Next Meeting

The next Florida VOAD meeting will be held on February 11, 2010, at the Disney Hilton. They will be meeting in conjunction with the Board of the National VOAD. More details to follow.

Next on the Agenda

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VOAD of the Month

This month:
The Salvation Army
2008 - 2011 Strategic Plan

Download a copy of the strategic plan.

 

GOAL A: Membership Goal

To have a broad participating base of member organizations representing a wide range of skills and resources.

Objective 1: Obtain a working knowledge of our entire membership, their capacity during disaster (per their mission statement, their disaster activities and other profile information) and to create a directory of this membership, including a resource directory that lists the specific resources of organizations.

Priority: High

Description: Please see tasks listed below.The group was in complete agreement about the importance of this goal, and about the list of tasks necessary to complete it.

2008 Comment:  Increase FLVOAD participation by defining value of membership (increase participation and membership) (process was re-designed with use of a certification process)

Assignment:  Membership Task Force (Membership Committee)

2007 Tasks:
  1. Compile one roster of current members and those who have applied but may have incomplete applications.
  2. Work to obtain all required application pieces (board letter, dues, etc.), issuing a letter from the Executive Committee that informs potential members of their non-member status until requested documents are on file.
  3. Obtain member profile information
  4. Post profile form on Google/website so that members can complete it there.

2008 Tasks:
  1. Activate the membership committee Priority: High
  2. Disseminating and posting membership list, with a brief sentence of what they do
  3. Recruit new members
  4. New members of NVOAD with representatives in FLVOAD


Objective 2: Create and maintain FLVOAD resource directory.

Priority: High.

Description: FLVOAD must have a Membership Resources Directory.This Directory must be comprehensive and up-to-date (revised annually at a minimum). The Resource Directory should list agency, resources, location, contacts, etc, in an easily understood and accessible format.

Assignment: Membership Task Force:Karen Hagan, Tara Duval-Good, Jim Bently, Ken Skalitzky, Marcus Hepburn, Karen Thompson, along with assistance from Volunteer Florida.

2007 Tasks
  1. Maintain membership profile form on the website, and request annually that member update their organization's information.

2008 Tasks
  1. Request that members update their membership profiles annually by completing the profile form on the website.
  2. Coordinate with matrix for ESF-15 annex
  3. Membership Committee/Volunteer Florida will complete these tasks as a Membership Task Force.(See list, below, of FLVOAD volunteers for the Membership Task Force.
  4. Send out invitation to google group members for 25 word update on “what they do”
  5. Invitation/Sign up for FLVOAD subcommittees
  6. Karen, Trish, Tara, Jim, Ken and Bentley will work on task force to review sub-committee restructure.

Objective 3: Clarify the relationship between umbrella groups and their members, and the FLVOAD; to establish good working practices that amplify the work of all voluntary disaster groups

Priority: High priority; we would like to begin to accomplish this within the next few years.

Description: FLVOAD Organizations must have the same understanding and vocabulary in explaining what they do.They also need to understand their obligations, responsibilities, and roles.Effective Interagency coordination must be based on common understandings.

Assignment: Membership Task Force (See Objective A2)

2007 Tasks
  1. Develop an FLVOAD glossary of disaster terms, specifically addressing those terms which can be misunderstood by community organizations and the public, as well as other associations; Distribute and post on FLVOAD Web Site.

2008 Tasks
  1. Continue 2007 tasks
  2. Meet with ESF-15 Emergency Coordinating Officers (ECO) to facilitate communications: interface with the business community, seat at SEOC – formalizing a relationship with the SERT(EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE)Priority:HIGH
  3. Working with Erica at DEM (EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE)
  4. Identify roles and responsibilities for FVOAD at the state EOC
  5. Attend ESF-18 meetings (EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE)
  6. Look at Catastrophic planning documents and see where there is interface (EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE)
  7. Present a report of FLVOAD efforts (aggregated statistics) at the annual Governor's Hurricane Conference.

GOAL B: Standardization Goal

To promote standardized practices, policies and procedures among agencies active in disaster work in order to facilitate cross-agency coordination, cooperation and collaboration among VOADs and other agencies active in disasters.

Objective 1: Continue specific work on standardization and market/promote standard forms and practices among Florida VOAD agencies and other agencies.

Priority: High.

Assignment: Case Management Committee

Status reporting requirement:Quarterly update to Executive Committee

We completed standard ROI in 2007-2008. However, additional work is needed.We need to do more by way of promoting the new case management form.Objective will be kept for the upcoming year.Work on marketing the standard form.

2008 Tasks
  1. Market the FLVOAD Standard ROI/Intake Form
  2. Investigate the use of the NVOAD/COA disaster case management standards (DCM) by Florida agencies providing disaster case management
  3. Same for mass care national standards
  4. Could be advantages to having some kind of “standards” to identify local VOADs (i.e. by-laws, officers).
  5. Promote use of NIMS and ICS.
  6. Promote use of resources for start-up organizations; e.g., recovery manuals
  7. Create FLVOAD Tool Kit for new organizations, including a check list for items needed (by-laws, etc.)
  8. Ad-hoc credentialing task force to look at badges for FLVOAD organizations.

GOAL C: Training Goal

To provide and/or promote a wide range of training for Florida VOAD agencies to ensure that they are well-trained and have the capacity to function and grow.

Objective 1: Conduct needs assessment for training.

Objective 2: Develop training function for Florida VOAD through partner agencies

Priority: Within one year.

Description: Florida VOAD agencies must have education and training opportunities in order to perform their missions in local communities.Yet, in order to provide or promote the full range of needed training, we need to understand what the needs are and what is available.

2007 Tasks
  1. Develop mechanism or methodology to survey VOADs around the state as to their needs in regards to training and capacity needs.

2008 Tasks
  1. Compile a list of available trainings as a part of the tool kit
  2. Keep aware of agency training needs, and respond as necessary
  3. Do we want to promote minimum standards for volunteers?
  4. Plan an annual FLVOAD conference with educational opportunities (workshops, training, etc.) for FLVOAD membership for November 2009 (Scott will investigate FEPA)

Objective 3: Facilitate capacity building for local VOAD/COAD organizations.

Priority: Within one year (July 2008)

Description: It is critical that Florida VOAD agencies have education and training opportunities in order to perform their missions in local communities.

Assignment: Executive Committee needs to drive the vision on training on the part of Florida VOAD.


2007 Tasks
  1. Encourage all committees to incorporate capacity-building for state and local VOAD member organizations.
2008 Tasks
  1. The FLVOAD Tool Kit would be an easy reference for organizations. (Develop Tool Kit for Web)
  2. Training can be provided through partner organizations, with sponsorship by the FLVOAD
  3. Develop training workshops for pre-conference at the GHC 2008.The two possible workshops include:
  • Communities Arise Workshop (based on CWS materials)
  • LTRO workshop

Status reporting requirement: Quarterly update to Executive Committee


GOAL D:Communications Goal

To communicate all Florida VOAD activities and news in a comprehensive, timely and efficient manner to members and the general public.

Objective 1: Develop comprehensive Florida VOAD website.

Priority: High
Fully revamped operational website should be up and running by August 1, 2008

Description: Florida VOAD must have a comprehensive Website to serve the needs of its members.

Assignment: Web Master with Web Site Committee?

Tasks 2008
  1. Completely revamp the Website.
  2. Feature an FLVOAD member each month on the FLVOAD website
  3. Highlight LTR efforts of different VOADS or COADS

FLVOAD Web Site Checklist:
  • List of member organizations and their website links
  • Link to FLVOAD Google Group and explanation of the group
  • On contact form to webmaster, add name of organization
  • Link to training resources
  • Mission statement on front page
  • Current projects that are happening in the field – LTRO info
  • Link(s) to active storm (NOAA), weather updates, State EM status
  • State CEMP (ESF-15 Annex)and resource inventory/matrix
  • Flow chart with organizational structure
  • Interactive map to county level showing organizations
  • Submit to apply for membership with the FLVOAD so the group can be added to the map
  • Link to FIND map
  • Front page module link to Volunteer Florida with information on how to volunteer
  • Link to Aid Matrix
  • Visitor counter
  • E-mail addresses
  • On-line registration for Class B and C membership
  • Brief Class A member description
  • List of needs of partner agencies
  • Operational conference call protocols
  • Chat room/forum for use during a conference call
  • Links to on-line training
  • Photos of FLVOAD members in action/library of photos
  • Committees with email addresses for Chair persons
  • Action update during a disaster event
  • Suggestion box
  • Readable font
  • In the library – previous statistics on events
  • Highlight different FLVOAD agencies each month
  • Archive for meeting minutes
  • FEMA Region IV quarterly meeting minutes
  • Highlights of accomplishments


Objective 2: Present and distribute an annual comprehensive report of FLVOAD efforts at the annual Governor's Hurricane Conference each year.

This would be in the form of a aggregated summary of services provided by FLVOAD agencies, much like the reports done by Volunteer Florida in the past.

Priority: By May, 2009

Description: Florida VOAD needs to communicate its work each year.

Assignment: Executive Committee needs to work on this in partnership with Volunteer Florida, using the format that has been used by Volunteer Florida in the past to summarize the work done by volunteer agencies.