As the year 2010 comes to an end, take time to reflect on — and document — all that was and wasn’t accomplished with your emergency preparedness and disaster readiness initiatives.  Thumb through your to-do lists, preparedness promises, planning calendars and other records to capture: what worked, what didn’t, what still needs to be done, and what items should be revisited.

It doesn’t matter whether your projects were booming successes, crashing failures, non-starters or something else.  Whatever you find, simply acknowledge it, document it, and move forward.  Begin 2011 by being complete with 2010, strengthened by your successes and failures, with a clean slate, and with renewed energy for future efforts.

Tip: Give the members of your team the opportunity to be complete as well. Whether they were the rock stars of readiness or the dead-weights of your disaster work, give everyone the chance to start fresh.

Happy New Year to all. Thank you for supporting CARD and our efforts to serve nonprofits! We are looking forward to serving you in 2011.

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December 27th, 2010 | Tags: disaster, disasters, emergency preparedness, message, New Year Preparedness, Preparedness, Year End | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Preparedness campaigns are often declared a success simply because several people reacted and took some (not necessarily sustainable) action. We fail to see the millions who experienced the same message but took no action, or were even put off by the message. They aren’t counted because they are silent; they are the “Silent Evidence” that a particular approach is ineffective or even harmful. The results: wasted resources, unsustainable preparedness, distrust, and the false belief that more of the same is needed to get more people “prepared.”

Be sure your community is actually being prepared by your efforts, especially those who cannot or would not speak up on their own behalf. Review your outreach materials and strategies. Ask the brave, hard questions about whether your efforts are achieving sustainable preparedness for a significant portion of your target audience.

Tip: The book “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, has an entire chapter on “Silent Evidence.”

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April 5th, 2010 | Tags: black swan, message, Preparedness, silent evidence, success, sustainable | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM | Leave a comment

Becoming a masterful communicator during disasters involves several components. Along with knowing WHO to communicate with, HOW to get your message out, and WHAT should be communicated, it’s important to know WHEN to communicate. The simple answer to the question is early and often. Getting a message out to your constituent groups at the onset of the emergency situation helps eliminate worry, confusion and wasted efforts. Be prepared to issue timely accurate status reports on a moment-to-moment basis at the beginning of the event, and on a more scheduled basis as the situation stabilizes. Remember that a message saying that there is nothing new to report is itself an important message.
Tip: Have your team practice creating short, accurate, informative status reports for any situation – it’s a great skill to cultivate with or without a disaster.

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February 22nd, 2010 | Tags: communicator, constituents, emergency situation, message, schedule, status reports | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM | Leave a comment

Once you know WHO you should communicate with, and HOW you are going to get your message out, it is important to know WHAT to communicate. Some of the important messages to communicate will include, but are not limited to:

• A report on your agency’s operational status
• An assessment of any resulting damage to your facility
• What services are offered and whether changes in offering these services has occurred
• The necessary funds required by your agency
• Whether volunteers are needed and for what purpose
• The hours of operation for your business
• The  safety of your staff, volunteers, consumers
• Your agency wishlist
• Any other additional needs

Tips:  Create templates for basic messages so that you’ll be able to edit it and release your message quickly.

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February 12th, 2010 | Tags: agency, assessment, communication, message, report, Safety, services | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM, Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Happy New Year! If your New Year’s resolution is about preparing your family, friends, colleagues, or community, consider embracing a new way of being “prepared.”  Please join us in making 2010 the year we become Prepared to Prosper!

Positive in outlook and approach (no disaster, doom, and fear)
Realistic about what is sustainable (not just what is attainable)
Educated on what really matters (to the people you serve)
Powerful in mobilizing assets (EVERY community has assets)
Able to communicate quickly and clearly (using multiple methods)
Resourceful like MacGyver (there is no limit to creativity)
Empowered to speak the truth (even when it’s not popular)
Determined for all to succeed! (Yes, everyone can succeed!)

From all of us at CARD, we hope you are happy, healthy, and PREPARED for 2010!

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December 28th, 2009 | Tags: Holiday, message, New Year, positive, Preparedness, prosper | Category: 2009, STAT, STAT 5MM, Uncategorized | Comments (1)