I think Elizabeth Dole came on board after the tainted blood scandals. Later on, the American Red Cross started its policy of allowing donors to call back later and let them know if the blood should not be used. That way, if folks are giving blood as part of a group, and they don’t want anyone else to know about their situation, they can contact the Red Cross privately.
On January 4, 1999, Elizabeth Dole resigned from her position as head of the world's largest humanitarian relief agency, immediately signaling her sights were focused on something even more challenging in Washington.
"The Red Cross is now as solid as rock and I believe there may be another way for me to serve our country," she told a room full of tearful employees and volunteers as she stepped down. "The Red Cross has been a glorious mission field."
She became president of the American Red Cross in 1991. The organization's first female president since founder Clara Barton, Dole oversaw a budget of $2.1 billion, 32,000 employees, and 1.4 million volunteers. Hired amid a scandal over possible HIV-contamination of the blood supply, she promptly revamped the agency's blood bank procedures. She also solved its budget crisis, raising $3.6 billion for the agency along the way. And stressing the importance of volunteerism, she passed up the first year of her $200,000 salary.