One of the difficulties of delivering disaster services in our “Instant On Now Now NOW” society is scale. Normal processes and supply chains are disrupted, either by having physical resources taken out of play, or human resources distracted by their own pressing needs. That’s not new, but now we have large numbers of people nearby who want to help — people who are connected and can make things happen.
However, well-meaning spontaneous volunteers often don’t know what they don’t know. They gather supplies in unrealistic amounts. They acquire food for 200 before knowing for sure where and how they will store it. They haven’t thought a step ahead about how to secure supplies, or how they can be orderly delivered. Bless their hearts, they just want to do something.
(Remember those movies where the mom-to-be goes into labor, and someone sends off the guy to tear a sheet into strips and boil water? You know what that’s about, right? They wanted to give him the value of “having something to do,” without having him get in the way of the doing.)
So now we’re stuck, between insulting a well-meaning person with busywork and allowing them to do their own thing (fraught with the possibilities of duplication of effort or even counter-productive activity.) How do we tap into their great intentions, and get them doing the right things?
There’s an app for that
Actually, there are a couple. The American Red Cross is leveraging technology yet again, adding to its collection of disaster-related apps. The newest one, released just now, is called Team Red Cross.
Ideally, you will be able to download the apps right now and create an account. But even those who register after the nearby disaster can get to work. The app provides information about a number of tasks specific to Red Cross relief operations, and short videos and quizzes right on the phone will get them volunteer-ready. Once you’re in the system, you can configure the app to let you know about volunteer opportunities nearby. Storm strikes 50 miles away? You will know about it.
Leveraging Social
- Users can share Red Cross calls for volunteers in their social network and be a part of recruiting more support for the Red Cross.
- People can earn digital “badges” by completing a job test, accepting a job, sharing the app, recruiting volunteers, donating blood, donating money and other activities. The “badges” can then be shared with their social network.
- In times of disaster, such as a tornado, hurricane or flood, users can send instant recovery information to friends in need with the tap of a button.
Full of Win
The app is going to be valuable, no matter how far the user takes it. If the app serves to educate, that’s a win. If it spawns a spontaneous volunteer who can plug into a relief operation, even for a couple hours, then everyone is served well. If it inspires that user to seek extra training and become a regular Red Cross volunteer, so much the better.
