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The Role of Volunteers and Nonprofits in the Time of a Disaster

Organizations and communities come together to provide aid and build social change.

Hurricanes. Tsunamis. Earthquakes. Floods. The natural world regularly brings disaster to all corners of the world. And the effects can be catastrophic. In 2023, natural disasters affected 93.1 million people and caused 86,473 deaths globally. Economic losses totaled $202.7 billion.1

Governments play a major role in responding to disasters and managing the recovery, but they don’t do it alone. That’s where nonprofit organizations, paid staff members, and volunteers come in. Here are some of the ways they work together to help communities recover from catastrophic events and build enduring social change.

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Disaster relief

Immediate Response

The term “first responder” typically refers to local law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS workers who help save people during a disaster. But, in many instances, citizens can also be first responders. Neighbors pull neighbors from collapsed buildings. Families share food and water with other families. People from nearby communities rush to help. During catastrophic flooding in some U.S. states, for example, civilians put their personal boats in the water to rescue people stranded in flooded homes.

Relief Efforts

In the days and weeks following a disaster, those who’ve been affected need a great deal of assistance. In the United States, local, state, and federal government agencies—such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—assist by providing food, shelter, water, clothes, medical supplies, and other services. Nonprofits, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and independent volunteers also converge on disaster areas to offer help.

To coordinate disaster response, many national and regional nonprofits belong to Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD). Through VOAD, nonprofits can help ensure specific relief and recovery efforts aren’t duplicated and that resources go where they’re needed most. In a recent year, the organization had almost 10 million volunteers.2

In disaster relief situations, nonprofits and volunteers often:

 

  • Distribute clean water and nonperishable food
  • Help demolish homes and businesses damaged in the disaster
  • Clear out fallen trees and other debris
  • Prepare hot meals for community members and first responders
  • Provide clothing and cleaning supplies

 

  • Provide alternative/temporary housing
  • Provide medical supplies
  • Establish free clinics and provide acute medical care
  • Provide mental health services
  • Provide transportation to the disabled or those without means
  • Rescue and house pets displaced in the disaster

Long-Term Recovery

A natural disaster may dominate the news for a few days or weeks, but recovery often takes years. Fortunately, many nonprofits and their volunteers continue to provide services to communities affected by disaster long after initial relief efforts have ended. Nonprofits focused on long-term recovery efforts often:

 

  • Connect people in need with government services
  • Help residents prepare insurance claims and FEMA forms for various disaster assistance programs
  • Help the community plan for future disasters

 

  • Provide funds for rebuilding and/or provide rebuilding services
  • Provide mental healthcare
  • Help organize education for children

How You Can Help With Disaster Relief and Recovery

The Forbes Nonprofit Council says nonprofit management leaders need skills that include adaptability, change management, agility, talent cultivation, problem-solving, resilience, and empathy.3 If you want to build knowledge and skills you can apply to a career in this vital field, you may want to consider earning an MS in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Walden University.

This online nonprofit management and leadership master’s degree program lets you tailor your studies to your career interests. You can choose the General Program or one of these optional specializations: Global Leadership, Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, International Nongovernmental Organizations, Local Government Management for Sustainable Communities, and a Self-Designed option that lets you further customize your graduate degree to your nonprofit management goals and interests.

Walden’s master’s program also gives you the opportunity to apply the concepts you learn in a virtual city experiencing complex real-world scenarios. You’ll also engage with scholar-practitioners who share their academic and professional experiences.

Thanks to the flexibility and convenience of online learning, working professionals have the opportunity to earn a degree while balancing their personal and professional activities. When you choose an online university for your MS in Nonprofit Management and Leadership, you can complete your coursework from home or anywhere you have an internet connection. Online graduate degree programs also offer flexible schedules that let you attend classes at a time that works best for you.

Earning a master’s degree in nonprofit management can help provide you with skills and knowledge you can use to make an impact in your local community or the world at large. Learn more about Walden’s online master’s degree program and start planning your future today.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering an MS in Nonprofit Management and Leadership degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
 

1Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/2023-disasters-numbers
2Source: www.nvoad.org/impact-by-the-numbers/
3Source: www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2020/04/02/14-essential-qualities-every-nonprofit-leader-should-cultivate/?sh=a7a8d4c9b920

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.

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