HOME PAGE |
SUBSCRIBE TO BIG MED AT THE BIG MED SITE ON GOOGLE GROUPS. |
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
November 10, 2009 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Big Medicine is published by Team EMS Inc.
Managing Editor
Contact: ideas@tems.ca
Views
Contributor Emeritus
Tools
Stop Violence Against Women & Girls
The views expressed here reflect the views of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of their organizations. In particular, the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Big Medicine, nor any member of Team EMS Inc.
|
|
VIEWS: A. CELESTE SAULS-MARKS, CVA* *Certified Volunteer Administrator
Spontaneous Volunteer Management in a Disaster
[Feb 6 2009]
According to the U.S.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA):
"The use of volunteers
has proven critical to emergency management. Both
While every disaster presents new issues, new response parameters and requires unique adaptations to previous response scenarios, there are two constants for every large-scale disaster: stuff – and people – show up.
Kathy Heick, Associate Executive Director, Volunteer Center of North Texas, notes that “During a disaster, volunteers are a critical component to a successful response effort and assist in easing staff limitations.”
Communication engages in the mission and
programs of your organization and helps
Also, if there are delays in placing volunteers due to
shifting agency needs, regular As the disaster-related needs lessen, regular communication continues to play an important role in retaining the volunteers. Offering the ability for volunteers to opt out of the email list allows individuals who are not committed to your specific cause to withdraw and find more suitable ongoing opportunities. On the other hand, it allows your organization to draw interested individuals into your regular programs. Disasters can have an enormous impact on communities. Nonprofit and governmental organizations need to understand and plan for the impact a disaster can have on their ability to serve their clients. By creating a plan to address some of the issues related to these unusual circumstances, organizations can ensure that they direct the many helpful hands to people who need them most.
|
A. CELESTE SAULS-MARKS, CVA
A. Celeste Sauls-Marks serves as the Director, Govt Relations and Emergency Management at the Volunteer Center of North Texas (VCNT).
As the ServiceWorks! Director,
she developed an innovative volunteer program for the City of Dallas. Most
recently, she served as the Volunteer Coordinator on the City of Dallas
Hurricane Operations Command Staff. During the Katrina and Rita
She is a past president of the Dallas Association of Directors of Volunteers and serves on the Participant Advisory Board of the Great American Bake Sale, a program of Share Our Strength. She chaired the Volunteer Committee for the American Association of Museums Annual Conference (2002). She is actively involved as a continuing committee chair and speaker for the Volunteer Management Conference held each year in North Texas.
Her passions for volunteerism and community involvement have been the driving force of her career in the non-profit sector.
|
|||||||||||||||
The contents of this site, unless otherwise specified, are copyrighted by © Big Medicine 2001-2009. The news provided is for personal use only. Reproduction or redistribution of the this site, in whole, part or in any form, requires the express permission of Big Medicine or the original source. For questions or comments pertaining to this site, contact the web administrator. Big Medicine is not responsible for the content of external sites linked and does not endorse their content. Advertisers are not responsible for Big Medicine contents, the content of external sites linked and do not endorse their content.
|