I have volunteered for the American Red Cross at various locations in the San Diego area. While volunteering at various locations, the site supervisor has changed. Luckily for most dates I was able to volunteer with the same site supervisor in charge. Furthermore, being a volunteer for this organization, I had the opportunity to gain knowledge and identify the important purpose of this organization. Before volunteering I had to contact the representative, submit several forms and receive training. The training I received was over the phone. Jacquie Dutchover, volunteer recruiting representative at the American Red Cross, explained to me the position for which I would be held responsible. He also explained the guidelines and appropriate attire needed to represent the organization. During the training he clearly stated the things needed to volunteer effectively. The training I received was simple, straightforward and took about 15 minutes. Friday, November 8th was the first time I volunteered for the American Red Cross. I volunteered a total of six hours at a high school in San Diego, California. My main job was to screen each donor as they came in. Being a high school, different regulations were established. If a student was sixteen years old, they had to have a parental permission form. Furthermore, the requested shape was light blue. Therefore, they could not pretend to be a different age. On the other hand, if a student was seventeen or older, it was not mandatory to have a parental permission form. All it took was a simple call from an American Red Cross representative to the student's parent asking for consent to donate. After parental permission, the student was asked for his last name and... half the paper... offered when many donors wanted to sign up. Finally, when all the donors have been registered, there are no other activities or tasks available to do so spend your time reading a book, staring at the wall or even playing on your phone. To make the American Red Cross volunteer enjoyable, they should have more than one volunteer helping screen each donor. The American Red Cross is funded by donations and cost recovery fees charged for some services. Under certain circumstances, the Red Cross receives money from the government because the government has entrusted it with the implementation of certain projects. The American Red Cross is also a non-profit charitable organization which exempts them from taxes. The majority of the staff are volunteers. Board members are also volunteers. Around 40,000 employees are predominantly nurses.