The Russian Red Cross (RRC) plans to build a broad community of like-minded supporters over the next five years. To achieve this, the organization is revamping its membership system, establishing a supporter network, continuing to develop its digital volunteer fundraising platform, and making it easier for people of different ages and professions to engage in humanitarian activities. This was announced on 15 May by Pavel Savchuk, President of the RRC, during a press conference marking the organization’s 159th anniversary hosted by TASS Russian News Agency.
“Next year, the RRC will mark its 160th anniversary. Even now, we see the development of the RRC community as a strategic priority, because people have been and remain the driving force behind the organization throughout its century-and-a-half history. It is not buildings, equipment or infrastructure, but volunteers, staff, members, donors, partners and thousands of compassionate people across the country standing with us to support those in need,” said Pavel Savchuk, President of the RRC.
The press conference “The Russian Red Cross: Community Development, Global Trust and Countering Disinformation” also brought together Frank Mohrhauer, Head of Country Cluster Delegation for Russian Federation and Belarus, and Sergey Ivanov, Deputy Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Delegation in Moscow. The participants discussed trust in humanitarian action, countering disinformation, and the future development of humanitarian work in Russia and around the world.
The RRC President said that in 2027, the year marking the 160th anniversary of the Russian Red Cross, the organization will launch an upd ated membership system reflecting the realities of today. In particular, the RRC will abolish the mandatory probationary period for new members, while the basic membership fee will be se t at a symbolic one rouble per day. Membership cards will also be redesigned, and membership will become more open and accessible.
A supporter network will be developed as part of efforts to build the RRC community. It will engage people who are not yet ready to become members or volunteers, but who wish to provide regular support to the RRC’s humanitarian programmes.
Head of Country Cluster Delegation for Russian Federation and Belarus, Frank Mohrhauer, stressed in his remarks that trust is the foundation of humanitarian action and has a direct impact on building a community of supporters and on the ability to help people in times of crisis. He presented data from the Community Trust Index, an IFRC study measuring levels of trust in National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. According to the findings, the global average trust score stands at 8.15 out of 10. The RRC trust index is approximately 8 out of 10. He noted that this reflects the results of systematic work by National Societies with communities, not only through the delivery of humanitarian aid, but also through crisis communication, hotlines, social media, engagement with local media, and direct dialogue with communities.
“Trust is at the core of everything we do, and today it is under threat. Despite the findings of our recent Community Trust Index study, which recorded a trust level of 8.15 out of 10 among National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, we continue to see examples of how harmful information is undermining that trust and limiting our access to people in need. We encourage everyone to discuss what we can do together to build trust and prevent the spread of harmful information,” said Frank Morhauer.
Countering disinformation and fraud in the humanitarian sector was one of the key topics of the press conference. Sergey Ivanov, Deputy Head of the ICRC Regional Delegation in Moscow, spoke about the joint efforts of the ICRC and the RRC to counter fraudsters posing as Red Cross personnel. He described cases in which fraudsters impersonate representatives of humanitarian organizations in order to gain people’s trust, obtain access to personal data and steal money. In response, the RRC and the ICRC are jointly raising awareness about fraud and explaining how to recognize legitimate Red Cross representatives.
“This is an important step to strengthen trust in humanitarian organizations and protect people from fraud. We are confident that joint efforts in this area will help reduce fraud targeting people in need,” Sergey Ivanov noted.
He also spoke about the humanitarian activities of the ICRC in Russia and joint programmes with the RRC, through which 142,000 displaced people have received cash assistance and prepaid bank cards since 2022. Total payments have exceeded 1.16 billion roubles.
