This document discusses trends and opportunities in disaster volunteer management. It notes that today's volunteers seek project-based and skills-based opportunities and want to feel their time is used effectively. They research options and connect online. For disasters, it discusses just-in-time training, self-contained groups, credentialing, and using technology. Volunteer reception centers are commonly used to manage unaffiliated disaster volunteers but may not work in all situations, such as during heavy snowfall or health emergencies. Social media, mobile apps, and technology provide opportunities to engage and manage volunteers. The document provides resources for volunteer management and using technology and social media.

1. Disaster Volunteer Management:
Trends & Opportunities
May 2011
National VOAD Annual Conference

2. Trends - General
Today’s Volunteers
• Interested in domestic & international opportunities
• Seeking project-based and skills-based opportunities
• Want to feel that their time was effectively utilized (less
bureaucracy, more professionalism)
• Freedom to research volunteer options and connect
online
• Expect fast response times

3. Trends - Disaster
Opportunities Volunteers
• Just-In-Time trainings
• Self-contained groups
• Security and credentialing
• Use of technology (new and social media)
• Need for volunteers to understand the process
(takes time to organize response effective response
efforts)
3

4. Developing a Strategy
Identify your agency’s volunteer needs
• Be creative
• Be mindful of current trends – What are you
doing to appeal to today’s volunteers?
Go where the volunteers are
• In your community
• Online

5. Trends - Affiliated
Affiliated Volunteers
• NGOs seeking resources for "best practices"
for volunteer management
• Keeping volunteers engaged during all phases
of disaster
• Increased need for Long-Term Recovery
volunteers
• Avoiding volunteer burn-out

6. Trends - Unaffiliated
Unaffiliated Volunteers
• Volunteer Reception Centers
– Current model of managing unaffiliated
volunteers during the response and short-term
recovery phases
• Situations in which a different model is
needed

7. Trends - Unaffiliated
Volunteer Recep7on Centers
• Video (http://volunteerhoward.org/2010/09/volunteer-mobilization-center-regional-exercise/)
• Incorporating technology into VRC Model
• Preparing local nonprofit and governmental
agencies to receive unaffiliated volunteers
• Virtual VRC

8. Opportunities
There are situa7ons in which a VRC may not be
the best model to manage disaster volunteers:
• Can you name situations in which this
model might not work? Why?
• What are some alternatives?

9. Opportunities – Heavy Snowfall
• Volunteers
may not be
able to get out
to help
• If they could,
do you want
them going to
a VRC?

10. Opportunities – Health Emergency
• Social distancing
or quarantine
situations
• Safety of
volunteers and
safety of those
being served –
what protections
are in place? A@ribu7on Noncommercial Some rights reserved by TheKarenD

11. Opportunities – Social Media

12. Trends – New & Social Media
• Sharing via social networks
• Decrease of online privacy
• Geo-location
• Storytelling (videos & photos)
• Crowdsourcing ( )
http://www.pixelworkshop.com/blog/
• Call to action (as opposed to “awareness”)
• Monitoring messaging

13. Opportunities – Social Media
• Establish your organization as a trusted voice prior
to disaster
• Clear unified messaging across all platforms
• Consider using social media to keep volunteers
informed and engaged
• Promote successes and stories via video and
photos
• Make it easy for folks to share content via their
social networks

14. Opportunities - Technology
• Information storage and
accessibility
• Volunteer updates &
notification using
technology (text
messaging, social media,
etc.)
• Volunteers sharing
opportunities and
experiences with their
social networks
Photo Credit: Nokton, Creative Commons some rights reserved: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nokton/4621778766/

15. Opportunities – Mobile Technology
• Mobile-friendly
websites
• Mobile Apps for
volunteer
recruitment and
management
A@ribu7on: Noncommercial Some rights reserved by Na7onwide Insurance

16. Resources – Volunteer Management
• Na7onal VOAD Volunteer Management
Commi@ee:
• Documents: h@p://www.nvoad.org/index.php/resource‐library/documents/
cat_view/46‐volunteer‐management‐.html
• Volunteer Bill of Rights
• HandsOn Network & Points of Light Ins7tute:
• h@p://www.handsonnetwork.org/
• h@p://www.pointsoflight.org/
• Others?

17. Resources – Tech & Social Media
NTEN (Nonprofit Technology Network): h@p://
www.nten.org/
Tech Soup: h@p://www.techsoup.org/
We Are Media: h@p://www.wearemedia.org/Tool+Box
Change.org: h@p://nonprofits.change.org/
John Haydon – Social Media Marke7ng for Nonprofits: h@p://
www.johnhaydon.com/
Beth’s Blog ‐ How Nonprofit Organiza7ons Can Use Social Media to
Power Social Networks for Change: h@p://www.bethkanter.org/

18. Questions & Thank You
• Questions?
• Thanks!
Kellie Bentz
Director of Disaster Services
HandsOn Network
404.840.5286
kbentz@handsonnetwork.org
Mickey Gomez
Executive Director
Volunteer Center Serving Howard County
Maryland VOAD
410.715.3176
mickey@volunteerhoward.org