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Developing an Identity
Handling
Local Disaster Reponse
NVOAD's Resources
State and local VOADs can take several steps to establish themselves as participants in the disaster response arena.
Establish a mailing address. PO Boxes may be used for this purpose.
Obtain your own stationery. Members and other organizations will see that you are well-organized. Personalized stationery creates an impression of seriousness and permanence. The printing cost of your letterhead paper and envelopes can be met by a contribution from one of the participating organizations or as a budgeted item paid for by membership dues. (Contact NVOAD about resources for state VOADs printing their own materials.)
Develop a logo. If your VOAD would like to have its own logo, please contact NVOAD for guidance and recommendations before finalizing the design. NVOAD believes a similarity of design among state logos is desirable. Using the logo on all VOAD communications can promote the organization's visibility and name recognition.
Publish a simple newsletter—it is a good vehicle to share information and enhance communication among member organizations and other groups.
Keep media representatives informed. Get to know someone at the local newspapers, radio, and TV stations. At the least, send editors or reporters press releases and your newsletter. Let them know about your VOAD's existence and activities, before, during, and after a disaster.
Handling Local Disaster Response
When a disaster strikes, the VOAD leadership should swing into action. Michael Bruinooge of Christian Reformed World Relief Committee and former president of NVOAD, offers these suggestions (originally presented in the Winter 1996 NVOAD Newsletter):
Gather brief reports from member organizations and share them with the other members. Ask members to report how they are responding to the disaster to a particular person (determined in advance, for example, a VOAD officer). This communication could take place by phone, fax, or e-mail, whichever is quickest and most useful for the members. This information sharing may foster coordination among organizations on particular projects.
Convene a meeting of VOAD members at or near the disaster site. Do this through a member organization that is equipped to publicize the meeting and help lead it. This organization is usually the American Red Cross, through its VOLAG liaison officer. Such a meeting creates the conditions for coordinated responses by VOAD members and gives visibility to the VOAD and its ideals. At the meeting, member organizations should tell what their organizations are doing, be alert for any areas of duplication, and look for ways to coordinate their responses. Depending on the severity of the disaster, subsequent meetings may be scheduled.
Work behind the scenes to identify a group or groups to guide the long-term recovery. Stay involved with disaster response events as they move into the recovery phase. Use your experience and judgment to encourage the creation of a resource coordination committee—this group will often have a strong interfaith organization as a member. Also, if a number of community-based organizations new to disaster relief are interested, the time may be right to help them create a new local VOAD, which could look beyond the recovery efforts to "the next time."
When the recovery is well underway, convene a special VOAD meeting. Members will have some perspective on the disaster response, and they will have experienced how essential coordinated action is to effective responses. The lessons of the disaster will be vivid; take advantage of the opportunity! Discuss what has been learned, revise plans, strengthen preparedness, and recruit new members.
Throughout your response, always remember that a state or local VOAD, like NVOAD, has no role in providing direct services to victims of disaster, and no VOAD member organizations should be asked to provide such services on the VOAD's behalf. All direct services are to be provided only under the auspices of the member organizations themselves.
NVOAD has several resources to help state and local VOADs become effective organizations.
NVOAD's executive secretary supports existing VOADs and helps develop new ones. Among other tasks, this person provides expert advice and resource materials as appropriate. Because the consultant also maintains a file on each VOAD and a roster of all VOADs, as well as attends all meetings of the board of directors, he or she is able to present a broad view of the VOAD movement and vision. As time and funds are available, the executive secretary may attend VOAD meetings.
The members of NVOAD's board of directors are available as their time permits to make presentations, lead training sessions, and provide consultation. However, NVOAD is unable to pay travel and other costs associated with such training and consultation.
NVOAD sponsors an Annual VOAD Leadership Conference for the support and training of state and local VOAD leaders. VOADs bear their own costs for participation, but NVOAD takes overall responsibility for the event and assumes some of the coordination costs. American Red Cross special representatives to FEMA are invited to attend. The conference is normally held in conjunction with a meeting of the NVOAD board of directors.
NVOAD publishes a quarterly newsletter. It contains information on the current activities of NVOAD and its members.
NVOAD maintains a website at http://www.vita.org/nvoad. It also offers two ongoing e-meetings, NVOAD-SR (for situation reports) and VOADNET (for general discussion). To subscribe, consult Appendix 1.
For more information on any of these resources or to subscribe to the newsletter, contact the NVOAD executive secretary.
In addition, NVOAD encourages state VOADs to conduct annual training conferences for their members. While responsibility for the conference belongs to the state VOAD leadership, NVOAD's consultant and members of the board are available, as their time allows, to give feedback and advice, and to facilitate and lead portions of the conference.