The Salvation Army, founded in 1865, is always ready to respond when disasters strike. In this podcast, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the operations one of the largest non-profits in the world and one of the first relief agencies on-site during natural disasters; most recently Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Fifth generation Salvation Army Officers, Majors Jonathan and Barbara Rich, inspire us by sharing the deep sense of purpose and the passion of volunteers that drive the success of the largest area commands in the nation. You’ll learn about the strategies, planning and execution which goes into serving millions of people in their deepest time of need. Serving in 128 countries, the mission of this worldwide organization is to serve others who are less fortunate so they might have a better life. Isn’t that a leadership legacy which would serve us all well?

Key soundbites…

On Leadership Development…”By being thrown into the deep end, you learn by doing, by observing best practices and learning from those who are doing it well.”

Advice to next generation…”Be curious. Be willing to learn. Get close to people who are ahead of you in life, who are effective leaders.”

On Strategic Planning…”We’ve always been prepared to be onsite with mobile feeding units at the time of the greatest need. We can be there because we are in every zip code”.

On Collaboration…”We partner with other organizations (Red Cross, Food Bank, Volunteer Now) and meet monthly (since Katrina) to help prepare for something like this. We each have our role. We created this task force for us all to be more prepared. It’s so important.”

On disaster relief Training & Development…”Disaster work is very sophisticated and so we have certified courses from basic to very intensive training.”

On Volunteer Recruitment…”Young people very much want to be ‘boots on the ground’. The average age is 30 years old, they’re raising dollars and awareness. The Salvation Army, after 150 years, is becoming cool again.”