SARA RUIZ
Pembroke Pines
Summary
Mission-driven nonprofit leader with deep expertise in national volunteer strategy, program implementation, and stakeholder engagement. Currently managing enterprise-level initiatives for the American Red Cross, delivering significant growth in volunteer participation and service hours while supporting urgent disaster response and blood supply needs. Known for strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and the ability to translate complex goals into scalable, high-impact programs.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
MANAGER, VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
AMERICAN RED CROSS
04.2023 - Current
- Manage and implement national volunteer recruitment and engagement strategies including budgets, communications and resource development.
- Translate program metrics and volunteer survey data into actionable plans.
- Drive program results while also maintaining flexibility to support urgent needs such as blood shortage appeals and national disaster responses.
- Lead national projects, including project planning, execution and team management.
SENIOR ASSOCIATE, ENGAGEMENT & CLIENT SUPPORT
AMERICAN RED CROSS
07.2021 - 04.2023
- Developed and managed standards, tools and resources for use by regional teams.
- Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to drive results, including managing multimillion-dollar donor relationships.
- Managed volunteer program plans, evaluation and continuous improvement planning.
- Served as subject matter expert on volunteer and partnership database.
ASSOCIATE, ENGAGEMENT & CLIENT SUPPORT
AMERICAN RED CROSS
07.2019 - 07.2021
- Responsible for oversight and strategy for National Headquarters volunteer engagement processes, including creation and rollout of program changes.
- Led cross functional Innovation Teams that created and launched new strategy for volunteer onboarding and engagement.
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS VOLUNTEER RECRUITER
AMERICAN RED CROSS
11.2017 - 07.2019
- Responsible for recruiting executive level volunteer positions, including creating and executing strategic recruitment plans.
- Collaborated with internal departments to understand volunteer needs and managed relationships with external organizations to optimize volunteer recruitment pipelines.
Education
MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK - Community Organization, Planning and Administration
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles, CA08.2013
BACHELOR OF ARTS - SOCIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Gainesville, FL12.2010
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - PSYCHOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Gainesville, FL12.2010
Skills
- Program management
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Results orientation
- Stakeholder engagement
- Strategic planning
- Adaptability
- Communication and storytelling
Timeline
MANAGER, VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
AMERICAN RED CROSS
04.2023 - Current
SENIOR ASSOCIATE, ENGAGEMENT & CLIENT SUPPORT
AMERICAN RED CROSS
07.2021 - 04.2023
ASSOCIATE, ENGAGEMENT & CLIENT SUPPORT
AMERICAN RED CROSS
07.2019 - 07.2021
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS VOLUNTEER RECRUITER
AMERICAN RED CROSS
11.2017 - 07.2019
MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK - Community Organization, Planning and Administration
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
BACHELOR OF ARTS - SOCIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - PSYCHOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA