What part of the Red Cross mission are you most passionate about and why?
   What has always impressed me most is the constant presence of the RC when people are affected by fires and other disasters.  I began to learn more about this as the frequency of CA wildfires began to grow years ago and I wanted to support that.  As time went on, I became even more impressed as I also saw that constant presence worldwide.
3. Can you share how the pandemic shifted your philanthropic priorities?
   Before COVID, my donation efforts were pretty random.  As I learned more about the financial demands on organizations like the Red Cross to manage a budget that relied mostly on donations and now to provide PPE in order to do what they’ve always done, I came to two realizations.  The first was that my “plan” – if you could call it that – to carry on as I was and then leave the majority of my estate to charity wasn’t good enough.  I guess COVID was the push needed for me to come to this, so I shifted my thinking to what some call “giving while living.”  The second was that I needed a real plan and so needed to learn more about both the organizations I already supported and about new ones.  The result was that I needed to take on what I now think of as a new part time job.
4. May is a special month for the Red Cross as it is when we conduct our National Sound the Alarm campaign. You recently made a generous investment to support our Home Fire program. Can you share what inspired you to support this area of our work?
   This shift led me to go looking for organizations and activities where I could help to make real and concrete change.  In talking with Sarah, I learned more about the home fire support that Red Cross provides in my area and around the nation and what it costs to do this.  It seemed an obvious place to start.  The provision of stipends to folks who lose their homes due to home fires as well as the installation of smoke alarms and education about fire prevention has to be backed by funds that can be hard to come by.  This need will always be there and the Red Cross is always there to help.  The combination of providing assistance and working toward preventing fires was the concrete effort I was looking for.
5. As a valued member of our Tiffany Circle, what advice would you give to other young working women and/or female philanthropists?
   I’d say that the first thing to do is learn more about the areas and efforts you care about.  For me this meant going beyond reading material on websites and in reports to looking for people to talk with. Find contacts in your local area and just ask questions.  I learned so much more than I’d known before from just chatting with contacts, not just about the work that is done, but also about the difficulties of budgeting when the budget depends on something as unpredictable as donations. And I was offered opportunities to direct my donations to areas I hadn’t known about before as well as ways to participate such as supporting challenge grants.
   
   Because of these discussions, I found myself drawn to places where I could make ongoing commitments that these organizations could count on.  So I’d say to others, go looking for an effort that appeals to you, reach out and learn as much as you can, and make a short term commitment you can afford either to an organization or just in your own planning. Then see what happens.