Governor's Hotline for Mobilizing Volunteers
Managing Spontaneous Volunteers
*courtesy
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
Anyone in Volunteer Administration can tell you that people have different reasons for volunteering. And, they always need something from the experience. To be successful at managing volunteers you need to identify what each one needs from the experience. And, you have to have a plan to be able to match volunteers with needed work. If you wait until a disaster happens, unsolicited volunteers will appear and may create a "disaster within a disaster". This common pattern prompted national efforts to help local agencies understand what typically happens and how to manage people's good intentions during the hectic time before, during, and after a disaster.
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To follow are the first three paragraphs of an online booklet/manual developed to help local agencies. They identify who developed the booklet, why it was developed, and how they hope it will help your agency. It offers step-by-step strategies for effectively utilizing unsolicited volunteers who want to help during a time of disaster.
"When disaster– natural or man-made – strikes a community, specific emergency management and nonprofit organizations automatically respond according to a pre-established plan. Each of these designated organizations has a specific role to play in ensuring an effective response to and recovery from the disaster’s devastation. Yet one element within the present system continues to pose a challenge: spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers.
Spontaneous, unaffiliated volunteers – our neighbors and ordinary citizens – often arrive on-site at a disaster ready to help. Yet because they are not associated with any part of the existing emergency management response system, their offers of help are often underutilized and even problematic to professional responders. The paradox is clear: people’s willingness to volunteer versus the system’s capacity to utilize them effectively.
The events of September 11 dramatically illustrated the need for better planning in this arena, and the issue of unaffiliated volunteers began receiving increased attention. In April 2002, UPS, the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) convened a National Leadership Forum on Disaster Volunteerism. The Forum brought together leadership and operations experts from the volunteer and emergency management communities, Volunteer Centers, firefighters, local government emergency management staff, and those with years of hands-on experience. Participants representing over 45 organizations identified challenges and opportunities associated with disaster volunteering; developed preliminary recommendations and action steps for addressing the challenges of spontaneous volunteers; and secured commitment from participating organizations to work toward the recommendations proposed. "
The Forum’s initial work and findings were important first steps. Quite evident, however, was the need for additional tools, training and resources to implement recommendations at the local level. In the spring of 2003, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) coalition established a Volunteer Management Committee to continue this work. The committee consists of representatives with hands-on experience in emergency management and volunteer management. Members were chosen for their broad expertise as well as their ability to secure a commitment of resources by their organizations towards implementing the recommendations. The committee is staffed by the Points of Light Foundation and funded by a grant from The UPS Foundation.
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Whenever a citizen or agency steps in to help in an emergency, there is the potential for unexpected things to happen. In the past, these type of situations would end up in court. As a result, people became afraid to help.
Recognizing that most people in those circumstances have good intentions, a variety of legislation has been passed to ensure that those individuals are protected from litigation and lawsuits.
It is important to channel volunteers through organized volunteer organizations. Some volunteers want to only volunteer during disaster events. For those volunteers, Community Emergency Response Teams would be a good choice. Through this program, the volunteers are trained in appropriate disaster response for disasters events their area would be more likely to encounter. To access contact information for local volunteer agencies and disaster response volunteering websites, use the link below.
To support the spiritual needs of disaster volunteers in an emergency, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) has put together a booklet. Many of the NVOAD member organizations have religious and spiritual backgrounds. The booklet is intended as a guide to help attend to and plan for the spiritual needs of disaster victims and those who help them.
Spiritual Care includes anything that assists an individual, family or community in drawing upon their own spiritual perspective as a source of strength, hope and healing. In disaster, anything that nurtures the human spirit in coping with the crisis is Spiritual Care. Disaster Spiritual Care endeavors to provide sensitive, appropriate care for all persons and to celebrate and respect every spiritual perspective.
The booklet is called "Light Our Way - A Guide for Spiritual Care in Times of Disaster for Disaster Response Volunteers, First Responders and Disaster Planners".
Spirituality is an essential part of humanity. Disaster disrupts people’s spiritual lives significantly. Nurturing people’s spiritual needs contributes to holistic healing. Everyone can benefit from Spiritual Care in times of disaster.
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