02/06 Donated Goods Management Planning
Best Practice Guide [BPG 02/06]
The goal of donated goods management is to provide those affected by an emergency with as much support as possible by the efficient and effective acceptance, or rejection, of donated goods.
The primary purpose of a Donated Goods Management Plan will be, in most cases, to deter the donation of unsolicited physical goods and promote the donation of money or specifically requested goods and services. Without an established system, unsolicited donated goods can interfere with the response effort, waste human resources, create negative public relations and hinder longer-term recovery efforts.
This document outlines the need for, and processes surrounding, an orderly means of receiving and managing donated goods.
The goals of a Donated Goods Management Plan are:
- To ensure territorial authorities and emergency response and recovery agencies remain the primary recipients, managers, and distributors of donated goods and services (such as labour or professional services). The Civil Defence Emergency management (CDEM) Group will provide
coordination, assistance and support on local agency request. - To educate the public on how they can best provide assistance to those affected by an emergency. This education will be targeted to deter the unsolicited, unneeded, and unwanted donated goods.
- To establish guidelines as to when donated goods would be counter-productive and how to prevent unsolicited donated goods from hindering critical emergency response and rescue efforts.
A Donated Goods Management Plan will provide guidelines for the coordination of public information, acceptance, staging, distribution and disposal of donated goods received by an affected territorial authority or CDEM Group following an emergency event.