Donations to Red Cross Plunge: Typical Ebb and Flow or Sign of Lost Faith?

The American Red Cross experienced a 32 percent drop in donations over the past year amid growing competition from newer nonprofits.

The organization’s rank among the nation’s best-supported nonprofits fell from ninth to 21st place in an annual survey released Thursday by The Chronicle of Philanthropy—its lowest position since the survey began in 1991.

The Red Cross ranked second in the survey as recently as 2007. It received almost $3 billion in donations after Hurricane Katrina in the 2006 fiscal year.

Donations surged again after Superstorm Sandy. Suzy DeFrancis, chief public affairs officer for the Red Cross, said the organization received $307 million in 2013 in response to the massive storm. Its total contributions, which totaled about $1.08 billion that year, fell to $734.6 million in the 2014 fiscal year.