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“This RAPID award will provide a better understanding of the dynamics of spontaneous volunteer response and should improve the ability of response planners to effectively incorporate citizen volunteers in disaster relief efforts.”
This RAPID award will provide a better understanding of the dynamics of spontaneous volunteer response and should improve the ability of response planners to effectively incorporate citizen volunteers in disaster relief efforts.
This award will provide support for data collection efforts in Houston, Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey with several research objectives in mind:
(1) to understand the organizational dynamics associated with volunteer intake and assignment;
(2) to create and validate analytical models for volunteer intake and service length;
(3) to understand the barriers to successful incorporation of spontaneous volunteers into the emergency response to disasters.
This scientific research contribution thus supports NSF's mission to promote the progress of science and to advance our national welfare.
In this case, the benefits will be insights to improve volunteer management post-disasters which can save lives and reduce economic losses.
The collected data will support:
(1) the development of key performance indicators associated with volunteer management systems,
(2) insights into how well organizations perform based on these metrics during the ongoing relief efforts, and
(3) an analysis of the decision making process of volunteer managers and their impact on performance.