The need to improve situation awareness and communications in response to disaster was a call to action for our nation because of the impacts and response to Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, Humanity Road was created to address this need and is a resource for organizations looking to enhance their Corporate Social Responsibility or Corporate Giving initiatives to support disaster relief.
The gap in public disaster communications
The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned report was published in 2006 and identified seventeen areas of disaster preparedness in need of improvement, and Communications was identified in two of those critical areas.
Today, There are 45 philanthropic categories tracked by Great Nonprofits but none of them are communications related. Guidestar.org is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations and they also do not have a category for charities that help with disaster public communications.
There is a significant gap in the giving industry in how it tracks and supports these critical services. We are issuing a call to the philanthropic community to help correct this gap. Communications is a critical service that empowers the effective delivery of all other aid.
Humanity Road solves the gap
Humanity Road was launched to support the public with improved situational awareness and communications and since that time has achieved worldwide recognition of their work in disaster response and is viewed as the benchmark in excellence.
The services provided by Humanity Road help support both public and private individuals and agencies. Large charitable organizations who focus on food, shelter or water are improved when they have effective and accurate reporting early in the response.
Since launching in 2010 Humanity Road has monitored more than 1,000 disasters, and filtered through millions of messages online to help the public survive, sustain and reunite.
In order to improve the chain of care we capture lessons learned and share our expertise with academic programs and partners, We work with some of the best and largest response partners including government and Non governmental agencies. We deploy both domestically and internationally and assist local, state, regional, national and international response agencies including FEMA, Pacific Command, and technology partners such as Microsoft, and ITDRC.
Our work directly impacts the rescue and recovery work in disaster response. Benefits include improved ground truth. Our situation reports help aid agencies identify underserved communities and also helps them position their assets more effectively.
How your organization can support our cause
We are asking for your help – we are issuing a call to the corporate and philanthropic community to consider supporting our work. Here are specific ways you can help:
- Add Disaster Communications to your Corporate Philanthropy statements. Start by adding Disaster Communications to your corporate philanthropy programs. Be a positive role model in the industry, by supporting this often overlooked cause.
- Corporate Giving: Consider adding Humanity Road to your annual corporate giving or fund and foundation grant program. Need more information? contact us Corporate Philanthropy page.
- In Kind Non-cash contributions – Upgrading equipment? Recycle your gently loved technology! Contributions consist of donations such as equipment, supplies, or time. These can include old computers, furniture, office supplies, or services. Email us
- Tell your Employees about us. Add our Get Involved link to your company’s newsletter and invite your volunteers to support disaster communications. Include us on your organization’s “Giving Back” communications and invite them to explore fundraising ideas to help support our work. If you have a volunteer match program, invite your volunteers to consider supporting disaster communications to help improve this worthy cause. If you have any questions, Contact us.
- Check out Benevity for volunteer match opportunities. If your company has a volunteer match program with Benevity. Spotlight our volunteer opportunities there, or invite your volunteers to consider supporting disaster communications to help improve this worthy cause.
- Funds and Foundation Grants: Add us to your Disaster Response Grant invitations. Is your foundation looking for options to consider? Consider Humanity Road for Disaster Response Grants We are located in South Central Virginia, if your corporation is in our service area, consider supporting our work. However, our work is not tied to any geographic boundary, which makes us the perfect choice for local or global corporate foundations or campaigns. Email us
Give your Philanthropy program a boost in 2018 by adding Disaster Communications to your focus areas and core service programs. We believe everyone deserves the right to call for help and someone should hear that call and need are asking for your help to make that happen. Together we can help close the communications gap caused by disaster!
Humanity Road is a top rated organization with Great Nonprofits and carries the Guidestar Gold Seal for transparency. Humanity Road is an approved National Charity with the Combined Federal Campaign. Review our financial reports