ABOUT THE CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE DISASTER RESPONSE  
Insights for Wise Humanitarian Action - Developed by PhilanthropyNow & The Raqim Foundation

Who Is This Checklist For?
This practical, evolving Checklist is for you if you are engaged in the conscious collection and distribution of monies and/or supplies for humanitarian response to man-made or natural disasters.

	You are a nonprofit or business new to relief work and want to partner with seasoned humanitarian organizations
	Your NGO has humanitarian experience but needs to orient new partners or donors to the process and complexities of emergency relief operations
	You are a financial advisor whose affluent client wants to send supplies to a disaster area
	You are a spiritual community or grassroots service organization that wants to give to a sister community or partner service organization in another region or country
	You have taken a philanthropic vacation in a village in the developing world and want to respond to requests from village leaders for specific material support

Why Is This Checklist Timely?
Disasters continue to occur . . . impacting more people in population centers . . . calling for smarter, greater, sustained humanitarian response.

What are the Goals For The Free Checklist Distribution?

	To save and sustain lives while doing no harm at times when people in crisis need each others’ support
	To prevent donor compassion fatigue and burnout
	To connect givers with experienced partners on the ground, together supporting local community involvement
	To enhance wise use of scarce human, financial and material resources
	To enhance recipient self-sufficiency and sustainability
	To promote positive high-impact social investing that produces measurable critical results
	To invite feedback for continuous improvement of the Checklist

What Will You Be Able To Do With The Checklist?
This practical Checklist and its resource lists will assist you to make better, quicker giving decisions about:

- When to give
- What to give
- How to give
- Who to give with
- Who to give to

How Was The Checklist Developed?
It evolved from:

	A debriefing of a disaster response effort that had both successes and failures
	Evidence-based practices in emergency response
	Critical input and review by experts from NGOs, government and business
	A review of the literature and current blogs
	Conversations with supply recipients and others on the ground
	A commitment to learn from and share both mistakes and successes

What Are People Are Saying About the Checklist?“

After more than 20 years of international disaster response I can say this checklist is the most comprehensive I have used or seen. The timely use of this instrument can save millions of dollars and mitigate needless suffering by disaster victims exacerbated by well meaning but poorly informed contributors. I plan to incorporate it into our training programs and share it, with the agencies, corporations and NGOs who contract with us for services. Congratulations on an exceptional product and an anticipatory "Thank You" from those you will help through this work.

- Grady P. Bray, PhD, President, Crisis Human Services, Inc., www.brayassociates.org

“The first response to an emergency can often be fast and chaotic. These guidelines are essential as a governing road map for the foundation of any critical response plan.”

- Carsten Henningsen, Director, Community Friends, www.communityfriends.org

"As a United Nations official having worked in operational activities for development, recovery and relief for more than 15 years in countries experiencing natural disasters and human-inflicted humanitarian crises, I find this Checklist a comprehensive tool with very considerable practical value. This cumulative advice based on experience and wisdom gathered from both success and frustrating shortcomings of many organizations will help make all of our efforts more effective. I commend this Checklist."

- Herb Behrstock, President United Nations Association-USA East Bay Chapter,
(retired senior officer of UN Development Program (UNDP), Raqim Foundation advisor)

‘WOW! I wish we had had this document weeks ago. The LOGISTICS issues documented by this report are ones we are engaged in untangling now in response to the Haiti earthquake. I can say from long-term and recent experience that this tracks very closely with our experiences and assessments, as well as with our beliefs and values. On behalf of Project K.I.D., I know this is a document we will disseminate to donors and make accessible through our website. This is a wonderful product to introduce to the philanthropy community that provides clear, concise considerations that would be helpful for any NGO or philanthropist engaging in disaster response to work through step by step.”

- Lenore T. Ealy, Ph.D., Director, The Project for New Philanthropy Studies @ DonorsTrust (www.conversationsonphilanthropy.org) and Co-founder, Project K.I.D., Inc., www.project-kid.org

What Is The Next Step To Receive The Free Checklist/s?

Click here or cut and paste this URL into your browser to
download a PDF of the Short Checklist with resource lists

Click here or cut and paste this URL into your browser to
download a PDF of the Complete Checklist with resource lists

“It is through giving that we discover who we are . . . and what matters to us.”
– PhilanthropyNow interviewee 1999

This Checklist was funded by its developers. Donations to continue the work of the tax exempt 501 (c) 3 Raqim Foundation, a US Public Charity (Tax ID# 55-0885953), would be warmly received at The Raqim Foundation website www.raqimfoundation.org

Faruq Achikzad, Checklist Coauthor Chairman gfachikzad@sbcglobal.net	Charles B. Maclean, PhD, Checklist Coauthor Founder, Donor Advocate and Committed Listener advocate@philanthropynow.com