New Jersey Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Inc

Community Resiliency –
Disasters begin and end in the community; that is why the VOAD movement is dedicated to engaging the whole community in the disaster efforts. We seek to foster organized and unified resiliency efforts by facilitating the connection and support of all organizations and resources dedicated to disaster services in the state of New Jersey.

Cooperation, Communication, Coordination & Collaboration –
Facilitating and fostering connections among nonprofit organizations, community-based groups, government agencies and for-profit companies before disasters strike allows communities to improve their preparedness, response and recovery, leading to the delivery of more effective and efficient response services.

Education & Awareness –
NJVOAD members provide access to the accumulated experience of local, regional and national partners. We leverage that expertise to teach and train local community organizations in essential disaster service topics.

Cooperation: recognizing the need for and acknowledging the added value of partnering organizations to best achieve our common goal of helping the community

Communication: fostering a climate of openness which promotes information sharing, and actively disseminating information to partners

Coordination: establishing processes to work together in a noncompetitive manner to effectively utilize resources among members and state and national partners

Collaboration: identifying shared goals and developing strategic partnerships to actively work together and better help communities in need

Convening: organizing and sponsoring mechanisms to promote cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration throughout the whole disaster management community

Compassion: working tirelessly to support, assist and advocate for communities affected by disasters

Relationships: building partnerships and utilizing a whole community approach to improve outcomes for communities affected by disasters

Relationships –
Our greatest strength is its members and partners—various organizations, each with a dedication to helping communities prepare for, respond to or recover from disasters and traumatic events. Bringing together organizations from all aspects of the community ensures a wider net and stronger bonds for disaster survivors to lean on when they are in need.

Experience –
Our members and partners each come to the table with their own strengths, knowledge and resources. The combined experiences of these organizations helps to refine and magnify their individual efforts as well as our overall impact.

Statewide VOAD/COAD Development –
We have worked to strengthen our network of members and partners to increase our impact on community resiliency throughout the state. We have helped to build and support a VOAD presence in all 21 counties of NJ.

HelpNJNow.org –
Public education and preparedness is a vital part of community resilience. So in partnership with the NJ Office of Emergency Management and the NJ Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, we created HelpNJNow.org —a website to provide the public with relevant information and resources needed to prepare them for disasters and traumatic events, and to direct them in ways to make donations or volunteer after an event.

Donations & Volunteer Management –
We have been identified as one of the primary agencies responsible for donations and volunteer management in the NJ State Emergency Operations Plan. Donations and volunteer management portals have been created and are accessible on HelpNJNow.org after “presidentially declared” disasters.