September 11: More Effective Collaboration Could Enhance Charitable Organizations' Contributions in Disasters
GAO-03-259
Published: Dec 19, 2002. Publicly Released: Dec 26, 2002.
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Highlights
Surveys suggest that as many as two-thirds of American households have donated money to charitable organizations to aid in the response to the September 11 disasters. To provide the public with information on the role of charitable aid in assisting those affected by the attacks, GAO was asked to report on the amount of donations charities raised and distributed, the accountability measures in place to prevent fraud by organizations and individuals, and lessons learned about how to best distribute charitable aid in similar situations.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Response | The director of FEMA convene a working group of involved parties to take steps to implement strategies for future disasters, building upon the lessons identified in this report and by others to help create sustained efforts to address these issues. The working group should address these and other issues as deemed relevant: (1) the development and adoption of a common application form and confidentiality agreement; (2) the establishment of databases for those receiving aid in particular disasters; and (3) strategies for enhancing public education regarding charitable giving in general and for large-scale disasters in particular, including ways to enhance reporting on funds collected and expended. This working group could include FEMA, representatives of key charitable and voluntary organizations and foundations; public and private philanthropic oversight groups and agencies; and federal, state, and local emergency preparedness officials. |
Closed – Implemented
In response to GAO's recommendation and with FEMA's encouragement, voluntary agencies have worked on the development of the Collaborative Assistance Network. It is composed of representatives from national voluntary agencies who signed an initial memorandum of understanding in August 2003 and have worked through 2004 to promote a coordinated approach to providing disaster relief services to families and individuals. The goals of this network include the identification of methods and systems that will produce more efficient and effective service coordination among and between voluntary, as well as government agencies, in catastrophic and major disaster events. These efforts include (1) working with local resources and agencies and include client and agency access to information on available services; (2) common client data elements and confidentiality and legal issues; (3) accepted standards for document verification; and (4) shared information related to levels of overall services delivered to individuals, families or households. The ultimate goal of this effort is to establish a flexible, easy to understand and navigate inter-agency service coordination and delivery system. These steps should produce more efficient and effective service coordination among and between voluntary, as well as, governmental agencies in catastrophic and major disaster events.
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Best practicesCharitable organizationsDisaster relief aidFraudFunds managementHomeland securityTerrorismDisaster preparednessCharitiesPolice