Anatomy of an Appeal1

The newsflash everyone dreads appears on the screens. A major disaster - perhaps a flood, perhaps an earthquake. Damage is widespread and casualties are high, with many dead.

Whenever a disaster strikes, the effect is devastating. Often the local infrastructure and transportation is difficult at best; impossible at worst; but relief has to get through. Quickly.

Individual aid agencies will be first on the scene to assess the local situation and urgently put the appropriate rescue and aid measures into place. In remote regions, reaching the location can be difficult and may take some time. Quite apart from geographical challenges, local conflicts can also hinder getting aid rapidly to where it is needed. In some cases, just one or two aid agencies may operate in the area affected, but where the effect is widespread, most, if not all, the major aid agencies are likely to be involved.

Money is likely to be needed to provide aid to the stricken areas. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella organisation representing the major aid agencies will be receiving constant feedback from the agencies at the scene, who will be relaying the extent of the damage, casualties and operational and logistical data.

The DEC needs to respond rapidly to organise an appeal to raise money. Acting on the regular updating briefings from the area affected, it brings together the broadcast and print media, telecommunications, the Post Office and the financial services industry, each of which plays its respective part in publicising the appeal and in helping to collect donations from the public.

No time can be lost. Graphic images of the devastation and human suffering will already be motivating people to send money to help those affected and this overwhelming desire to give needs to be channelled. But there is much to do. The appeal itself must be set up, posters printed and distributed, broadcast and print media slots arranged and hundreds of telephone lines opened. In addition, more than 100,000 front line financial services industry staff need to know where the funds should be credited to ensure that they reach the appeal account quickly and accurately. With a typical DEC appeal likely to involve millions of pounds in donations being made through banks, the system has to be totally reliable, secure and accountable.

The British Bankers' Association (BBA) is a priority contact for the DEC. An early telephone call from the DEC kicks off a well-rehearsed plan of action to get details of the banking arrangements for the appeal to all front line bank staff across the UK. It is essential that no time is lost and this exercise takes precedence over all other work. The immediate priority is to ensure that anyone wishing to make a donation can do so - free of charge - at any bank branch in the UK. Posters supporting the appeal will follow shortly afterwards.

Within just 48 hours - in many cases considerably less - of the initial phone call from the DEC, donations are already flowing across bank counters to support the aid efforts, wherever in the world that is.

Related Links

Disasters Emergency Committee website (External Link)

For further information, please contact:
Brian Capon ( brian.capon@bba.org.uk )