Red Cross Week – information for volunteers

What is the Red Cross Week?

Red Cross Week is an annual theme week organized by the Finnish Red Cross, focusing on the promotion of humanitarian values and volunteering. The week takes place in early May, featuring various events and campaigns across Finland.

The roots of the Red Cross Week lies in the World Red Cross Day, celebrated on May 8th, which is the birthday of the Red Cross founder Henry Dunant. In 2026, the week will be celebrated from May 4th to 10th.

The main theme of the week is related to volunteering: celebrating our helpers, presenting local activities, and inviting new volunteers to join. The goal is to increase awareness of Red Cross activities, inspire new people to join volunteer activities, raise funds to support the operations, and strengthen people's preparedness for emergencies.

Red Cross Week offers an opportunity to highlight the importance of volunteering as a source of joy and hope, and to raise current humanitarian issues, such as the importance of humanitarian law and social justice.

Tips for Red Cross Week

Thanking volunteers

• Organize a joint recreation day or a thank-you celebration for all volunteers within the branch and districts.
• Thank the volunteers: you can find tips for thanking them here.

Contacting and welcoming new volunteers

• Contact all new volunteers registered through OMA Red Cross and invite them to join the activities.
• Message or call everyone registered as a volunteer personally, or send a targeted message to everyone interested in the same type of activity.
• For new volunteers, you can organize, for example, an induction evening, a "Helper Course" (Auttajakurssi) for families, or an open house with coffee at your premises.
• You can use the materials found in Volunteer Info to support contacting new volunteers and informing them about the activities, such as materials related to welcoming new volunteers or short-term volunteer tasks. Also, remember the instructions and tips for more equal volunteering!

Red Cross Week events and membership

• In the Material Bank, you will find an event announcement template and social media share images for communication, helping you share information about your activities and encourage those interested to become volunteers or join as members.
• Remember to create local events in OMA Red Cross so that newcomers can find them.
• Red Cross membership is a statement in support of Red Cross values and principles. Organize a membership recruitment campaign during the week! Materials to support recruitment can be found in the Material Bank under the campaign week materials and in the Membership section.
• Contact all new members who have joined during the year. Thank the members for their involvement and invite them to volunteer.

Let's work together to ensure that new members and volunteers find their way into our activities!