Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Volunteer Recruitment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Blue Sky volunteer group seeks 5,000-strong roster to speed Houston disaster response
Summary
BakerRipley and partners presented the Blue Sky Volunteer Planning Group's effort to expand spontaneous-volunteer recruitment, improve Volunteer Houston sign-ups and user experience, and build local capacity, including a goal to enroll 5,000 volunteers.
Tommy Holstein, a BakerRipley representative speaking for the Blue Sky Volunteer Planning Group, told the Resilience Committee on Sept. 18 that the group is working with city, county and regional partners to grow and better coordinate spontaneous volunteers for disaster response and recovery.
The plan, Holstein said, focuses on four priorities: volunteer recruitment, raising awareness of Volunteer Houston, improving volunteer experience and capacity building for skills such as chainsaw work and debris removal. "We started about a year ago in October 24," Holstein said, summarizing the group's origins and work to date.
Why it matters: The presenters said recruitment and coordination gaps limited local capacity during recent events. Holstein called for a broader pool of trusted messengers — employers, faith groups and civic organizations — to serve as recruitment channels that drive volunteers into a single registration funnel so opportunities and expectations are clear.
The Blue Sky group has worked with partners including the Texas Gulf Coast regional VOAD, the mayor's office of public safety, ARP of Texas and Houston Responds. Holstein described practical steps taken so far: a slide deck and outreach meetings with employers and community groups (JPMorgan Chase and Citgo were cited as early contacts), new prospect lists to onboard partners, and printed materials to distribute at partner organizations.
Holstein described updates to Volunteer Houston intended to reduce friction for sign-up and turnout — simplifying registration fields and clarifying confirmation messages so people do not abandon the process. He said an app developed with United Way leaders offers a lightweight volunteer-management guide for organizations that lack year-round volunteer staff.
On capacity, Holstein said the group drafted standardized job descriptions for disaster roles (for example, "swamper," "pod volunteer," and warming/cooling center volunteers) to make it easier for organizations and volunteers to match skills and tasks. He also outlined non‑manual roles to broaden participation — phone-based or customer-service positions, for example — and emphasized prioritizing placements in underserved communities.
Holstein said the group set a recruitment goal of 5,000 volunteers — which he characterized as "about 1% of the population of Harris County," a round target meant to guide outreach rather than a rigid threshold.
The presenter asked council members and staff to share recruitment toolkits with neighborhood organizations, faith groups and employers and to provide referrals to expand the list of partner organizations. Holstein said the initiative is currently "shoestring" funded and that the group is not making a formal ask for dollars today but noted the possibility of future resource requests to sustain coordination and branding work.
Committee Chair Twyla Carter thanked the presenters; Council Member Julian Ramirez offered brief thanks from the dais.
