The 2025 Tiffany Circle Summit was the largest and most impactful gathering to date.

Kansas and Oklahoma Regional Philanthropy Officer and Tiffany Circle Staff Lead Tara Burnett was among over 250 Tiffany Circle members and guests — a 38% increase from 2023 — in attendance Sept. 11–14 in Washington, D.C. She said being there was essential to doing her job well.

“I heard national priorities firsthand; experienced parts of the mission I don’t typically touch, like serving clients, through a disaster simulation; and built rapport with other Tiffany Circle members and staff peers across this worldwide movement,” Burnett said.

“That combination — authentic stories, shared language and trusted relationships — directly strengthens how I engage our region's current members, recruit prospects and translate national priorities into local action. It deepened my understanding of what Tiffany Circle membership means, and I can now translate that value clearly at the regional level.”

The Tiffany Circle is a powerful network of women philanthropists committed to advancing the Red Cross mission through leadership, service and giving.

The Summit featured inspiring speakers, including CBS News senior correspondent and 60 Minutes contributing correspondent Norah O’Donnell, who moderated a fireside chat with Veronica Beard co-founders Veronica Miele Beard and Veronica Swanson Beard, as well as Lt. General Nadja West, who shared her lifelong connection to the Red Cross. Gail McGovern, attending her first Summit as chairman of the Board, honored Gold Star Families and service members during the Salute to Service program.

“In the middle of a heavy news cycle, being surrounded by women of different backgrounds, beliefs and perspectives all coming together for the collective good of humanity and working towards solving real problems is what will stay with me,” Burnett said. “It gave me a fresh boost of hope and renewed energy for my work with the Red Cross.”

Throughout the Summit, attendees engaged deeply with the Red Cross mission. Breakout sessions covered disaster response, public health, youth preparedness, and support for military families, including Addressing Misinformation in Times of Disaster, Women Leading Transformational Client Care, Empowering Children, Strengthening Families, and Mapping Vulnerable Communities Through MapSwipe.

Burnett is interested in bringing the open-source mapping app to the Kansas and Oklahoma Region. Volunteers use the app to check satellite images and mark what they see and what changes over time.

“If an earthquake wipes out the only paved road into a village, responders lose time unless there’s a map of alternate routes. MapSwipe helps build those maps in advance by turning thousands of tiny image checks into actionable data,” Burnett said.

The Missing Maps effort is a collaboration that includes the British Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), with many Red Cross societies worldwide contributing, too.

Notably, the Summit raised over $1.3 million for Disaster Financial Assistance to help more than 1,800 families recover from emergencies with dignity and care.

The Tiffany Circle is the largest Red Cross fundraising network of volunteer leaders, with members providing more than 45,000 volunteer hours last fiscal year. The Red Cross continues to rely on the generosity and support of Tiffany Circle members as the organization grows its Women in Philanthropy initiative to boost engagement, connection and donations among women.

Learn more about Tiffany Circle
Since its founding in 2007, the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle has united philanthropic women who dedicate time, talent, and treasure to advance the organization's humanitarian mission. Celebrating 17 years, this powerhouse has raised more than $280 million to support vital services in communities across the country and around the world. With over 1,450 members, it remains the most successful individual annual fundraising initiative in Red Cross history.

The Tiffany Circle program was named for the Tiffany windows in the Tiffany Circle Hall (formerly Board of Governors Hall) at Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, D.C. These windows, produced by Tiffany Studios, were commissioned by Red Cross President Mabel Boardman in 1917 from two leading women’s philanthropic organizations of the day.

The windows cost a total of $10,000 when commissioned in 1917. Women of the North and South contributed equally to their purchase—an act of reconciliation and hope for a healing nation after the Civil War, and a tribute to Red Cross founder Clara Barton’s heroic service to the injured on both sides during the conflict.

Visit redcross.org/tiffanycircle to learn more.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.