ODFN operates using aligned, or coordinated, funding, which is more flexible than “pooled” funding (which is when everyone pays into a singular fund). With coordinated funding, each philanthropic funder retains autonomy over funding decisions and decides individually whether or not to fund the request.

During disasters, network members are provided with aggregate information including funding and non-financial needs directly from affected communities and the diverse organizations supporting them. ODFNetwork Coordinators act as liaisons and conduct preliminary vetting of organizations and jurisdictions with funding requests, funneling information to funders and supporting as much (or as little) as network or community members request.

During a disaster event, statistics and local information is reported to the ODFNetwork, and incidents tracked by the Disaster Services Team for any important changes (such as a wildfire growing extensively overnight, or moving from an unpopulated area to a populated area, etc). Updates are reported on the Current Events page and/or via a network member mailing list depending on the severity of the incident.

The Network meets every other month at virtual, “drop in” meetings to discuss urgent needs, current disasters, provide takeaways from regional and national events, share updates on recovery efforts, and more from an inclusive, community-led lens. 

The cadence of meetings ebbs and flows with disaster needs, but are always welcoming, informative, a place to ask questions, learn about active funding needs throughout the state, share about your community or initiatives, and much more. During “blue sky” times, when the Network experiences less emergency disaster need, Special Guests are invited to share expertise or experiences. 

Past Special Guests have included Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Chief Ruiz-Temple, Long Term Recovery Groups, Rangeland Fire Protections Associations, Community-Based Organizations and nonprofits working in the disaster life cycle, Tribal members and Native-serving organizations; rurally-based groups such as the High Desert Partnership and the Tillamook Coast Visitor’s Association, County-level leadership, state departments, wildfire survivors, and many others with varied and important perspectives on disaster and resilience. 

During a disaster, organizations serving the affected communities or community members themselves will be invited to attend and share their experience.

These varied and unique perspectives give a holistic view into the evolving (funding and disaster) landscape, ever-shifting community need, first-hand experience and hard earned knowledge of our Oregon communities.

Direct access to a team of professionals who (1) attend state and national disaster-related conferences and state-level disaster exercises (such as IronOR 24) and report back to the Network; (2) conduct research and provide updates, statistics, summaries, and reports of disaster events in real-time and ongoingly (such as during the recovery phase); (3) act as liaison between on-the-ground groups impacted by disaster and funders, providing vetting in both directions and the ability to work “through the noise” during disaster as the team has longstanding relationships and connections with many Oregon nonprofits working in the disaster lifecycle and have supported standing up Long Term Recovery Groups in multiple counties. 

Network Coordinators conduct outreach to identify disaster funding needs throughout the state, foster community relationships throughout the region and have established relationships with Oregon’s Long Term Recovery Groups, COADs, VOADs, and other nonprofit organizations working within the disaster lifecycle. Coordinators have a role and relationship with Oregon Emergency Management and ongoing dialogue and relationships with the Governor’s Office and other state agencies, along with county, city-level, and Tribal leadership throughout the state. 

Involvement with multiple sectors is a crucial and valuable perspective when fostering resilience and the Disaster Services Team provides liaison services along with providing introductions where possible, and more.

Curated and internal online trackers related to specific disasters or rolling funding requests. An example is our internal funding request tracker, which is regularly updated with disaster funding needs across the state, and which tracks the county or region the request is from, the amount and date the request was made, what has been pledged so far, the contact information for the requesting organization, the entity type, a description of the need (including if it is relevant for resilience, response, or recovery), and more!

Notification when the Network “Activates” - meaning communities in Oregon are in active crisis. 

The Network is “activated” when all three are true: (1) a disaster is a threat to lives, health, homes, structures, infrastructure; (2) a disaster is clearly exceeding a community’s ability to respond or provide resources to community members; (3) the Network’s management team is able to connect directly with impacted community members and organizations to verify information and needs (all measures are taken to reduce burdens on community members during this time - i.e., conversations are kept brief, any independent due diligence is conducted prior to community contact, etc.).

Network Coordinators then elevate relevant information to the Network as soon as it is confirmed by our on-the-ground contacts.

We provide Technical Assistance to communities (yours, or those you are supporting) and work as a resource “air traffic controller,” directing groups or individuals to the resources they need during the disaster lifecycle - be that connecting them to a Long Term Recovery Group, to the Oregon Resilience Stewards, to OHCS, or to a community provider, or to a relevant funder (such as yourselves!)