04-23-2019, 08:32 AM
Mud, debris and technology: Working side by side with Team Rubicon
<div><div><img src="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/C5612AQFhlujouNaumg/article-cover_image-shrink_600_2000/0?e=1561593600&v=beta&t=35V6FEsy274wAM1Y81PZz9-MVovQW5n963LVGfCQwaQ" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>Last week, I had the opportunity to serve on the frontlines with Team Rubicon to support their Midwest flood operations. Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization comprised mostly of veterans and first-responders, is one nonprofit that Microsoft’s <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tech for Social Impact</a> team partners with to support communities in need around the world. My experience reinforced my conviction in the social business model we’re building here at Microsoft to serve nonprofits. This model is not principally about top line revenue or profit optimization, it’s about building a scalable and sustainable way to move nonprofit missions forward through the power of technology – reinvesting any incremental profits back into philanthropy and the community at large. Here’s why I believe in this model:</p>
<p>The site of our work was Pacific Junction, a small community south east of Omaha, Nebraska, just across the Iowa border. Pacific Junction is one of the communities that fell victim to record-setting flooding that recently devastated the Midwest. Flood water surged throughout the town, reaching the roofs of many single-story homes and bringing damaging water currents and mud that destroyed and defaced the homesteads throughout the town. Many residents have been unable to reach their homes for weeks, allowing mold to set in, making homes utterly uninhabitable. While some had flood insurance, many did not. For many, their homes represented a lifetime of hard work and savings now lost in a blink of the eye. With a mission to rebuild communities and lives, Team Rubicon has already deployed over 312 volunteers in <a href="https://teamrubiconusa.org/operations/operation-heartlander/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Operation Heartlander</a> to provide flood response and recovery support. </p>
<p>We spent the first day in the field focused on assessing damage. On its face, damage assessment is a fairly mechanical process. First, assess the house for visual damage and potential dangers for the first responder team, and then enter the observations into a system to activate “strike teams” for help. However, I quickly learned that the assessment involves far more than creating a work order to activate strike teams: in many cases, it’s the point of first contact with residents who are in one of the hardest and most vulnerable moments of their life. In fact, one of the homeowners we helped was unable to contain their emotion when they learned that Team Rubicon would support them. The assessment process is about showing empathy and taking the time to hear the resident’s story and concerns. It’s about showing respect, as you, essentially a stranger, sludge through a person’s house and life which has been turned upside down. It’s about the deep human connection that is at the heart of Team Rubicon’s work, and so many of our humanitarian partners around the world. </p>
<p>On the second day, I had the opportunity to go out to the field with two strike teams of Team Rubicon volunteers. We went to a house that had its 1,200 square foot basement destroyed by water, mud, silt and debris. The situation looked overwhelming and desperate. </p>
<p>We started by bringing in sleds to haul mud, shovels to scrape, saws to break down debris, hammers and crow bars to peel off molding drywall and ceiling material. We then began clearing large debris – what Team Rubicon lovingly calls “mucking” – shoveling sled-load after sled-load of mud, and hauling it out of the house. Once clear, we began removing drywall and ceiling material to clear the house of mold. At each stage of work, the homeowner worked side-by-side with us, deeply thankful to have the support. After a solid eight hours, the mud was clear, mold removed, and the house was set to dry so that the rebuilding could begin. </p>
<p>I flew home thinking about the experience, and I felt the immense responsibility we have in the technology industry to deliver affordable solutions that work well and work every time. </p>
<p>Technology for many nonprofits is what undergirds and supports the work that happens in places like Pacific Junction. Behind the scenes and often invisible to the work on the ground, it’s the technology that my team is responsible for providing which helps organizations like Team Rubicon. Team Rubicon depends on <a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2018/11/08/new-dynamics-365-nonprofit-accelerator-supports-organizations-with-end-to-end-solutions/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">technology to mobilize volunteers</a>, plan missions, and route strike teams. Any glitches mean that the Team Rubicon volunteers are not able to fully support communities. </p>
<p>I feel energized about my experience with Team Rubicon and more committed than ever to build solutions that truly live up to the demanding environments that so many nonprofits operate in. At Microsoft, we are committed to learning how to better serve this sector each day and evolving our social business model to help move nonprofit missions forward.</p>
<p>I want to thank the Team Rubicon team and all of the first responder organizations working in the Midwest. Microsoft is proud to “step into the arena” with you and be a small part of your mission.</p>
</div>
<div><div><img src="https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/C5612AQFhlujouNaumg/article-cover_image-shrink_600_2000/0?e=1561593600&v=beta&t=35V6FEsy274wAM1Y81PZz9-MVovQW5n963LVGfCQwaQ" class="ff-og-image-inserted"></div>
<p>Last week, I had the opportunity to serve on the frontlines with Team Rubicon to support their Midwest flood operations. Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization comprised mostly of veterans and first-responders, is one nonprofit that Microsoft’s <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/nonprofits" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Tech for Social Impact</a> team partners with to support communities in need around the world. My experience reinforced my conviction in the social business model we’re building here at Microsoft to serve nonprofits. This model is not principally about top line revenue or profit optimization, it’s about building a scalable and sustainable way to move nonprofit missions forward through the power of technology – reinvesting any incremental profits back into philanthropy and the community at large. Here’s why I believe in this model:</p>
<p>The site of our work was Pacific Junction, a small community south east of Omaha, Nebraska, just across the Iowa border. Pacific Junction is one of the communities that fell victim to record-setting flooding that recently devastated the Midwest. Flood water surged throughout the town, reaching the roofs of many single-story homes and bringing damaging water currents and mud that destroyed and defaced the homesteads throughout the town. Many residents have been unable to reach their homes for weeks, allowing mold to set in, making homes utterly uninhabitable. While some had flood insurance, many did not. For many, their homes represented a lifetime of hard work and savings now lost in a blink of the eye. With a mission to rebuild communities and lives, Team Rubicon has already deployed over 312 volunteers in <a href="https://teamrubiconusa.org/operations/operation-heartlander/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Operation Heartlander</a> to provide flood response and recovery support. </p>
<p>We spent the first day in the field focused on assessing damage. On its face, damage assessment is a fairly mechanical process. First, assess the house for visual damage and potential dangers for the first responder team, and then enter the observations into a system to activate “strike teams” for help. However, I quickly learned that the assessment involves far more than creating a work order to activate strike teams: in many cases, it’s the point of first contact with residents who are in one of the hardest and most vulnerable moments of their life. In fact, one of the homeowners we helped was unable to contain their emotion when they learned that Team Rubicon would support them. The assessment process is about showing empathy and taking the time to hear the resident’s story and concerns. It’s about showing respect, as you, essentially a stranger, sludge through a person’s house and life which has been turned upside down. It’s about the deep human connection that is at the heart of Team Rubicon’s work, and so many of our humanitarian partners around the world. </p>
<p>On the second day, I had the opportunity to go out to the field with two strike teams of Team Rubicon volunteers. We went to a house that had its 1,200 square foot basement destroyed by water, mud, silt and debris. The situation looked overwhelming and desperate. </p>
<p>We started by bringing in sleds to haul mud, shovels to scrape, saws to break down debris, hammers and crow bars to peel off molding drywall and ceiling material. We then began clearing large debris – what Team Rubicon lovingly calls “mucking” – shoveling sled-load after sled-load of mud, and hauling it out of the house. Once clear, we began removing drywall and ceiling material to clear the house of mold. At each stage of work, the homeowner worked side-by-side with us, deeply thankful to have the support. After a solid eight hours, the mud was clear, mold removed, and the house was set to dry so that the rebuilding could begin. </p>
<p>I flew home thinking about the experience, and I felt the immense responsibility we have in the technology industry to deliver affordable solutions that work well and work every time. </p>
<p>Technology for many nonprofits is what undergirds and supports the work that happens in places like Pacific Junction. Behind the scenes and often invisible to the work on the ground, it’s the technology that my team is responsible for providing which helps organizations like Team Rubicon. Team Rubicon depends on <a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2018/11/08/new-dynamics-365-nonprofit-accelerator-supports-organizations-with-end-to-end-solutions/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">technology to mobilize volunteers</a>, plan missions, and route strike teams. Any glitches mean that the Team Rubicon volunteers are not able to fully support communities. </p>
<p>I feel energized about my experience with Team Rubicon and more committed than ever to build solutions that truly live up to the demanding environments that so many nonprofits operate in. At Microsoft, we are committed to learning how to better serve this sector each day and evolving our social business model to help move nonprofit missions forward.</p>
<p>I want to thank the Team Rubicon team and all of the first responder organizations working in the Midwest. Microsoft is proud to “step into the arena” with you and be a small part of your mission.</p>
</div>