Organization Spotlight - Fall 2007

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) is the forum where organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle: preparation, response, and recovery – to help disaster survivors and their communities.

 

The National VOAD coalition was formed in 1970 in the wake of Hurricane Camille, by leading organizations such as the National Catholic Disaster Relief Committee, St. Vincent DePaul Society, Southern Baptist Convention, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, Seventh Day Adventists and the American Red Cross to share their mutual concern for the need for greater collaboration, communication, cooperation, and coordination (also known as the four Cs) among their organizations.

 

Today, the National VOAD is the primary forum used by 49 leading national voluntary organizations, emergency management and business partners to exchange and share information, to network, and to coordinate activities with each other before, during, and after, disasters; resulting in less duplication and gaps in services and better collaboration and cooperation.

 

National VOAD is not a service delivery organization; instead, it upholds the privilege of its members to independently provide relief and recovery services while supporting their efforts by using the four Cs. It provides its members with a strong liaison and a common voice at the federal level of the government.

 

To reinforce its mission, National VOAD has established committees dealing with issues such as mass care, long term recovery, emotional & spiritual care, and donations and volunteer management. The committees convene either by phone or in person, quarterly; and on an as-needed basis during a disaster. Experts outside the National VOAD membership/partnership may be invited during these meetings, for the common goal of disaster relief for victims.