Office of the Corporate Ombudsman
Vision Statement
It is our vision to assist the American Red Cross in becoming a healthy, effective and harmonious
organization capable of equitably and justly resolving conflict in which all stakeholders work
seamlessly as one entity, and in which the public places high trust.
Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Office of the Corporate Ombudsman to
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act as an independent, confidential and neutral dispute resolution practitioner to provide a safe
setting in which people feel encouraged and able to bring forward issues or concerns with
American Red Cross management, policies, procedures or actions and to assist leaders,
managers, staff and all stakeholders to constructively and fairly engage issues or concerns that
are raised.
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foster effective conflict management skills for American Red Cross employees and volunteers at
all levels as they seek to accomplish the mission of the American Red Cross.
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identify and share systemic issues, with stakeholders, as appropriate, including through the
congressionally mandated annual report.
Goals and Objectives
1. Educate and inform stakeholders about the Office of the Corporate Ombudsman and provide
consistent accessible and responsive service.
2. Help constituents clarify issues and identify options to raise issues or concerns, and offer
alternative conflict resolution options and strategies to aid the resolution of issues and disputes,
consistent with the tenets of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA).
3. Develop and conduct conflict resolution training for the American Red Cross community in
coordination with lines of business and enterprise-wide functional departments.
4. Develop and advance, in collaboration with other departments, conflict resolution programs,
projects, and practices across the American Red Cross.
5. Identify systemic patterns and trends and share data across the organization to improve
business decisions.
6. Submit annually a report to the Audit and Risk Management Committee of the Board of
Governors, the President/CEO, and Congress concerning trends and systemic matters that the
Office of the Corporate Ombudsman has identified as confronting the American Red Cross.