Project Context

Disaster response and recovery operations often involve multiple organizations providing an array of services. Coordination among these groups is necessary to ensure that community needs are assessed and met. For more than 50 years, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) has served a critical role by facilitating mutual coordination, communication, and collaboration among diverse organizations responding to disasters. The NVOAD model builds ties across the government, private, and academic sectors in a structure that is largely replicated at the national, state, and community scales. To date, there is a VOAD within each U.S. state and territory. National VOAD leads these entities, advocates on their behalf collectively, and promotes engagement among professional staff and volunteers. 

In 2023, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster launched a project that aimed to enhance the capacities of VOADs within Midwest states. This effort has enabled the organization to learn about past efforts and plan for future initiatives across the region. Among the key learning objectives of this project were two lines of inquiry that sought to understand how state VOADs in the region support disproportionately impacted communities and how they engage in disaster response within Tribal communities. 

Project Purpose

To support a subset of the objectives for its work in the Midwest region, NVOAD partnered with the Bill Anderson Fund to conduct applied research and develop tools to support evidence-based practices within its membership. Using primary data collection, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, and a review of both published and grey literature, the BAF documented conditions, current practices, and barriers to engagement within state VOAD networks. The insights gained shed light on factors that impact Tribal engagement and support for existing and emerging vulnerable populations among Midwest state VOADs.

Outcomes

• This project produced data, information products, and tools that will be used to expand training and strategic learning within the Midwest region and the NVOAD network more broadly. These include: 
  • A series of GIS-based maps indicating the locations of Tribally recognized lands
  • A toolkit booklet identifying resources and effective engagement strategies for target populations, including Tribal Nations
  • A facilitated workshop for a subset of VOADS and partners on engaging socially vulnerable populations and Tribal Nations in disasters
  • A webinar to the broader NVOAD network members to share key findings and toolkit findings

Project Team

Graduate Research Assistant: Judanne Lennox-Morrison, Texas A&M University, Bill Anderson Fund Fellow 

Project Mentor: Maggie León-Corwin, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, Bill Anderson Fund Alumna 

Project Supervisor: Nnenia Campbell, Ph.D., Bill Anderson Fund