FAQ
The purpose of the Nashville VOAD is to strengthen area-wide disaster coordination and preparedness and engaging in joint planning, education, and training.
General Questions
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster or “VOAD” is a structure that provides a mechanism for representatives of voluntary agencies and organizations that have a role, purpose or function in disaster response and recovery to network and share information.
VOAD is dedicated to whole community engagement and recognizes that all sectors of society must work together to foster more resilient communities.
The goal of the Nashville VOAD is to increase capacity to provide more efficient services to survivors of disasters.
We achieve this by improving responses to disasters through cooperation, communication, coordination, and collaboration. Our network of local organizations share best practices with individuals and organizations active in disaster response.
Mitigation – Minimizing the effects of disasters
Preparedness – Planning how to respond
Response – Protecting the public and meeting survivors’ immediate needs
Recovery – Returning the community to normal
The Nashville VOAD is beneficial to our community for a number of reasons including: building relationships and trust between organizations and community partners, creating a responsive structure that can be deployed immediately upon disaster, it's an educational resource to residents of the Nashville community, and more.
Learn more about how we serve.
Nashville VOAD provides non-members and members alike a variety of trainings and guidance documents on our website’s resource center that cover everything from communications to volunteer management. Because of its partnership with the Office of Emergency Management, the Nashville VOAD is equipped with first-hand information regarding disaster response efforts throughout the city.
For survivors of a disaster, Nashville VOAD member organizations can provide resources including food and nutrition, temporary and permanent housing, emotional and spiritual counseling, volunteer recruitment, direct financial assistance, essential items, insurance and FEMA mediation, legal assistance and more.
The relationship between the Nashville VOAD and Metro Nashville Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is a critical component to a successful VOAD. Metro Nashville OEM expertise in disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery is an important resource.
OEM will provide disaster training and education to all VOAD members and is committed to collaborating with the Nashville VOAD to ensure a coordinated response between the city and the VOAD members.
In addition to the Nashville VOAD’s relationship with OEM, several other disaster preparedness and response partners will help to provide training to our members.
The best way is to stay connected to volunteer opportunities available in your area. You can offer to volunteer with Nashville VOAD.
You also can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to keep an eye out for volunteer and donation opportunities, and help share the word on the work and needs of the VOAD.
The VOAD Leadership Fund at The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee provides support to the work of the Nashville VOAD’s participation in all four phases of disaster management: Preparation, Mitigation, Response and Recovery. Gifts to this Fund are tax-deductible.
You also can donate directly to our Members by clicking on their website links on the Members page of our website. The best way to make an impact in the lives of survivors is by making a gift to Nashville VOAD members and other local response agencies.
Membership Questions
Nashville VOAD member organizations represent a diverse group of highly-competent organizations that provide a wide range of skills in service to our fellow neighbors and communities. Member organizations have service-oriented missions and include volunteer engagement as a component of their operations.
Nashville VOAD members are dedicated to whole community engagement and recognize that the VOAD movement values and practices represent a proven way to build resilient communities.
Our combination of faith-based, community-based, and other nonprofit, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) represents hundreds of professional staff and volunteers with unique skills and a resourceful spirit.
Yes, please do! We welcome any agency or organization with an interest and ability to serve the community in times of disaster, regardless of your day-to-day work. An Affiliate Membership may be the most appropriate for your organization.
Learn more about our membership tiers.
All members must sign the Nashville VOAD Letter of Commitment.
Members that provide resources or services to survivors on an individual or household basis in the aftermath of disaster also sign the Nashville VOAD / Charity Tracker Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
CharityTracker is a shared database platform that allows organizations that are working on similar goals to coordinate services and streamline referrals to ensure an efficient and effective client/ survivor experience. CharityTracker allows one organization, or the client/ survivor themselves to complete intake. This reduces the amount of trauma and repetition the client would experience by completing this process at multiple organizations. Each organization that uses Charity Tracker is required to sign an MOU to ensure that all client/ survivor data will be held with the upmost confidentiality, computers and networks will be secure to protect this shared data, and all approved organizational users will abide by the confidentiality of such important client information.”
Charity Tracker is utilized by Nashville VOAD members that provide services to survivors on an individual or household basis in the aftermath of a disaster. If your agency or organization does not fall into that category you will not be expected to use it, nor will you have to submit an MOU.
Yes. Every member must recommit to the Nashville VOAD on an annual basis. This ensures that contact and resource information is up-to-date.
You can learn more about the group and membership options by reaching out to VOAD@nashvilleresponds.com. Interested organizations are encouraged to reach out.
We also encourage member organizations that can contribute expertise to different aspects of the recovery process to join our Committees (such as Disaster Case Management, Communications, Construction, Preparedness, Training & Engagement committees).
Nashville VOAD takes on the approach set forth by the National VOAD: promoting whole-community collaborative relationships and practices throughout the disaster cycle.
We recognize that all sectors of society must work together to foster more resilient, self-reliant neighborhoods. We partner with for-profit corporations, foundations, educational and research institutions, and other governmental agencies.