Nicole Gulatz’s relationship with the American Red Cross began in childhood, when she took swimming lessons at her local pool. As a teenager, she gave blood at a blood drive for the first time and discovered the joy that arises from giving.
“I realized that if you can give something, you should do it,” she said, noting that throughout her life she has remained dedicated to this principle she learned from her mom.
Nicole deepened her commitment in 2005, when she volunteered as a college student to raise funds at the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C., for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief. Through this experience, she fell in love with the organization.
“As we faced one of the most challenging disasters the country had ever seen, I was inspired by how caring and innovative my American Red Cross colleagues were. They were always focused on how we could better serve people,” she remembered.
Following graduation, she joined the American Red Cross’ fundraising team, raising crucial disaster and program funds for 12 years. In 2022, she stepped up her service — this time in Geneva, Switzerland —at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) enabling the American Red Cross to support our collective coordinated fundraising efforts.
The IFRC is the member organization for 191 Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies around the world– including American Red Cross. The IFRC’s role is to help represent the network, coordinate in large disaster responses, and support National Societies in strengthening their operations and programming. Together with its 191 National Societies members – the IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network.
Today, Nicole continues in her role from home in Wisconsin, sharing best practices from the American Red Cross and developing partnerships with dozens of companies that support the IFRC’s work. While she still loves the “mission moments,” whether that’s giving blood or installing smoke alarms in her local community, Nicole is also a Tiffany Circle member who appreciates the importance of global impact.
“Our Wisconsin Tiffany Circle is a group of passionate women who are making a change locally, and we connect with other women across the U.S. and around the world,” she said. “We all have different gifts, and Tiffany Circle helps us channel the good we can give to the world.”
Nicole also works as part of the Tiffany Circle International Council to expand Tiffany Circle’s reach internationally for women around the world to deeply engage with disaster relief and humanitarian work. Right now, the there are Tiffany Circles active in nine National Societies.The West Africa Tiffany Circle, which will include women across Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Senegal launched in 2024 is the newest.
Nicole praised the volunteers on the Tiffany Circle International Council as “endlessly energetic,” and who often join conference calls at 5 a.m. or 11 p.m. in their time zone.
“They do whatever is needed to make a difference for their community,” she said. “That's the magic of the Red Cross and Tiffany Circle,” she said. “It’s incredible what women can do when they bring their different abilities and their interests together.”
Nicole noted that Tiffany Circle gives women an opportunity to connect with others who create opportunities for change. “As Clara Barton said, ‘You must never think of anything except the need and how to meet it.”
Nicole retains her steadfast commitment to joyful service, noting that she’s received so much in return from her involvement with the Red Cross, both as a volunteer and as an employee.
“I believe that change happens by changing people,” Nicole said. “What motivates me is that a big part of getting involved in the Red Cross is that it changes you, and that’s what actually changes the world.”
