Disasters are unfortunately both frequent and costly. From natural disasters to human-created tragedies, we know that time is of the essence when it comes to formulating a corporate response. One way that YourCause supports our clients in these important endeavors is through our Disaster Resource team.   

This team of internal experts thoughtfully analyze disasters as they occur and pulls together materials and research that our clients can put into action, including nonprofits that we’ve verified are responding to the crisis at hand. We post these resources for clients in our CSRconnect Community (a private user community for discussions, events, and product ideas) to help ease the work of sourcing nonprofits that are responding to the current disaster and in line with regulatory compliance lists. When disasters occur, there are almost always bad actors at play looking to capitalize on people’s generosity. Our Disaster Resource team helps provide peace of mind for our clients by providing information about reputable organizations.

In addition to providing resources, we also enable companies to respond through our technology. CSRconnect’s Engagement Elements can be used to quickly spin up a disaster relief giving campaign, helping draw attention and engagement from employees right from the homepage of the platform. Keep reading below to hear from one of our Customer Success Managers all about how she sees customers supporting disaster relief efforts and how CSRconnect supports them in that mission! 

What are the most common types of events that your customers to as part of their Disaster Relief efforts? 

The 3 most common events that my clients are responding to are weather related disasters such as hurricanes, fires or floods; social justice initiatives to support equality or address gun control; and finally, world events that spur global unrest such as the war in Ukraine and the crisis in Israel and Gaza. 

What are common ways you see clients respond to these disasters?  

Historically our clients have responded with a dedicated engagement element featuring key organizations that are responding to the specific disaster to encourage employee giving and/or recruit for volunteering. Clients that have Peer to Peer Fundraising enabled may additionally create fundraisers specific to the cause.

About Betty:

Betty Crowe has been with Blackbaud for 5 and 1/2 years and is based in Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, Texas. Her corporate background in Marketing and Management, coupled with personal experiences related to health and wellness, led her to Blackbaud and the opportunity to make an impact in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Some clients choose to offer 2:1 matching programs specific to this engagement element for a period of time. For clients’ convenience, our platform offers the unique ability to run multiple match programs at once such as year-round 1:1 match program and a 2:1 disaster relief program- or enable them at different times. In addition, client leadership is often involved in promoting this engagement element along with an announcement of any internal funds the company will donate to the cause.  

Do you have any unique examples of how a client has activated to respond to a disaster?  

Due to the increasing frequency of disasters prompting the need for relief program consideration, we have clients that have streamlined their process by compiling a disaster relief scorecard that they use to evaluate each disaster that occurs. The scorecard can weigh items such as how this disaster relief program aligns with the company’s internal focus areas, employee proximity to the location of the disaster, media coverage on the event, and internal interest among other criteria. Should a particular disaster relief meet the client’s necessary thresholds, admins can post an engagement element that drives giving and/or volunteering engagement and may choose to cascade a complete disaster relief solution to regional ambassadors to encourage fundraising for the cause as well.

How does the YourCause Disaster Resource team help support Customer Success Managers and clients in responding to Disaster Relief?  

The heart with which the YourCause Disaster Relief team works to deliver a complete disaster relief solution to our clients is evident in the quality of the materials they carefully compile. The team has a great understanding of the pressure our clients face in responding to disasters that often personally affect their own employee base and are able to deliver complete solutions as quickly as possible. Clients have access to these Disaster Relief communications kits via our Community platform that can often include a summary of the situation, image, sample splash page language, a curated and vetted list of supporting organizations, and an opportunity to be part of a discussion board on the topic.

What advice do you have for CSR practitioners as they think through their Disaster Relief strategy?  

There is a delicate balance that our clients are faced with in choosing which disasters their company will support. Creating an internal scorecard to better evaluate which disasters you will support can be an invaluable tool in your decision-making process. This can provide quantifiable information to employees on which disasters your company can support or help explain the reasons why your company may choose not to support disaster relief efforts. When thinking about your disaster relief strategy, take full advantage of our YourCause features such as Giving, Matching, Peer to Peer Fundraising, Volunteering, Engagement Elements, Splash Page, Groups, Message Banners, and Reporting (both standard and custom) to communicate and highlight your company’s support of a particular disaster relief effort.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next blog post in this Beyond the Basics series!