Committees

The purpose of the Advocacy Committee is to identify emerging issues and empower policy and advocacy efforts across the VOAD movement by working closely with National VOAD staff, membership and other committees. The Committee will support National VOAD goals to increase public awareness of the National VOAD organization and movement, and to promote its values, vision and mission. Additional functions include monitoring proposed legislation at the federal, state and/or local level which may impact activities or goals of the National VOAD collaborative and movement and, upon request, supporting specific National VOAD staff advocacy presentations or initiatives by facilitating member participation or other resources. For a primer on the Advocacy Committee and its work, please view the following video presentation.

The Communications Committee supports information sharing among all stakeholders by developing policies and procedures, tools and strategies to enhance internal and external communication and thereby support the mission of National VOAD.

The purpose of the Community Preparedness Committee will be to apply and promote the 4C’s to nationwide community preparedness, including promoting ‘preparedness’ as a national civic virtue and duty, identifying and sharing best practices, and collaborating with all sectors to identify and promote innovative ways to enhance community preparedness. National VOAD will soon be collaborating with DHS/FEMA and HHS/CDC as co-branded partners promoting existing national preparedness exercises and campaigns. Such initiatives that could involve all members will increase community engagement and awareness, as well as the awareness of National VOAD and its members’ role in the disaster cycle. The Committee will support staff to coordinate such nationwide activities among members.

Charge of the Disaster Case Management Committee is to: Provide a national disaster case management forum for National VOAD organizations to collect and share information, review emerging trends and issues, and recommend adaptations. Develop, advocate, and promote National VOAD DCM standards in support of National VOAD’s mission and values; and to Work collaboratively within the National VOAD member and partner network to identify, assess, and foster solutions to overcome systemic barriers that prevent individuals and families from accessing disaster case management services and resources.

The purpose of the Disaster Health Committee is to identify and promote evidence-based best practices and initiatives that support Members, partners, volunteers and communities we serve to be better prepared for, protected from and resilient in the face of health threats or incidents with potentially negative health consequences due to disasters.

The Donations Management Committee is primarily focused on issues related to unsolicited donations. The committee works closely with state VOADs and government donation coordinators in times of disaster to serve as advisors and to support.

The Emotional and Spiritual Care Committee’s mission is to foster emotional and spiritual care to people affected by disaster in cooperation with national, state and local response organizations and VOADs. The National VOAD ESCC accomplishes its mission in several ways: Embracing the unique contribution of various mental health disciplines and faith based groups. Identify specific issues of emotional and spiritual needs as a significant component of disaster response. Educate state and local VOADs and non-affiliated partners about emotional and spiritual needs in disasters. Promote best practices, standards and models to provide effective emotional and spiritual care.

The Housing Committee is charged with reviewing issues related to repairs, rebuilds, muck-outs, and temporary housing.

The International Committee improves US disaster response across the VOAD movement by leveraging members’ international experience and expertise. The Committee engages in meaningful interface with international disaster response actors, serves as a resource for international VOADs, and fosters committee member dialogue in order to better understand good practices, challenges, and emerging trends in domestic and international emergency relief.

The Long Term Recovery Group Committee is charged with reviewing issues related to Long Term Recovery Group formation and support.

The Mass Care Committee is a group comprised of America’s leading voluntary agencies in the provision of shelter, feeding, bulk distribution of relief supplies and related services during disasters. Its purpose is to pursue avenues for joint action and planning among these and other willing partners to communicate, coordinate, cooperate and collaborate. It is the intention of the committee to speed the provision of critical services to those affected by disaster, reduce the duplication of efforts so that the greatest use can be made of limited resources during crisis, and establish a united voice for advocacy in working with our public institutions, including emergency management at the local, state and federal levels, to prepare our communities for the disasters they will face in the future.

The Volunteer Management Committee provides critical resources, training, and technical guidance to more effectively manage disaster volunteers.