Surviving the Flu Pandemic
Likely consequences of a pandemic for organisations:
- Severe disruption to service delivery
- Reduced capacity (estimated at 50%) if staff and volunteers fall ill
- Staff unable or unwilling to use public transport (trains, buses, aircraft and the tube)
- A big reduction or complete cessation of direct client/supporter contact
- Some staff unable to work due to childcare issues or caring for sick relatives
- Decisions postponed or delayed due to staff or trustee illness
- A reduction in revenue flows if the pandemic is prolonged
- Donor recruitment may be seriously affected
- Cancellation of public events, including some fundraising activities
- Media will focus heavily on the pandemic, reducing coverage of other issues
- Campaigning and lobbying activities may be curtailed
- Service contracts may be affected, if outputs are not delivered
Areas likely to be affected by the flu pandemic include:
- Service delivery
- Fundraising
- Finance
- Administration
- Human resources
- Travel and transport
- Continuity of supplies (goods and services)
- Governance
- Training and conferences
What actions should be taken now to prepare for a pandemic?
- Conduct an organisational risk audit
- Develop an emergency plan to mitigate the potential impact
- Appoint a senior manager to be responsible for pandemic planning
- Seek external advice on developing an emergency plan
What are other organisations already doing?
Public organisations such as the NHS and the prison service have long since developed their own contingency plans for a flu pandemic. Other major employers, such as the high street banks, have also put measures in place to prepare themselves for a flu emergency, estimating that staff numbers could be reduced by half during the height of the pandemic.
How we can help you
Voluntary sector organisations now need to take urgent, so that they can continue to function during a pandemic.
Wootton George Consulting has considerable experience in risk assessment and management in the voluntary sector and we already have plans in place for our own activities during a pandemic.
We have developed an audit checklist to help organisations identify the key issues which will affect them, as well as a planning model, which can be adapted to the needs of individual organisations.
In addition, via our Fundraising Placements service, we aim to help charities survive the pandemic by providing emergency fundraising capacity to those affected by staff shortages.
For further details about how we can help you, please call Simon George on 01785 663600 or Gill Wootton on 01785 823011.
