Red Cross is evolving

Let your voice be heard—Join us in reforming the Red Cross!

You now have the chance to affect what the Red Cross will be like in the future. Together, we can ensure that we are able to provide effective, correctly timed help to those in the direst need.

The world is changing faster than ever before. The change also affects what kind of help people need and what are the most effective ways of helping. We need the voice of every volunteer, member and employee so that we can meet the demands of the change together.

The core mission of the Red Cross—to help those who need help—remains the same. To ensure that those who need help the most receive it, we need to evolve.  The reform does not mean that we are abandoning all familiar methods of helping, but we are complementing them with new methods.

Comment on the draft strategy

The guidelines for the Red Cross activities are decided for a period of three years in the strategy. The new draft strategy sets out the goals of our activities for 2027–2029.

Volunteers, members and staff have the opportunity to comment on the strategy. The new strategy will be adopted by the General Assembly of the Finnish Red Cross in June (page in Finnish). Before that, the Board of the Finnish Red Cross may make changes to the strategy based on comments received on the draft.

The strategy is more concise than before, and an impact assessment has been carried out to support it. You can find all the documents at the bottom of the page.

Focus on local activities, preparedness and humanitarian advocacy

The aim of the strategy and the change it will bring is to be able to meet the needs of a changing world. Changes in the operating environment and the information we collect guide our future strategy to focus on preparedness and contingency at individual, community and societal levels.

The three strategic goals of the new policy are:

1. Local help strengthens the crisis resilience of communities
2. National preparedness and contingency planning are decisively strengthened
3. The Finnish Red Cross is recognised and a visible humanitarian advocate

Our aim is to strengthen the capacity of local communities to cope with different kinds of crises and disruptions. We want to be an organisation that is an integral part of national preparedness and able to scale up quickly in the face of crises and disruptions.  We also aim to secure the opportunities for our organisation to act and raise the profile of humanitarian principles.

Three alternative organisational models have been developed to support the organisational consultation process, and they have been subject to separate impact assessments. We invite everyone to share their views on the implications of the organisation model and how the models best meet the objectives of the strategy and the changing needs for aid.

Comment on the strategy

Volunteers and members can comment on the strategy by:

• Completing a questionnaire independently here
• Participating in workshops organised by the districts
• Organising a discussion event in their own branch or activity group and reporting the results through a national survey. Instructions here.
• Participating in the discussion on the FRC online learning environment Kompassi
• Participating in national discussions on Teams
  • 24.02.2026, klo 17:30–19:30 (In Finnish). Sign up in Oma.
  • 5.3.2026, klo 17:30–19:30 (In Finnish). Sign up in Oma.
  • 7.3.2026, klo 10:15–12:15 (In Finnish, for young people under 29 years old). Sign up in Oma.
  • 11.3.2026, klo 17.30–19.30 (In Swedish). Sign up in Oma.
  • 16.3.2026, klo 17.30–19.30 (In Finnish, for young people under 29 years old). Sign up in Oma.
  • 17.3.2026, klo 17.30–19.30 (In English). Sign up in Oma.
  • 26.3.2026, klo 17.30–19.30(In Finnish). Sign up in Oma.

The Red Cross is reforming as the world around it is changing

For nearly 150 years, the Red Cross has been helping those in emergency situations, protecting life, and defending human dignity and rights. The basis for all our work and planning is individuals in need of aid and helping them. Solutions we created in the past came in response to the needs for help at that time. However, as the world changes, so too does the need for help.

The General Assembly 2023 decided to initiate in this policy term a discussion at all levels of the organisation on with what types of administrative and personnel structures we are best prepared to meet the changing needs related to aid. All branches are encouraged to seek and experiment with new operating methods.

Enquiries

Red Cross reform:  
Development Manager Sanna Pesonen, +358(0)40 624 9543, sanna.pesonen@redcross.fi

District discussions: 
District contact persons or Organisational Development Specialist Maija Erpestad, maija.erpestad@redcross.fi