This lesson will introduce ways to work with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other private sector organizations that could provide volunteers during an emergency. At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• List the key responsibilities of the Volunteer Program Coordinator with regard to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.
• Develop a list of NGOs and other private sector organizations that can provide volunteers during an emergency.
• Ascertain the type(s) of volunteer services that could be provided by identified organizations.
• Identify and address common issues involved with managing volunteers and points of contact that can be used for consultation and advice.
• Develop a topical outline for a plan to work with NGOs and other private sector organizations. 

During emergencies, more volunteers may be needed than the jurisdiction can recruit or manage. Specialized skills may be required that are not available through the jurisdiction. Working with voluntary and other outside organizations is critical to running a volunteer program that is efficient, effective, and safe.

Some jurisdictions or agencies resolve these issues by appointing a Volunteer Program Coordinator who is responsible for working with and coordinating volunteer management inside and outside the jurisdiction’s emergency operations capabilities.

The appointment of a Volunteer Program Coordinator can resolve many volunteer issues, both inside and outside the jurisdiction. Whether working internally or externally, the Volunteer Program Coordinator has several general responsibilities, including:

• Developing effective working relationships. The Volunteer Program Coordinator acts as a liaison between the jurisdiction/agencies and outside organizations.
• Collaborating with internal and external agencies and organizations to develop an exercise plan to coordinate volunteer services.
• Working with internal and external organizations to develop a plan for addressing volunteer needs before an emergency occurs.

Some issues just cannot be solved unilaterally—at least not if the jurisdiction/agency wants to maintain a good relationship with external organizations. Coordination issues that are critical for partner organizations to work out together include:

• Determining the circumstances under which a Volunteer Reception Center will be opened, how it will be staffed, and how volunteer services will be matched with requests for volunteer services.
• Identifying which agencies or organizations will be responsible for providing which emergency services.
• Deciding which agencies or organizations will be responsible for recruiting, training, supervising, and evaluating volunteers.
• Developing a plan for addressing volunteer needs before an emergency occurs.

Coordination issues should be resolved among all stakeholders and incorporated into the Volunteer Management Annex of the Emergency Operations Plan.

Before working with external organizations, the Volunteer Program Coordinator has important responsibilities within the jurisdiction/agency. Generally resolving internal issues involves working with:

• The emergency planning/management team to gather or confirm information about how they prefer to use volunteers. The emergency planning/management team will have the final say about whether and how volunteers will be engaged. Their preferences will guide the Volunteer Program Coordinator as he or she works with others inside and outside the jurisdiction.
• Agency personnel to determine:
  • Whether they can provide volunteers and if so, the types of skills their volunteers can provide.
  • Whether they will need volunteers and if so, the types of skills they will need. 

Working with other organizations and their volunteers requires the ability to work as a team toward a common mission. Developing collaborative relationships takes time and involves:

• A commitment to participate in shared decisionmaking.
• A willingness to share information, resources, and tasks.
• A professional sense of respect for all team members.

Collaboration requires flexibility to agree on common terms and priorities, willingness to compromise, and commitment to learn from others’ experience in previous emergencies and volunteer engagements. Collaboration provides clear advantages to all by:

• Eliminating duplication of services, resulting in a more efficient response.
• Expanding resource availability.
• Enhancing problemsolving through cross-pollination of ideas.

Although they are not given the credit they deserve, NGOs, business, and others have played a key role in emergency planning and response.

Some organizations have established volunteer programs. Others have provided equipment, emergency supplies, and other critical materials needed for the jurisdiction to respond to and recover from an emergency. Still others have provided specialized technical expertise needed for the response and recovery.

Think expansively when identifying organizations that could help meet the jurisdiction’s needs. One excellent source of volunteers and expertise is Citizen Corps. Citizen Corps was created to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make jurisdictions safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation.

Local Citizen Corps Councils implement Citizen Corps programs.

The Citizen Corps mission is to:

• Prepare the public for local risks with targeted outreach.
• Engage voluntary organizations to help augment resources for public safety, preparedness, and response capabilities.
• Integrate whole community representatives with emergency managers to ensure disaster preparedness and response planning represents the whole community and integrates nontraditional resources.

Citizen Corps affiliate programs expand the resources and materials available to States and local jurisdictions through partnerships with programs and organizations that:

• Offer resources for public education, outreach, and training.
• Represent volunteers interested in helping to make their jurisdictions safer.
• Offer volunteer service opportunities to support first responders, disaster assistance activities, and community safety efforts.

Instructions: Think about the organizations that may support your jurisdiction. On a separate note or paper with two columns, write the organization name in the left column. Then write the kinds of volunteers or services each organization can offer.

Instructions: Think about the skills needed in your jurisdiction. On a separate note or paper with two columns, write the skill requirements in the left column. In the right column, write the organizations that may be able to provide volunteers with those skills.

Relationships with external organizations must be developed before an emergency occurs, even if all available services may not be activated for each. It may be helpful to schedule preliminary meetings with representatives of individual organizations to:

• Describe the jurisdiction’s needs.
• Gather information about resources, including:
  • Resource availability.
  • The circumstances under which the resources would be available.
  • Timeframes required to activate and deploy volunteers.
  • Time limits for volunteer use.
  • Treatment of potential liability issues.

Following individual meetings, the Volunteer Program Coordinator should study the information gathered before meeting with external organizations as a group.

Following individual meetings and data analysis, one or more meetings should be scheduled with all external organizations to review the data and gain agreement on how:

• All players can work together.
• They will communicate with each other and with the jurisdiction.
• Resources will be requested, activated, deployed, tracked, and deactivated.
• Volunteer and other services may not be used.
• Volunteers will be trained and supervised and by whom.

Organizational culture should be discussed to the degree that it can affect volunteer services. If there are other key areas needing agreement, they should be discussed thoroughly at the meetings.

After agreement is reached among all stakeholders, the decisions made should be documented, in writing, for inclusion as the Volunteer Management Annex of the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

Each organization is responsible for ensuring that the annex moves through the proper chain of command for review and approval. 

Draft documents may need to go through several rounds of review by legal counsel and others before taking any draft policies or procedures to decisionmakers. Each organization’s legal counsel should be consulted at this time, and questions or objections raised by any organization’s counsel should be addressed in house or among organization members, as necessary.

It may be necessary for the stakeholders to review and negotiate revisions based on legal counsel review. Some degree of compromise may be required of the stakeholders, but every comment should be addressed.

Jurisdiction/agency decisionmakers make the final decisions about whether negotiated agreements are acceptable. Because protocols for gaining approval vary from organization to organization, the Volunteer Program Coordinators should follow the review process established by the jurisdiction/agency.

In addition, the Volunteer Program Coordinator should develop a presentation in the format the decisionmaker prefers and should be available and able to answer questions about the agreement and the benefits the volunteer program presents.

If one or more decisionmakers have questions or comments on the document, it may be necessary to convene additional meetings with the organizations. 

After gaining approval from decisionmakers, the document should be released for public comment. Seeking public input and feedback on volunteer program plans and strategies helps engage citizens who have valuable contributions based on past volunteer experiences – as well as those who might volunteer in future emergency situations.

Input from the public should be taken seriously, and considered for possible inclusion in the plan. If public input leads to significant revisions, it may be necessary to:

• Send the document through another round of stakeholder meetings, and
• Submit the document for a second review and approval by the decisionmakers.

This lesson introduced:

• The key responsibilities of the Volunteer Program Coordinator with regard to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.
• How to develop a list of NGOs and other private sector organizations that can provide volunteers during an emergency.
• How to identify the type(s) of volunteer services that could be provided by identified organizations.
• How to identify and address common issues involved with managing volunteers and points of contact that can be used for consultation and advice.
• How to develop a topical outline for a plan to work with NGOs and other private sector organizations.