3 Tips for Planning Corporate Disaster Response

When planning for the future of your CSR programs, carving out a disaster relief response plan is one of the key areas that should be part of your strategy. As a corporation, there is an opportunity to double up on response efforts, volunteering, donations, and outreach – especially if you’ve taken the time to team up with the nonprofit sector already. This blog will cover tips for finding a partner to serve with purpose, engaging local communities and activating a disaster response.

Find a Partner to Serve with Purpose

Building a relationship and outlining a relief plan with other organizations can help companies respond faster and see impact at a greater level. For example, Red Cross Canada offers training programs for volunteers with specific skills to help during a time of need.

Aligning these needs with your internal skills-based volunteer program can help if there is a need for volunteers at any given time to respond to disasters. This also helps further engage your employees when they ask the question how can I help?. If a disaster response team is created during the planning stages, and employees are readily trained and understand their role and responsibilities, they’re more likely to volunteer their time and efforts because they’ll feel prepared and ready to help.

Engage your Local Communities

Providing large donation amounts to the nonprofit sector is a straightforward and effective response when funds are quickly needed to help with relief efforts. A major plus-side to engaging in this disaster response is companies who participate in these initiatives do not go unnoticed. When disaster strikes and help is needed, CSR is looked at to act quickly, whether it’s donations to charities, supporting their employees, or ensuring their stakeholders know they are providing support. Engaging local charities is a way to support communities one step further, and sometimes a little act goes a long way. Encouraging donations and support through smaller nonprofit organizations helps both internally and externally:

• Employees and customers will recognize that their communities are being served. Through volunteer opportunities and various charities listed as an option to donate to, companies can remain a voice for the under-served communities who need extra support.

• There is more successful outreach. Local charities know their communities – inside and out. They understand, firsthand, what will help families in need, whether it’s funding, in-kind donations, support through volunteering – they are the experts.

This type of knowledge is important when building relationships with your local communities and companies can benefit from this as well. Throughout the year, it’s beneficial for a CSR team to research and understand the unique efforts in all the communities they serve. When an event occurs, these relationships will quickly turn into opportunities for giving, volunteering, and outreach.

Activate Disaster Response Campaigns

In preparation to act promptly, one area to think about is setting aside budget and resources to match donations and provide employee nominated grants during a time of need. This is complementary to your rolling annual campaigns such as giving month or nominated grants – since most of these events are unexpected and difficult to plan for in terms of timing.

• Activate a company match for disaster relief. This can help encourage your employees to use your employee giving program. Your employees will trust their impact will be doubled if they donate through their company.

• Align match donations with established local charities. This helps with telling a more collaborative story.

• Enable employees to nominate charities for funding. This helps to further engage your people while building trust with both your employees and your communities.

Continue to build out your strategy with these related resources for understanding the role of CSR in disaster response to taking care of employees through hardship and relief funds.