What is Ventura County VOAD (VCVOAD)?
Ventura County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VCVOAD) is a collaborative of nearly 50 local non-profit agencies, faith-based organizations, volunteer groups, public institutions, and private entities dedicated to improving outcomes for people affected by disasters. VC-VOAD helps communities respond to and recover from major disasters guided by our founding principles of cooperation, communication, coordination, and collaboration.
Our Mission
Provide efficient, streamlined service delivery to people affected by disaster, while eliminating unnecessary duplication of effort through cooperation in the four phases of disasters: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
How does VCVOAD benefit my organization and my community?
We bring together community partners and government agencies before disaster hits and meet quarterly to discuss best practices and prepare to assist our community in a disaster. When disaster hits, we create and facilitate spaces to connect and coordinate messaging and services to increase impact for recovery. In short, we are active before, in, and after disasters. Together, we prioritize a calling to strengthen community resilience in Ventura County.
Our Story
Ventura County VOAD is part of California's Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Network (VOAD), which is part of a coalition of 70+ of the nation’s most reputable national organizations (faith-based, community-based, and other non-profit organizations) and 56 State/Territory VOADs, which represent Local/Regional VOADs and hundreds of other member organizations throughout the country.
The coalition was founded over 50 years ago in response to the challenges many disaster organizations experienced following Hurricane Camille. Its goal was to address unnecessary duplication of efforts while other needs weren't met. Further, potential volunteers received only limited training, and access to information on services available to survivors during disasters was woefully inadequate.
Since 1969, VOAD collaboratives have been recognized by emergency professionals in California and across the country. At a VOAD, organizations come together pre-disaster to discuss their roles during disasters, identify potential disaster response gaps, and learn about best disaster relief and recovery practices. It provides resources equitably without duplicating efforts.
Ventura County's VOAD has repeatedly brought together key stakeholders to respond to disasters such as the Thomas and Woolsey Fires, COVID-19, and, more recently, the Mountain Fire and two consecutive years of severe winter storms.
Led by the Director of VC VOAD and governed by a rotating Executive Committee of passionate community leaders who volunteer to represent the region's leading nonprofits, the VC VOAD team has a wealth of experience in community building and disaster management. We remain committed to serving our county before, during, and after disaster.
For more information on the governance and operational procedures please see our Guidelines.