Managing Surge Through Resource Agreements

Surge can include anything from a spike in production or attendance, to crisis management. When production exceeds capacity businesses need plans in place to ramp up rapidly. Non-profits such as food banks experienced a surge when needs exceeded available resources. In January 2012 we attended an event with five thousand participants and watched as many were turned away. Yet there was a like-minded business a mile down the road which could have co-hosted the event allowing for another three thousand attendees. In fact, there was a third entity that could have handled at least three thousand more. A business continuity plan can help a business or nonprofit manage a surge related to the economy, but it can also be used to manage unforeseen conditions. For instance many nonprofits have a large base of trained volunteers. Volunteers can be called up during times of crisis. Businesses can establish trigger points to rein in finances or provide cross training to manage labor needs until additional resources arrive. Resource management agreements allow businesses, churches and nonprofits to provide mutual aid which is only limited by imagination and codes. This may range from agreements for extra parking or improved logistics to top notch event planners. Few entities have the resources to plan for every contingency, but by appointing a liaison to participate in a work group and giving them the authority to commit resources within predetermined guidelines allows for greater flexibility and reciprocity leads to better cooperation.

Resource Sharing. Part 1

Resource sharing agreements allow businesses or organizations to share personnel to meet a surge. They are typically used in disaster situations, however concepts can be drawn and applied to other situations.  Examples include parking lot attendants, safety personnel, public information officers, kitchen help, a clean-up crew, a graphic artist, an auctioneer or any other applicable resource. A catering business may have a huge order and insufficient staff. This could cause the loss of a large agreement. Instead of losing to another company, set up a resource sharing agreement to call up staff from another catering business to meet the immediate need. The agreement would require the requesting organization to compensate the sending organization for wages and benefits, plus an agreed amount for administrative cost. This same concept may be applied to a floral shop, clinic, accounting firm or any other non-technical company or nonprofit. Churches and other nonprofits may need extra staff to register guests for an event, welcome or help seat guests. Many churches have an abundance and rotate musicians or volunteers where as others may be able to offer a  guest speaker. The second post in this series will address logistics sharing agreements.