• Does the ICRC accept donations in kind (clothing, food, water, etc.)?

    Unfortunately, we cannot accept donations in kind, be they medicines or any other items.

    Assistance programmes are highly complex operations. All products must meet very precise quality standards and be suitable for the location and environment where they'll be used. Moreover, it would require substantial resources to sort, store and transport items received in kind.

    We suggest you contact your country's National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society instead. They often have a system for collecting donated items and distributing them locally.

  • How can I be sure my online donation has been accepted?

    If you entered a valid email address, you will receive a message confirming your donation.

    If you don't receive an email within about 15 minutes, please contact us to request a confirmation of your donation.

  • I have a "No advertising" sticker on my mailbox. Why am I still getting your mailings?

    The Swiss postal service allows many non-profit organizations to distribute non-commercial post, even to mailboxes with the "No advertising" sticker. This is the case for the ICRC.

    Mailings are an important way for us to raise awareness of our work. We usually receive a positive response from recipients.

    But if you've made a donation to the ICRC and would prefer not to receive post from us, that is not a problem. Please contact our supporter care team and they'll take care of it.

  • How can I volunteer for the ICRC?

    The ICRC does not take on volunteers, but we encourage you to contact your country's National Society for opportunities to volunteer for them. You may also be interested in volunteering for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

    Please visit our jobs page for information about current vacancies.

  • Is my donation to the ICRC tax-deductible?

    If you pay tax in Switzerland, you may be able to deduct donations to the ICRC from your taxable income. The yearly minimum and the amount deductible can vary from canton to canton.

    The ICRC is an international organization based in Switzerland. If you pay tax in another country, please reach out to your country's tax authorities to know if your donation is eligible for a tax deduction.

    Find out more about tax deductions here.

  • How is the ICRC funded?

    The ICRC is funded by voluntary contributions.

    We recieve funding from the States party to the Geneva Conventions (governments), national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, supranational organizations (such as the European Commission) and public and private sources. Governments are our main donors: on average during the past five years, they contributed about 84% of the budget.

    But contributions remain voluntary and there is no guarantee that such contributions will last into the long-term.

Supporter Care Team