VOLUNTEER AND DONATIONS MANAGEMENT

INFORMATIONAL OVERVIEW

“Uncoordinated, uncontrolled masses of donated goods and volunteers can interfere

with disaster operations and cause a secondary disaster”

Volunteer & Donations Management - Defined

In response to the donations problem generated during Hurricane Andrew and other recent disasters, in 1993 FEMA invited its planning partners – voluntary agencies, State and local governments, other Federal agencies, and some business and industry partners – to address the problem of unsolicited donated goods and volunteer services.

The National Steering Committee agreed on planning assumptions and recommendations for States to manage unsolicited goods, unaffiliated volunteers, and undesignated cash donations; these key elements became the initial National Donations Management Strategy.

Definition continued In April 2002, a National Leadership Forum on Disaster

Volunteerism (UPS, Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, and FEMA) brought a diverse group of agencies and individuals together to address the challenges of spontaneous volunteers in times of disasters.

Modeled after the National Donations Management Strategy, 10 key principles were developed to address the management of unaffiliated volunteers specifically and to supplement the national strategy on donations management.

The strategy elements and key principles are intended to give a basic understanding to the major questions about volunteer and donations management. Emphasized throughout is that a plan and procedures should be developed by States and their voluntary agency partners to implement these guidelines.

The plan should specify how a State will manage a volunteer and donations operation in a disaster.

Value of a Volunteer & Donations Management

System

Provides Program Guidance to the States.

Brings together Standardization and Common Terminology.

The results help develop an Effective and Efficient Volunteer and Donations Management Program.

Visual 5.30

Volunteer and Donations Management System

ManageInformation

ManageLogistics

Receive Donations Offers

Provide Assistance to

Victims

Identify Needs

Educate the Public

IncidentOccurs

Negotiate with Donors

Solidify Partnerships with Donors

Volunteer & Donations Management System

Implemented throughout the four phases of emergency management.

The elements of the volunteer and donations management system establish a consistent flow of information and goods to help manage operational activities.

The basic mechanism for the public to donate and volunteer should not be changed dramatically from response to recovery.

EmergencyManagement

Cycle

Preparedness

Recovery

Response Mitigation

Visual 5.30

Volunteer and Donations Management System

ManageInformation

ManageLogistics

Receive Donations Offers

Provide Assistance to

Victims

Identify Needs

Educate the Public

IncidentOccurs

Negotiate with Donors

Solidify Partnerships with Donors

Key Agencies and Organizations

Several key organizations become involved in managing unsolicited donations of goods and volunteer services. Interagency collaboration enables organizations to work together as a team, strengthening the overall response to a disaster, and minimizing or eliminating duplication of services.

EMAs: Emergency Management Agencies (local, State, Territorial, Tribal, and Federal governments)

CBOs: Community-based organizations FBOs: Faith-based organizations VOAD: Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster NVOAD: National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

Key Individuals Several key individuals become involved in

managing unsolicited donations of goods and unaffiliated volunteer services.

Qualified individuals must be identified and recruited to fulfill key program roles.

Include: Local/State/FEMA Volunteer and Donations

Coordinators Volunteer and Donations Coordination Team Members Voluntary Agency Representatives Others (business & industry, media, labor

organizations, civic organizations)

Volunteer and Donations Coordinator

Roles and Responsibilities Establish a Volunteer and Donations

Management Program. Activate the Volunteer and Donations

function to the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Determine support requirements. Manage the Volunteer & Donations

Coordination Team. Work with the Public Information Officer. Maintain link with the State Emergency

Operations Center. Oversee phone bank operations. Ensure logistical support. Delegate responsibilities.

Volunteer and Donations Coordination Team (VDCT) Coordinates the management and flow

of offers from the public so that needed goods and services are received in an effective and timely manner and unneeded goods and services are kept out of the disaster area.

Managed by the State Volunteer and Donations Coordinator.

Membership broad-based: Government Voluntary Agencies Faith-based Organizations Community-based and Civic Organizations Business & Industry

Basic Functions of a VDCT Identifying needed

and unneeded donations.

Processing unsolicited offers.

Serving as liaison. Managing the phone

bank. Ensuring a smooth

transition from response to recovery.

Conducting donations intelligence and rumor control.

Coordinating field logistics.

Coordinating media releases.

Coordinating with emerging organizations and spontaneous volunteers.

Program Facilities Volunteer and Donations Coordination Center – location

where the VDCT administers the program; possible location for the phone bank; located near the EOC. Does not receive goods.

Resource Staging Areas – locations used to stage donated goods coming into a state or area and then directed to either distribution centers or a multi-agency warehouse.

Multi-Agency Warehouse – location used to receive, unload, sort, inventory, and move to facility for distribution of the unsolicited donations of goods. Does not operate as a walk-in distribution center.

Distribution Centers – locations established to give out donated goods.

Volunteer Reception Centers – locations within the community used as a clearing house to assign and mobilize spontaneous and unaffiliated volunteers.

Operational Considerations Information

Management Managing Goods,

Facilities, & Transportation

Managing Volunteers/Services

Managing CashVisual 5.1

The Sample Volunteer and Donations Process

Event

Media/ PublicInterest

VDCTActivated

VDCTCoordinatesLogisticalSupport

Goods

Cash

Services Data Base

VDCTProcessesThe Offers

Shipping

Receiving

Distribution

Recipient

Donors

Thank YouDistributed

Affiliation

Volunteer and Donations Management Plan

The Plan defines and outlines the program.

Referred to by various names in different States (plan, annex, function or supplement).

Interface between all plans is necessary.

SOPs

Appendices

Annexes

EOP

ESFsNRP

Local Plans

State Plan

Local Plans

Local Plans

Federal

Training Opportunities Independent Study (FEMA)

IS288 – The Role of Voluntary Agencies in Emergency Management

IS230 – Principles of Emergency Management

IS100 – Introduction to the Incident Command System

IS700 – National Incident Management System, An Introduction

www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp

State Emergency Management Agency

G288 – Donations Management Workshop (under revision)

G108 – Community Mass Care Management

www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/STCourses/

Emergency Management Institute (FEMA)

E288 – State Volunteer and Donations Management

www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/EMICourses/

References FEMA Materials

E288 State Volunteer and Donations Management Course

Brochures “When Disaster Strikes … How You Can Help” (L-217 English and Spanish – FEMA Publications 1-800-480-2520)

NVOAD www.nvoad.org

Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network

Brochure - Managing Spontaneous Volunteers in Times of Disaster: The Synergy of Structure and Good Intentions www.PointsofLight.org/Disaster