Giving Compass' Take:

• Basil Sadiq, writing for VolunteerMatch, discusses how organizations can help offer and engage with volunteers after a natural disaster: through aligning mission to relief work and communicating helpfulness through effective sources. 

• What are the resources for individuals who are not connected to an organization, but would like to offer their time to help disaster relief efforts?

• Read the Giving Compass Disaster Relief and Recovery Magazine.

In times of disaster, people are eager to help. They seek ways to feel helpful and resourceful. If it makes sense for your local organization to help communities affected following a natural disaster, here’s a checklist for finding the right volunteers. We can’t emphasize this enough: please use your best discretion to keep you — and those around you — safe from harm.

Tie Your Mission to Relief

If your nonprofit works on immigration reform, for example, a natural disaster probably isn’t the best time to offer assistance. If your nonprofit benefits animals, babies, or the homeless, however, you can find ways to help better your community while tying your relief efforts back in with your mission.

During floods following Hurricane Harvey in Houston, people throughout Texas’ Gulf Coast were in need of critical supplies to help them back on their feet. Organizations such as the Texas SPCA and Texas Diaper Bank ramped up efforts to support stranded pets across the state, and collect diaper donations for affected babies, respectively.

Communicate Helpfulness

Use your public platforms to share content from local and federal government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and reliable publishers such as National Public Radio (NPR), the New York Times and the Washington Post. Remember, fact check your sources before sharing.

Read the full article about recruiting volunteers for disaster relief by Basil Sadiq at VolunteerMatch.