Sessions

Many organizations want to help their own through difficult times. One way of doing so is by establishing a disaster and hardship relief fund that can award individual grants. Relief funds not only provide essential financial assistance for those impacted by unforeseen disasters and personal hardships, but also an opportunity for team members to give to their colleagues in need. In fact, relief funds have been shown to improve workforce productivity and morale. However, there are various aspects of relief fund establishment and administration that can be confusing: regulatory compliance; objective grant application review; international grantmaking for global workforces; large-scale disaster response; tax-advantaged donations and grants; supporting the fund through corporate and individual donations; and more. This session will provide clarity around these concepts and break down the barriers to getting started so that more organizations can support their internal communities when needed most.

Learning Objectives:

• Walk away with an understanding of the important regulatory aspects of relief funds and the various charitable structures within which a relief fund might operate.
• Walk away with an understanding of the most important considerations when establishing and administering a relief fund.
• Walk away with an understanding of the factors that can significantly contribute to relief fund program success.
• Walk away with an understanding of the common differences between self-administered and third-party administered relief funds.