Longtime Los Altos resident Linda Dotson said she didn’t always consider herself a philanthropist. She may have to reconsider after receiving the Northern California 2025 Red Cross Visionary Partner of the Year Award this spring at a gala in San Francisco.
“I had a plan set up so that a lot of what was left when I die would go to charities like the American Red Cross,” Dotson said. “During the pandemic, I had this revelation: Why am I waiting until after I die to make a difference?”
Dotson added she would often give to disaster relief funds – including Red Cross responses to California wildfires – but she did not have specific goals regarding the broader impact of her donations. That changed when the pandemic hit.
“I saw how devastating the shutdown was,” Dotson said. “I listened to people who were really, really struggling – folks who didn’t have enough money to buy food or medicine or pay their rent and I … needed to learn more.”
Thus began Dotson’s education in philanthropy.
“I got the help of a consulting organization that investigates nonprofit groups to see how they’re functioning,” Dotson said. “I talked to people and asked questions, but really it was mostly driven by what my own interests were.”
After speaking with Red Cross Philanthropy Director Sarah Harding, she learned about the Red Cross’ initiative to respond to apartment and house fires.
“I asked for things where I could donate now and make a difference,” Dotson said. “I was pretty impressed with the home fire program and found out that it was underfunded a lot.”
Harding then introduced Dotson to the Red Cross community adaptation program, which, at the time, was a pilot program with six sites throughout the country designed to help isolated communities recover from natural disasters.
“The reason I think I got this award is because when I first heard about it, I supported it right away,” Dotson said. “That early support is what helped them kick this thing off.”
With Dotson’s support, the community adaptation program grew to 20 sites, including one recently opened in Monterey. The Red Cross chose the east side of Monterey as a location after documenting its years-long struggle to recover from flooding.
“That’s what I’m hoping for – the time it takes a family to recover to shorten,” Dotson said. “I’m hoping this year I’ll get a chance to actually go visit and talk to the people myself.”
According to a Red Cross press release, Dotson was chosen in part for her “giving with a love of learning” and dedication to “addressing prevention and relief efforts to support vulnerable populations and communities.”
Along with natural disasters, Dotson supports safety, food, housing, voting rights and reproductive rights while continuing to research causes important to her.
“There’s a vast amount of stuff I learned that blew my mind,” Dotson said. “I’m really grateful for the Red Cross for educating me about what’s been going on, so it was very kind of them to give me the award.”
