Florida VOADs/COADs invited to National VOAD Conference Call

[Rev. Mr. Marcus Hepburn]

The National VOAD is conducting a series of conference calls around
the nation through the State VOAD organization. They have contacted
us and we have tentatively set the Conference Call with National VOAD
for Thursday, November 20, 2008, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM.

All Florida VOADs and COADs are invited to participate in this
Conference Call. The Call will be conducted by Deb Allich, Manager of
Member Services for National VOAD.

The Conference Call-in Number is: 800-320-4330, Passcode 185763

Incidentally, Florida has been selected as the site for the 2010
National VOAD Conference. The location will be Orlando, but details
are still being negotiated in regards to dates and location. The date
will be sometime in the April-May timeframe, and we will be scheduling
it such that it will not conflict with the Florida Governor’s
Hurricane Conference, typically held in the first several weeks of May
each year.

Again, please join us for the November 20 Conference Call with
National VOAD.

Best regards,
Rev. Mr. Marcus Hepburn
Chair, Florida VOAD
Catholic Charities of Florida/Florida Catholic Conference


______________________________________________________________

Here is the correspondence from Deb Allich concerning the Conference
Call:

To Our VOAD Family Far and Wide,

A major part of my job here at National VOAD is to provide better
service and communication to all of you. In order to do that, I would
like to talk with all of you, individually by state, to get your
feedback on a number of issues, as well as to listen to the issues you
bring forth to the national office. Your input will facilitate the
implementation of new programs aimed at

1-establishing consistent, useful and thorough communication;
2-addressing overall needs of the VOADs;
3-improving national conference curriculum to better serve your
interests;
4-offer ways to increase your capacity to serve your communities; and
5-to provide better means to connect our VOADs with our national
members, government
partners, and the private sector.

In short, our intent is to better serve our members. Here is a list
of the potential topics to cover on the call.

1-COMMUNICATION:
a- Monthly topical conference calls: starting in September, we ‘d
like to hold monthly calls to address the topics that are important to
you, such as 501(c)(3) status, recruiting members and leaders,
financial sustainability models, creating regional and local VOADs
b- What kinds of information would you like to receive from the
national office and how often? (i.e., committee reports, FEMA sit
reps…)
c- Would a website or e-mail address/access be helpful to your
VOAD?
d- What types of information would you like to see in our website
library?
e- How can our State VOAD Representatives serving on the NVOAD
Board better serve you?
f- As individual members of a VOAD, are you receiving regular
communications from your state VOAD? (are they passing along what
they receive from us?)
g- Would a state VOAD link/page on the NVOAD website be useful
for your VOAD for posting sit reps, reports, and activities?

2-MEETINGS:
a- How well does the National VOAD annual conference address your
concerns and issues? What workshops or opportunities (i.e.,
networking) should be added to enhance your experience and
satisfaction?
b- How do we get more state VOAD members to attend the national
conference?
c- Has your state considered hosting the national conference?

3-What are your biggest challenges?

4-What are your best opportunities? What resources or tools do you
need to take advantage of these opportunities? (i.e., training, money,
staffing…)

5-Does NVOAD have adequate standards and criteria for membership in
state VOADs?

6-Does NVOAD have adequate standards and criteria to guide state VOADs
in authorizing regional and local VOADs?

7-Much of the challenge of VOADs and their members lies in the lack of
awareness of all the services and resources that our organizations
bring to bear to prepare, respond, and recover from disasters. And,
at the national level, we are constantly called upon by our federal
partners to communicate on VOAD activities. In order to paint a
better picture for our state and federal partners and the public, are
you willing to work with NVOAD on a reporting method for your disaster-
related activities? What types of information could you provide the
national office?

8-How can the national office staff provide better service to you
before and after a disaster?

9-Are you aware of the Aidmatrix portal project? If so, have you had
training on the portal or have questions about it? And if not, are
you interested in more information?

10-Are there VOADs with dedicated staff? How did you achieve this?

11-How would you rate your relationships with local, state, and
federal officials? Share your successes!

Our number 1 priority is to ensure that our members receive the
highest level of service possible, therefore, we thank you ahead of
time for your time, input, and cooperation. It is only with your
support and engagement that the National VOAD can grow and benefit the
voluntary community it exists to serve. Please feel free to contact
me with any questions. I look forward to working with all of you.

Best Regards to All,
Deb

Deb Alich
Member Services Manager
National Voluntary Organizations ACtive in Disaster (NVOAD)
1501 Lee Highway, Suite 206
Arlington, VA 22209-1198
(703) 778-5088
Fax: (703) 778-5091
Cell: (202) 368-6544
d...@nvoad.org
www.nvoad.org