I stopped after a few paragraphs. I don't want to excuse the more than likely incompetency on the part of the Red Cross. It may in fact be inexcusable. But I'm sick of the criticism that aid and non profit organizations spend too much on administration, overhead, and non-cause efforts. I understand that it's a not for profit, but that doesn't mean a heavy marketing arm, or paying employees a competitive salary, should be off the table. I know this isn't necessarily relevant here, but I feel that people will see donations not spent on cause and equate it with waste and then carry this heuristic with them when evaluating other not for profits, or searching for a charity to donate to, as if the ratio of direct-cause and overhead is the only indicator of efficacy. Edit to add that this is a general complaint, not directed to you insom. Just what's on my mind.