Built for the Moment: How Prepared Companies Support Employees When Disaster Strikes

When disaster strikes, a thousand questions race through someone’s mind. Is everyone safe? Do we need to evacuate? Is my home still standing? Where will we sleep tonight? After the immediate crisis, another wave of questions sets in. How will I be able pay for this? How am I supposed to show up for work right now? How can I explain this to my employer? 

In moments like these, employees aren’t just looking for a paycheck. They’re looking for reassurance that their employer has a plan — and that they won’t have to navigate the crisis alone. 

When your employees are facing the unthinkable, you can help answer some of the impossible questions they face. When disaster affects employees, companies do not have the luxury of time. Whether the crisis is a hurricane, earthquake, conflict, disease outbreak, or personal hardship, employees look to their employer for clear communication, compassion, and practical support. The organizations that respond best are rarely the ones that improvise on the spot. They are the ones that have prepared before the moment arrives — with a plan, trusted partners, and a structured way to help employees when every hour matters.

What It Means to Be Built for the Moment
Being built for the moment means having a practical, people-first framework in place before disaster strikes. Companies can start with four actions: 

• Assess readiness. Review current policies, escalation paths, employee assistance resources, communications plans, and decision-making processes. Identify gaps before they become pressure points. 
• Identify trusted partners. Build relationships with vetted charity and response partners that deliver support quickly and responsibly after a crisis, especially in places where you have employees and operations. That way, you can easily support responding charities whether a disaster has affected your team or not. Global Impact’s Charity Alliance includes more than 75 vetted international organizations that activate across different regions, crises, and issue areas. Examples of their response this year are listed below. 
• Prepare decision frameworks. Define when and how to respond, including activation criteria, eligibility, funding levels, geographic scope, approval roles, and communications protocols. Recent disaster philanthropy research reinforces the value of clear criteria, preparedness, and employee-centered response planning. 
• Create accessible support resources. Make sure employees know where to go, how to apply for assistance, what documentation may be needed, and what other resources are available to them and their families. Put yourself in the role of an employee: when they’re grappling with endless uncertainties, would they know exactly where to go for which resources? 

Support For Your Employees
When it comes to your response efforts, it may seem difficult to know how much and where to give. What centers most employers is the needs of their employees and their families. When you start with how you can best support employees in need, that support grows into how you can support the wider community, creating one comprehensive philanthropic plan.  

One of the most effective ways companies can support employees through emergencies is through an Employee Assistance Fund (EAF). An EAF provides a structured way to deliver financial assistance to employees facing unexpected hardship, including needs related to natural disasters, home damage, medical emergencies, displacement, or other qualifying events. 

Global Impact helps organizations establish, administer, refresh, and scale EAFs so companies can care for their people while maintaining a responsible, compliant, and mission-aligned program. When emergencies occur, we can help clients open application portals, process donations, distribute assistance, and report on impact quickly and reliably.

Support for Disaster-Impacted Communities
Beyond employee support, corporate disaster philanthropy remains critical, and having vetted and trusted partnerships in place before an emergency occurs is more important than ever. This year has seen multiple emergencies, and Global Impact’s Charity Alliance members have responded quickly to major events across the globe.  

Middle East Conflict Update: Conflict in the Middle East has escalated sharply, expanding from the Israel-Hamas war into a wider regional conflict. Charity Alliance members with a long history across the region have mobilized to help communities caught in the crossfire, and we launched a Middle East Conflict Relief Fund to support. Check out how our partners at International Rescue Committee have been helping: 

• Since hostilities escalated across Lebanon in March 2026, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has scaled up its emergency response to support families affected by displacement, violence, and ongoing humanitarian needs. Over a three-month period, the IRC aimed to reach 30,000 people across Lebanon with health care, protection services, mental health and psychosocial support, emergency cash assistance, and essential relief items. Working with Lebanon’s Ministry of Social Affairs, the IRC has provided emergency cash assistance to 6,521 families, totaling more than $723,000, while also supporting national mental health services and crisis response efforts as communities continue to recover from the impacts of conflict. 
• Despite progress, humanitarian needs remain severe. Funding shortfalls threaten critical services, including food assistance, cash support, and protection programs, while ongoing insecurity, unexploded ordnance, and widespread destruction continue to prevent many displaced families from safely returning home. 

Ebola Outbreak Update: The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda is the fasted growing and the second largest on record. Global Impact’s charity partners jumped into action to support vulnerable communities, and we launched an Ebola Response Fund to support their efforts. Check out a deep dive on one of our responding partners, UNICEF USA: 

• To date, UNICEF has delivered 455 metric tons of supplies for all affected and at-risk countries impacted by the Ebola outbreak, with an additional 219 metric tons in the pipeline. UNICEF and partners have trained and deployed around 13,000 frontline community actors and key influencers, reaching more than 2.4 million people with Ebola prevention guidance through over 505,000 household visits. Three UNICEF-supported nurseries are now operational in Ituri Province, providing safe, child-friendly care for young contact children, unaccompanied children, and children whose caregivers are receiving treatment. 

• UNICEF has mobilized $32.7 million for the response, including flexible contributions that have enabled the timely delivery of life-saving assistance. Sustained funding is needed to strengthen community-based Ebola response efforts and ensure the continuity of critical health, nutrition, education, WASH, and child protection services in communities already affected by conflict, displacement, and recurrent disease outbreaks. 

Venezuela Earthquakes Update: In June, two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela, killing over 6,300 people, displacing thousands, and causing widespread destruction. Our Venezuela Earthquakes Response Fund has raised thousands of dollars for frontline charities. Learn how our partners at Feed My Starving Children have been responding: 

• Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) has been supporting recovery efforts in Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes that struck on June 24. Within days of the disaster, FMSC received requests for more than 3.8 million additional meals to assist affected communities. Thanks to meals already funded by donors, packed by volunteers, and distributed through long-standing local partnerships, FMSC was able to quickly organize shipments to communities impacted by the earthquakes. These efforts provide critical food assistance during the ongoing recovery process and help reach some of the hardest-hit and most vulnerable families. The response has been made possible through the generosity of donors, the dedication of volunteers, and the strength of established partnerships that enable rapid action when disasters occur. 

• While emergency rescue efforts have ended, the need remains significant. Families in Venezuela continue to require food and support, and growing humanitarian needs around the world mean additional funding and volunteer support are needed to pack and provide more meals for communities facing hunger and crisis.  

Building partnerships with organizations like these now is a crucial step in the disaster planning process. When it’s time to activate your corporate philanthropic response, you’ll be ready to give to the charities leading response efforts on the ground. 

Prepare Now, Respond Better Later
Disasters, like the recent Nepal Flash Flooding, will continue to test how quickly and consistently organizations can respond. The best time to build that capacity is before employees need it. Don’t let work be another complication a family has to face after a crisis; with preparation now, you can be ready to answer before your employee has to ask. 

For companies exploring how to better support employees through disaster and hardship, Global Impact can help design and manage an Employee Assistance Fund, connect you with trusted response partners, and strengthen the systems that make compassionate action possible. 

Explore how Global Impact can help your organization prepare before disaster strikes and support employees when it matters most. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more.