Our COVID-19 Response: Pathways to Healthy Volunteering

Resources and information about Novel Coronavirus: COVID-19

We are truly living in unique times. The coronavirus pandemic is impacting everyone from our families, to our businesses, to our first responders who are bravely on the front lines. As the situation continues to affect our world, we wanted to use this page to inform you how we are preparing a response and collaborating with our partners.

• What is it?
  Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a virus that has created a global pandemic. Its primary symptoms are a high fever, dry cough, fatigue, and shortness of breath. If you have any of these symptoms, please quarantine yourself and contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible for further guidance. COVID-19 has a higher reproduction number and mortality rate than the common flu, and for this reason is being treated as a global crisis leading to extreme impacts in almost every sector of life.

• CDC & WHO
  The Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization offer extensive information about COVID-19, including which countries/states have been most impacted, what to do if you may have been exposed, symptoms, and what to do if you believe that you have coronavirus. Check out their websites: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public and https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

• COVID-19 Testing Kits
  Depending on your city and state, testing kits can be limited and accessible only to patients who are referred to a specific address or location to take the test by a doctor.

• Our blog and support articles
  We’ve been working to gather resources, processes, requirements, and tools to help our partners — institutions, brands, nonprofits, volunteers, and communities — find the best paths forward. Check out our regularly-updated blog post that compiles a list of resources, as well as our dedicated COVID-19 response support article. 

What now...

COVID-19 has immediately shaken up community initiatives, service learning and all face to face events and activities.

Our collective response...

We are rallying our network to fight against COVID-19. This is how you can get involved now. For additional details as to ongoing updates and initiatives we are rolling out for this, you can check on our Support Portal here 

• Virtual
  We will be encouraging community partners to post virtual volunteer (and project-based) opportunities. In parallel, we’ll be helping folks on the platform to identify opportunities encouraging physically distancing and experiences that practice safe and clean procedures to protect volunteers. We are also here to help any organizations who would like help brainstorming how they can still maintain services for their clients and community in this uncertain time. Please reach out to our response team covid@unitedfoundationcf.org if you would like our support in this matter. 

• Reflections, Assessment & Story-telling
  Within the network, institutions and organizations are sharing their thoughts and reflections on the impact of COVID-19 to their daily lives and local communities. We are actively reviewing the needs, resources and changing landscape of the communities we serve. And while this is an ongoing process, this has immediately allowed us to agilely adapt to our communities requirements. We will also be disseminating the analysis gathered shortly. We will use these reflections and assessments to guide our response and proactive engagement with community leaders.

• National Network
  Across the nation, communities have been impacted severely by COVID-19. We are activating our national network of organizations better collaborate and help communities stay strong and resilient. We anticipate on leveraging our technology and expertise to help in any way possible for our partners.

• Providing Strategies and Community Forums
  In parallel with our Emergency Taskforce, we will be hosting webinars and community forums to disemminate resources and learnings, as well as maintaining a repository of shared knowledge and strategies in our living blog post and support documentation. If you know of any resources or have any ideas for how we can help, feel free to let us know by joining us in our forums or by emailing our emergency response team covid@unitedfoundationcf.org. 

Volunteer Preparation

It's imperative that all volunteers, donors and individuals who anticipate on interacting with others to either physically distance themselves or ensure they are healthy, capable and willing.

• Wash Hands and Be Clean
  The CDC recommends that you wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, particularly after sneezing or coughing, when caring for the sick, before, after, and during food preparation, before eating, after use of toilets, when hands are visibly dirty, and after handling animals. Washing hands often and thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) will help to prevent the spread of the virus, both to yourself and others. Avoid touching your face. If you cannot wash your hands, frequently use an alcohol-based hand rub/sanitizer.

• Cover Coughs and Sneezes
  Always cover your coughs and sneezes with your inner elbow or a tissue (if into a tissue, please dispose immediately and wash your hands). Droplets can spread the virus; good respiratory hygiene helps to protect those around you from the potential spread of the virus. This is particularly true given that droplets can remain on surfaces long after you have left, leaving all those who come into contact vulnerable.

• Physical (also known as Social) Distancing
  Maintaining six feet of physical distance can prevent the spread of virus, as this is how far droplets travel after a cough or a sneeze. Physical distance can protect you and those around you alike. Note: while this has been referred to as social distancing, increasingly the term physical distancing is being preferred, as social connection is of particular importance at this time.

Making a center, workspace and activity safe, clean and welcoming

It's imperative that all centers, programs and initiatives must have procedures and ongoing tasks in place to protect the health and safety of volunteers, donors, clients and members of the community.

Wipe Down Center
It is uncertain how long coronavirus can last on surfaces (for this and other information, see the WHO FAQs: https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses). In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus for those in your center, wipe it down with alcohol-based disinfectants both before and after it is in use. If you are using a tablet for volunteer check-in, make sure to sanitize it regularly. If volunteers or employees are using shared computers or tools, make sure they wash their hands regularly, use hand sanitizer, and wipe down their stations before and after use as well.

• Tools & Supplies Clean-up
  It is also recommended the organization ensures all tools (laptops, tablets, phones, supplies and stationary) be wiped or cleaned per usage or activity. At the same time, individuals and groups who are committed to a program or activity should double check their workspace and tools are cleaned to protect their own safety and health.

• Provide Disinfectant Wipes and Hand Sanitizing Solutions
  Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are almost as effective as hand-washing (although we always recommend that volunteers, employees, and clients wash their hands for at least 20 seconds as often as possible). Provide this to anyone engaging in your organization’s space to avoid transmission of the virus. In addition, provide disinfectant wipes so that any droplets containing the virus can be removed before individuals touch surfaces.