VSF 15: Volunteer/Donations Management
From Portland NET Wiki
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
- Links
- PBEM NET SUV intake: https://bit.ly/4853Sq0
- Donated Resources to offset the jurisdiction’s cost-share for federally declared public assistance disasters - Page 88 of the Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide V4: https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_pappg-v4-updated-links_policy_6-1-2020.pdf
- "Managing Liability in CERT Programs": https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/CERT_Liability_Guide%20v2.pdf
- Non-profit of Oregon: https://nonprofitoregon.org/ (really great support for non-profits, even for COADs and LTRGs to understand best practices for handling donations/funds/etc)
- Homeland Security Digital Library: https://www.hsdl.org/c/ (search for “volunteer and donation” to pull up example plans)
- Videos regarding why cash is best and the cost to moving physical donations:
- Adam Knows Everything – Why You Shouldn’t Donate Canned Food to Charities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYInILDj6Q (showed in class)
- Why Cash is Best for Disaster Relief (CIDI): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MjTDpxxIQ (did not show in class)
- Why Cash is Best (CIDI) https://www.cidi.org/how-to-help/why-cash-is-best/ (did not show in class)
- Plan Examples and Guidebooks
- Hamilton County Volunteer and Donations Management Plan (Shown in class): https://www.hamiltoncounty.in.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17889/2022-HCEM-Volunteer-and-Donations-Management-Plan-PDF
- Michigan – Local Disaster Logistics and Donations Management Planning Handbook (shown in class): https://www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/msp/EMHSD/documents/Local_Disaster_Logistics_and_Donations_Management_Planning_Handbook__Pub_107a__Stakeholder_Review_Dr.doc?rev=e04998bf93374a82b1b9551307ba0e80
- Stillwater NY Donations Management Taskforce: https://stillwaterny.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Donations-Management-Task-Force.pdf
- Puget Sound Region – Volunteer and Donations Management Toolkit: https://mil.wa.gov/asset/5ba4214c4c839
- Minnesota HSEM - Local Volunteer and Donation Management Guidebook: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/hsem/emergency-managers-resources/Documents/2022-local-volunteer-donation-management-guidebook.pdf
- State of Oregon Emergency Operations Plan – ESF16 Volunteers and Donations Annex: https://www.oregon.gov/oem/Documents/OR_EOP_ESF_16_Volunteers_Donations.pdf
- Attached you will find the following:
- DRAFT ACS MOU: This is simply to serve as an example of an MOU. This one is from Adventist Community Services to a state emergency management agency regarding state level coordination of donations management
- ORVID and OCS Overview
- Message Map Template
VSF 15: Sample Volunteer and Donations Plan/Annex Knowledge Base
| File/Resource | Description | Author | Publish Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talking Points for Public Audience - Donations and Volunteers | Public messaging talking points for soliciting donations from the general public. | N/A | |
| Clackamas County Volunteers & Donations Management Plan | Clackamas County | 2024.06.__ | |
| North Carolina Donations and Volunteer Management Plan | North Carolina Emergency Management | 2023.__.__ | |
| Houston County (MN) Donations and Volunteer Management Plan | Houston County | 2022.__.__ | |
| Volunteer and Donations Management Annex Checklist | Checklist by FEMA for the development of a Volunteer and Donations Management Annex to an EOP. Best used in conjunction with FEMA's Guide: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans. | FEMA | 2021.06.__ |
| FEMA Form 90-91 and sample | FEMA Form 90-91, known as the Project Worksheet (PW), is used by state, local, and eligible non-profit entities to document the scope of work and cost estimates for repairs, debris removal, or emergency services following a presidentially declared disaster. It is the foundational document for obtaining Public Assistance (PA) funding. Download includes sample from Oso Landslide. Be sure to check you have the latest version of 90-91 before completing. | FEMA | 2020.06.30 |
| State of Oregon Volunteer and Donations Management Plan | OEM EOP Annex for Volunteer and Donations Management. | Oregon Emergency Management | 2017.03.20 |
| Puget Sound Volunteer and Donations Management Toolkit | This User Guide is designed to 1) provide an overview of the Volunteer and Donations Management (VDM) toolkit and to 2) be practical, hands on mechanism for navigating regional coordination of spontaneous volunteers and unsolicited donations. | Washington State Military Department | 2014.07.__ |
| Community Points of Distribution Planning: A Guide for Washington Communities | ...a team led by Thurston County has been developing a Resource Management and Logistics Toolkit. As part of this effort, the team elected to develop a guide to help Washington communities create local Community Points of Distribution (CPOD) plans. | Washington State Military Department | 2013.01.__ |
| Emergency Operation Center Support Guidelines for Donations and Volunteer Management | This document has been developed by the State of Colorado’s Donations Coordination Team/Volunteer Coordination Team (DCT/VCT) in an effort to provide guidance on donation and volunteer management in the event of a disaster. It is intended to be used as a hands‐on guide to those serving in an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in support the management of unsolicited in‐kind donations (items donated by the general public) and spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers (individuals from the general public who want to help but are not associated with a designated disaster relief organization). | Colorado VOAD | 2011.09.__ |
| When Disaster Strikes (brochure) | Printable material to distribute to prospective SUVs and donors. | National VOAD and FEMA | 2007.08.__ |
VSF 15: Spontaneous Volunteer Management Knowledge Base
| File/Resource | Description | Author | Publish Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value of Volunteer Time | Perennially updated website of record on the value of an hour of volunteer time, broken down by state. | Independent Sector | N/A |
| NVOAD Volunteer Points of Consensus | The National VOAD Volunteer Management Committee has created a Points of Consensus document to guide best practices for volunteer rights and responsibilities in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery for volunteers serving in any capacity with a National VOAD member organization. | National VOAD | 2024.05.__ |
| Donated Labor Timesheet | Timesheet to use for donated volunteer labor, particularly specialized and professional labor. | Portland Bureau of Emergency Management | 2023.12.20 |
| VIDEO: Management of Spontaneous Unaffiliated Volunteers (SUVs) | Video focused on NET/CERT volunteers intaking and managing SUVs and ATVs. | Portland Bureau of Emergency Management | 2021.08.26 |
| Managing Spontaneous Volunteers in Times of Disaster | Managing Spontaneous Volunteers in Times of Disaster classroom curriculum. | 2020.08.__ | |
| NET SUV Intake Form 2b | Form used by NETs to intake SUVs | Portland Bureau of Emergency Management | 2017.02.05 |
| CERT Liability Guide: A Risk Management Overview for Local CERT Programs | CERT program activities can create risk and adverse consequences; however, perceptions about liability may be a larger barrier for CERT formation, activities and partnerships than is justified by reality. There is no indication that CERT programs have any unusual liability experience. Still, perceptions can pose as great a barrier as reality. The purpose of this Guide is to offer information and suggested techniques to help CERT programs overcome this barrier. | FEMA | 2015.11.__ |
| Volunteer Coordination in Civil Defense Emergency Management Groups | New Zealand take on spontaneous volunteer management. | Resilient New Zealand | 2013.11.01 |
| Spontaneous Volunteer Management Plan Template | The Spontaneous Volunteer Management Plan provides guidance for safe, efficient and scalable volunteer management. The Plan includes integration with incident management systems, communication with community members and voluntary organizations, volunteer reception, screening and training, matching and deployment, and volunteer retention. | Western Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps | 2013.05.29 |
| Managing Spontaneous Volunteers in Times of Disaster: The Synergy of Structure and Good Intentions | Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network | 2008.__.__ | |
| Unaffiliated Volunteers in Response and Recovery | As surely as disasters will happen, volunteers will come. Many emergency managers admit to being unnerved by the prospect of coping with convergent volunteers because there are so many unknowns. How many will come and when? Will any of them have the skills we really need? What happens if somebody gets hurt? Where will they stay? Who will feed them and how? How will they know where to go and what to do? Who will manage them? As Florida’s lead agency for Emergency Support Function 15 (ESF-15), Volunteers and Donations, Volunteer Florida will provide straightforward answers to these questions and some compelling reasons to include procedures for utilizing this powerful resource in your Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP). | Volunteer Florida | 2000.__.__ |
VSF 15: Donations Management Knowledge Base
| File/Resource | Description | Author | Publish Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| OEM: Donations After Disaster: Why Monetary Donations Are Best | Press release from OEM encouraging cash donations instead of donating stuff in response to the Rowena Fire. | Oregon Emergency Management | 2025.07.17 |
| Donated Offers Form example | An example form from MDEM, for organizations or companies to complete if they are offering donated stuff. | Maryland Department of Emergency Management | 2025.07.__ |
| LAFD: Your Generosity is Inspiring | Press release re: donations of stuff | Los Angeles Fire Department | 2025.01.10 |
| Executive overseeing $150M Maui Strong fund defends phased approach to disbursing aid | Object lesson in best practices for distributing cash donations. | Hawaii News Now | 2023.11.14 |
| Lahaina POD Report | Mark Meininger's report from working as a donations management volunteer following the Lahaina fires. | Mark Meininger, Sabin NET | 2023.09.06 |
| National VOAD Donations Points of Consensus | The mission of donations management is to provide a comprehensive process that organizes the giving, receiving and distribution of both solicited and unsolicited (or undesignated) donated cash and goods so that the maximum benefit is derived for the disaster survivors or people in crisis | National VOAD | 2011.05.__ |
