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News & Events | Best Practices

Be Prepared: Develop Your Rapid Relief Funding Plan

February 1, 2025

Be ready to take action when urgent funding needs arise

Hurricanes, pandemics, fires, and every other unforeseen and catastrophic event you can imagine. When these things come to your community, your community comes to you for help.

Foundations, associations, United Ways, and local governments have long invested in programs and services that address systemic and emerging needs. It’s how you are building a brighter, long-term future for your neighbors.

Your strong relationships and deep engagement have also made you a “go-to” partner when urgent needs for funding arise.

Here’s the big question: Are you prepared to respond?

Having a basic plan in place so you can act on the need as quickly as it arises will result in swift solutions for your community and less stress for your team.

Let’s look at a few pieces you can put in place for a quick pivot to meet urgent funding needs.

  • Assemble your rapid relief roster. Identify which team members will be key players in distributing funds and what their roles will be. Knowing who is in charge of communications with agencies, setting up a grant application process, distributing funds, etc. will mean less time organizing and more time acting.
  • Build a ready-to-release urgent needs application. Establish the “must have” information you will need to collect for any funding request and build it into your grant management system. When the need arises, you’ll be able to grab it, adjust it for the current need, release your application and provide much needed relief fast.
  • Establish your evaluation and decision process. Design your application review criteria and funding decision process for quick determinations and notifications. Don’t forget to include your finance team in the process so once a determination is made, funds can be distributed without delay.
  • Streamline to save time. Keep your plan, application, and evaluation as simple as possible and have as much built out and ready to deploy as you can in advance. This will help your community receive critical assistance quickly while alleviating the weight your team carries in the process.

As you hope for (and work toward!) the best for your community, these steps will help you plan and be prepared for the worst.

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