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Philanthropy through nonprofits is a critical component of relief throughout worldwide humanitarian disasters. Humanitarian disasters are increasing each year, yet a comprehensive time-sensitive model has not been created nor adopted by all nonprofits, or better yet, prior to a disaster. To better understand the benefits and challenges of philanthropy during a humanitarian disaster, a review and analysis of the literature were conducted, and research gaps were identified. The findings of this review indicate that philanthropy during humanitarian disasters is critical to reconstruction and enhancement efforts, and donors are one of the most valuable resources available.
Keywords: nonprofit, supply chain management, philanthropy
INTRODUCTION
As defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a disaster is "an occurrence of a natural catastrophe, a technological incident, or human-caused event that has resulted in severe property damage, deaths, and or multiple injuries" (FEMA, 2009). A comprehensive analysis of the components of philanthropy during humanitarian disasters, such as communication, technology, stakeholders, and gift types, has led us to the following propositions:
* Leveraging media and new advances in technology will ultimately help provide an adaptable model for deploying aid at each stage of a humanitarian disaster.
* Stakeholders, such as, donors, volunteers, and government organizations, have different needs and understandings of their roles in a humanitarian disaster.
* Data-driven analysis can help determine the most efficient and effective measures that will provide the greatest positive impact on all stakeholders, and in particular, on the affected country or region.
* Education about gift types can help donors and nonprofits contribute the most-needed resources for those experiencing a humanitarian disaster.
The mapping of philanthropy long before a disaster strikes is relatively non-existent. According to John and Ramesh (2016), it is nearly impossible to accurately predict the scale of devastation prior to a humanitarian disaster. They note that "the lack of strategic intent for developing a supply chain prior to the disaster means there is a lack of experienced logisticians" (John & Ramesh, 2016). According to Franklin and Todt (2014), "without pre-disaster resource planning, private sector organizations capable of providing essential goods cannot design their plans to ensure that essential resources are available after an incident." It is imperative that adaptable models be established to provide nonprofit organizations with guidelines to help...