For a disaster volunteer resources manager (VRMs), the most important aspect of any response operation is the safety of volunteers and staff.  The hazards surrounding disaster response vary with the nature of the response operation.  This article outlines a few of the issues that disaster response VRMs should consider to protect the volunteers they manage. Read the rest of this entry »

Medical volunteers offer their skills in a number of ways.  Social service agencies engage them for their professional expertise and knowledge of the medical community.  During disaster planning, response and recovery, the Medical Reserve Corps volunteers provide valuable assistance to their communities by supporting public health initiatives and supporting medical operations during a disaster. Read the rest of this entry »

“The use of volunteers has proven critical to emergency management.  Both individual volunteers and established volunteer groups offer a wealth of skills and resources that can be used prior to, during, and after an emergency.  Mobilizing the private sector can add significantly to emergency management programs.  As an emergency management professional, your ability to work with volunteers before, during, and after an emergency can literally affect the lives and well being of the local citizenry.  Volunteers can impact – for better or worse – the ability of response agencies to do their jobs and can make a difference in how quickly the community is able to respond to and recover from a disaster.”  (FEMA) Read the rest of this entry »

Large volunteer projects have many inherent hazards.  Often these projects involve large numbers of volunteers with limited or general knowledge in construction, home repair and landscaping.  It is important that every Volunteer Resources Manager (VRM) address these safety considerations with volunteers to ensure that everyone has a safe and productive time at the agency. Read the rest of this entry »

As we read the newspapers each day, stories describe avian flu cases in countries such as China and Turkey.  While these cases seem to be located far away from American shores, American professionals have watched it coming closer and began to pose the question, ‘When will it reach America and how will we respond?’  The next question should be how will the US nonprofit community respond?

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You may remember a commercial a few years ago that depicted cat herding.  While the commercial humorously depicted modern management in general, it reminded volunteer resources managers (VRMs) about their work.  VRMs bring together information, ideas, and people and direct them where they need to go even when it seems that everyone is going in a different direction.

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Recently, the following question was posed on CyberVPM, “How do you interface with government officials responsible for disaster response if you are volunteer professional?”  The following answer is deceptively simple: “How do you interface with other nonprofit or business professionals?” Read the rest of this entry »

As operations have become more complex, teams have become more important than ever.  Systemically building highly responsive teams is a very specific skill that volunteer resources managers (VRMs) should master to operate more effectively in their agencies and communities.  It’s as easy as learning to R.O.C.K.

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Landing that first job can be a challenging experience but smart preparation can level the playing field for teens starting out in the job market.  One way to prepare is to volunteer in the community. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent study, commissioned by The Home Depot and the American Red Cross, found that 57% of Americans in the South have not prepared a hurricane disaster supplies kit and 34% had no predetermined location they could evacuate to for the hurricane season (June 1 – November 30). Read the rest of this entry »