Faculty Scholarly Dissemination Grants

Coping With Disaster: Lessons Learned From Nonprofit Executives Following Hurricane Katrina

Department

School of Social Work

College

College of Community and Public Service

Date Range

2010-2011

Abstract

This paper explores the issues and challenges that nonprofit organizations (NPOs) contend with as a consequence of a large-scale disaster, in this case, the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005. Through interviews with 10 executive directors of small and medium-size nonprofit, community-based NPOs in New Orleans, this study examines how their organizations coped with the consequences of the storm and the devastating aftermath. The critical issues and coping strategies the executives identified, and the lessons they learned offer insights into (a) nonprofit organizational responses to a catastrophic event, and (b) executive leadership that helped the nonprofit to survive. This research project was a qualitative, exploratory study utilizing a grounded theoretical approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, which were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to determine themes in critical issues, coping strategies, and lessons learned. Analysis of critical issues revealed that executives reported communication issues as paramount in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Primary coping strategies included identifying and securing funding support, creating new approaches to problems confronting their organizations, and responding to the needs of new clients requesting services. Executives also reported a number of lessons learned after reflecting on the critical issues confronting their organizations and the coping strategies that were employed.

Conference Name

Promoting Sustainability in Social Work

Conference Location

Portland, OR

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