Post by: Kim Stephens
I posted an article several months ago called “The Accidental Volunteer and Donations Management Coordinators” about the two sisters that designed a volunteer and donations management software solution called Recovers.org in response to a tornado in their hometown of Monson, Massachusetts. Since then, they have been active in deploying this technology to cities around the country impacted by disaster, as well as communicating the message of why communities should prepare for donations management before a disaster occurs.
The Ted Talk they gave, below, reminded me of why I was drawn to this story in the first place. I think their journey points out how an infusion of creativity can solve problems at the local level with a bottom-up approach. This quote still resonates with me: “There are simple tech solutions to the problems common to every recovery effort. By addressing the systemic problems in current organization with smart technology solutions, we can achieve maximum impact at minimum cost.”
idisaster 2.0 
Thanks for sharing this Kim. This is obviously a complex issue, particularly for smaller jurisdictions. Also, it is my personal belief that volunteer and donations management is one of the most critical places that social technologies can fill a major void in. Recovers.org provides an interesting alternative to Aid-Matrix that is strictly state focused.
I want to put in a plug for the full time staff in that town, since they too worked very hard to manage the recovery. In smaller towns, where the no. of full time municipal staff cannot do all the tasks that are needed, it is great when smart and committed citizens step in and help.
Claire B. Rubin
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