Nonprofit Organizations and Community Disaster Recovery: Assessing the Value and Impact of Intersector Collaboration

A 2009 flooding disaster in Alaska produced a unique intersector operational collaborative model between voluntary nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies. This article investigates the value and impact of those disaster recovery services provided by the nonprofit sector under this management approach. Doing so is important because the approach taken in this disaster case was seen by the practitioner community as a critical test of the value of the specific model being undertaken. The assessment here provides an answer to that test; it demonstrates that the beneficial impact of nonprofit organizations on community recovery is more far-reaching than is typically measured. Further, the analysis also sheds light on those key factors driving successful collaboration between the public and nonprofit sectors in disaster management. Beyond the particulars of the case, this assessment identifies the broader implications of this general type of management strategy for future disaster recovery efforts.