Disaster Response Resources (not COVID-specific)

TracyLarimer

Here are several written resources

• How Community Foundations Can Coordinate Responses to Disasters
• Creating order from Chaos: Roles for Philanthropy in Disaster Planning and Response. 
• Disaster Philanthropy Playbook
• Council of Foundations Disaster resources

Webinar: The Lifecycle of Disaster Philanthropy

https://resources.foundant.com/education-webinars-for-community-foundations/the-lifecycle-of-disaster-philanthropy-3

The panelists in this webinar (listed below) are all Foundant clients. The webinar covers both immediate response & managing long-term community needs.

• @BethStipe – Executive Director, Community Foundation of North Central Washington – Discusses what immediate response looked like, and the lasting impact and additional work involved with disaster philanthropy.
• @MarkBrewer – President/CEO, Central Florida Foundation – will discuss partnering with private donors and private foundations in response to not only natural disasters, but crises such as the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Florida.
• Lynsie Laughlin -- Discusses responding to Hurricane Harvey in Dallas while a Grants Officer at The Dallas Foundation in 2017. Lynsie is now a part of the Foundant team! @LynsieLaughlin: Are there any best practices or lessons learned you would like to share about working with corporations to provide assistance for areas impacted?

LynsieStephens

- Thanks @TracyLarimer. Glad to be part of this #DisasterResponse conversation.

We learned a lot in Dallas just after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. I think among the most important was the benefit of collaboration. I know, that sounds like just a popular buzz-word in funding circles, but truly, we gathered with other funders in our community and nationwide to identify any holes in funding. Once we determined who was able to take action immediately with those most pressing needs, we were also able to help delegate who could do what for long term support. I think it's a natural instinct to want to jump at the chance to help right now today, and that is so important, but equally important is the help that is needed weeks, months, and years after a devastating event. Fine tuning that long-term perspective is challenging, but such a necessary piece of the puzzle.

We also were able to be reactive and meet the need of a handful of businesses and corporations, to start hardship assistance funds for their employees who were affected by the hurricane. Over the course of more than a year we were able to process donations from employees who wanted to help their colleagues, as well as grants to those individuals who lost their homes, cars, etc. Sometimes this meant cover the cost of a hotel while the family waited on their insurance to process paperwork, sometimes it meant buying groceries for a family that lost everything, or contributing to a down-payment as they replaced cars.

I look forward to hearing what other friends and colleagues have to say around disaster relief funding as well. It's one of those things that may be hard to plan for in advance, but if you can at least have a few ideas in place it's much easier to launch when that disaster happens.

LisaDiehl

@TracyLarimer @LynsieLaughlin

Thanks for these comments! In Texas, we are prone to weather incidents and this was very helpful information.

CameronWood

Hey, @KaraAdams - we are currently looking to start a hurricane relief grant and doing some research to pull things together. I came across this thread and really hoping to watch the webinar linked in the main post, but it is not working for me. Are you able to help with this? Thank you so much in advance!

KaraAdams (Former Community Manager)

Thank you for pointing that out, @CameronWood! I've edited the original post with a new link to the webinar. Please be sure to share what you learn and how your own disaster relief grant comes along!

CameronWood

Awesome, thank you so much, @KaraAdams! I will definitely be sure to share what we learn and come up with as we make our way through the process. Anyone else that happens to see this comment and has information or resources they can share, it would be greatly appreciated 😊