executive

Tri-County LTR Executive Committee best practices advice

Pick the best people with the right skill set: Tri-County Long Term Recovery was just getting started in response to 2013's spring floods when the 2013 fall tornadoes hit. More than 100 individuals and organizations were at the table for a meeting the very next day and LTR hadn't established its own leadership.

So the executive committee evolved even as LTR committee members were responding to the crisis. The original chairman stepped back on the advice of his attorney, fearing personal liability. The original communications committee decided its members didn't have the time or expertise necessary. The original construction management head was swamped with his own disaster recovery business and ended up switching jobs.

Still, Tri-County LTR survived and thrived -- and learned a lot. We'd suggest you think carefully. Even if you're in the middle of a disaster, it may be better to have no one in a key position than the wrong person. That said, keep your executive committee small. (Usually, they will serve double-duty as committee chairs.)

Consider your community's best candidate for the following spots.

Chair: Seek a CEO. You want someone with gravitas who can lead a meeting and represent you in the community at large. Preferably, find someone who is familiar with an emergency response organization such as the American Red Cross or Salvation Army.

Vice-chair: Think COO. This person, too, should be able to run a meeting and/or speak to the press. In our case, the vice chair ran a social service agency and had experience with the tornadoes in Joplin, MO. She provided invaluable perspective.

Secretary/Donations: If you have a community foundation in your area, invite a representative to work with your team. He or she knows how to set up a fund and give away money. It's harder than it sounds.

Treasurer: A banker or CPA who knows the rules -- and the players in your town -- can save you a lot of headaches. Money must be handled properly or you will lose the credibility and trust you work so hard to establish.

Communications: Look for a retired reporter or a public relations professional. You want somebody who can recognize your story and help you tell it. Your message needs to go out to multiple audiences -- disaster victims, volunteers, donors, your own committee members. It needs to go out on multiple platforms: mainstream press, social media and, ideally, your own regularly-updated website. And you want to do all of that ASAP when disaster hits.

Communicate: Executive board members meet only when necessary, often by conference call. Once the relationships were established here, most matters have been handled via email or around other regularly scheduled LTR meetings, such as the Steering Committee meeting. But the committee does not wait for a meeting. It's important to handle situations as soon as possible.

Tri-County LTR was fortunate to have The Robert R. McCormick Foundation provide a $500,000 grant. Along with funds for disaster relief and a central office, it enabled us to hire a volunteer/part-time communicator as support staff for our communications chair and the executive committee.

Within LTR, she keeps track of contact information, sends meeting reminders, takes minutes, nudges volunteers to fulfill their promises, makes connections with case managers. Publicly, she writes press releases and FAQs, pitches and/or writes stories, contacts media, arranges press conferences, maintains the website, contributes to the Facebook page and ensures LTR data is correct and available.

Be flexible: Every disaster is different. Every community is different. In going dormant, Tri-County LTR recognizes that even if we have another crisis here, we will have to adapt to different circumstances. Hard and fast rules may not be as valuable as general advice.

First, make sure you have the tools to operate. You may need to spend money on cellphone services, laptops, a website, basic insurance, even office space and part-time staff. Don't go crazy and donors will understand that you're making your LTR more efficient by spending resources on your own operations.

Second, keep expectations simple. For example, Tri-County LTR Funder's Forum meets once a month. Vetted information about clients' needs is provided to organizations with the resources to meet those needs -- a confidential, one-stop shop. Early on, the decision was made to focus on private citizens, not businesses. It appeared that was the intent of most donors. But each organization in the Funder's Forum has its own criteria, which LTR does not influence.

Third, adapt when necessary. Several months into the recovery process, when most of the wreckage was cleared, an unanticipated need arose. In and near the tornadoes' path, the ground was spiked with nails, broken glass, bits of siding and other debris. Soil remediation was the elephant in the LTR Center. Nobody knew how much it would cost. Initially, those cases were held back from the Funder's Forum, partly because they were not as urgent as things such as medical needs or rental assistance, and partly in an effort to get a handle on the scope of the problem. A special committee formed to research alternatives.

Ultimately, it was decided to just include soil remediation cases in with all the others and let funders decide for themselves. Virtually every case got at least some funding, although not every case was funded in full.

Finally, don't be afraid ask for help. You probably don't need to reinvent the wheel. Our experience has been that communities affected by disaster are eager to pay back by offering their assistance to others. Joplin helped us; we help Fairdale and DeKalb. If anything, we consider it a privilege. You may be experiencing a flood or a chemical spill instead of a tornado, but odds are good another community can give you advice.

Keep calm and carry on: Overall, people involved with LTR are positive personalities who want to help, but they're not perfect. Stuff happens. The executive committee's job is to focus on the big picture and help everyone else ride out the storm. Literally. You coordinate and direct. Oversee and organize. You are the face of your LTR in the community. Put on a good one.