8 lessons for building disaster resilience: insights from corporate philanthropy and community action
published 5.20.25
Over the past three years, my team and I have worked closely at the intersection of corporate philanthropy and disaster resilience, a space where well-intentioned interventions often fall short. These conversations aren’t new. Communities have been raising these concerns for years. But as companies look to align their social impact efforts with climate resilience, it’s becoming clear that many approaches are missing the mark.
The biggest gap? Disaster resilience efforts that overlook community expertise and long-term trust-building rarely lead to lasting change.
To design solutions that make a real difference, whether through tech, partnerships, or funding strategies, here are eight critical lessons drawn from direct experience and ongoing dialogue with community leaders and partners.
1. Build with Communities, Not for Them
Many disaster resilience programs “drop in” with short-term funding, extract community knowledge and leave without addressing long-term needs. This transactional approach often leaves communities feeling used and disempowered. A 2021 study by the Urban Institute found that over 60% of disaster recovery funding goes to temporary measures, while less than 10% is invested in long-term community resilience efforts. This imbalance reinforces a cycle where communities receive immediate aid, primarily for infrastructure, leaving little support to build the capacity needed to withstand future disasters.
What works? Investing in learning about the community while building relationships with community leaders early and maintaining consistent engagement (we explore this in our white paper). This means incorporating lived experiences into decision-making and establishing transparent commitments about long-term outcomes. Communities already know what the needs are. The role of philanthropy is to amplify and complement local expertise to strengthen community efforts.
2. Address the Intersections of Climate, Health and Environment
Disaster resilience isn’t just about emergency response. Public health and environmental conditions are closely connected, and efforts that overlook this relationship often fall short.
A more effective approach considers how environmental factors, such as air quality, heat exposure and flood risks, affect community financial stability and health outcomes. For example, a heat wave isn’t just an extreme weather event but a public health emergency that can strain healthcare systems and endanger vulnerable populations. By recognizing these connections, resilience efforts can better protect community health and safety in the face of future challenges.
3. Use Joy to Inspire Action
People don’t act on data alone. Joy—pride, celebration and connection to what matters—is a powerful motivator for sustained engagement. People are more likely to stay involved in resilience efforts when those efforts tap into a sense of possibility and hope.
Incorporating positive stories, celebrating cultural resilience and offering interactive tools that invite people to engage with their surroundings can cultivate this sense of joy. Creating opportunities for hands-on experiences, like tending a community garden, mapping local biodiversity, or participating in neighborhood restoration efforts, deepens that connection. When people engage their senses and witness the tangible impact of their actions, they don’t just protect what they love—they experience the joy of stewardship and collective care, which inspires long-term commitment and sustained engagement.
4. Prioritize Communities Facing the Greatest Vulnerabilities
Disaster impacts are not distributed equally. Communities with inadequate infrastructure, fewer resources and a history of disinvestment often face the greatest challenges during emergencies and endure the effects the longest. These communities may lack reliable transportation, have limited access to emergency services, or experience overcrowded housing conditions that make it harder to recover after a crisis.
To address these disparities, resilience tools and funding strategies should prioritize supporting these vulnerable communities. Demonstrating how investments, such as improving infrastructure, enhancing emergency communication systems, strengthening social networks, or eliminating barriers for small businesses, can reduce risk and improve outcomes helps build trust and secure community buy-in.
5. Address Environmental Degradation and Community Vulnerability
Communities experiencing environmental degradation, from poor air quality and water contamination to soil erosion, are often the same communities most vulnerable during disasters. These overlapping challenges compound risks and require a more integrated approach to building resilience.
Effective solutions acknowledge these intersecting issues and equip communities with the tools to advocate for improvements, such as restoring green spaces, upgrading infrastructure and enhancing public health protections. Without addressing these underlying conditions, disaster resilience efforts risk reinforcing root causes and the disparities they aim to reduce.
6. Treat Resilience as a Skill, Not a One-Time Intervention
Resilience isn’t a static outcome. It’s a skill that communities develop over time, much like learning a language. To build long-term capacity, communities need ongoing, place-based learning that strengthens their ability to identify risks and prepare for response effectively.
Providing context-specific education and offering microlearning opportunities on topics such as public health, emergency preparedness and environmental stewardship helps build this resilience fluency. Communities that understand both the challenges they face and the opportunities available are better equipped to advocate for policies and practices that protect their neighborhoods.
7. Measure What Matters — Including What’s Hard to Quantify
Traditional metrics often focus on immediate outputs — trees planted, homes retrofitted, or grants awarded. But these numbers rarely capture the emotional engagement, trust and long-term shifts in community capacity that ultimately drive resilience.
A more comprehensive approach tracks quantitative outcomes and qualitative indicators such as emotional connection, community engagement and sustained advocacy. Combining transactional and transformational measures provides a fuller picture of whether resilience efforts lead to lasting change.
8. Commit Beyond Grant Cycles
Trust isn’t built through short-term funding cycles. Communities need long-term partners who remain engaged beyond the initial intervention. Short funding windows often leave communities vulnerable when resources disappear before lasting systems are in place.
Sustained commitment means engaging community voices in governance, establishing ongoing feedback loops and ensuring that community-generated data is used to benefit that community. Long-term partnerships build the trust and stability needed for communities to thrive in the face of future challenges.
For corporations, this commitment can also extend beyond philanthropy. Companies have the power to contribute resources, convening capacity and governance expertise to support community-led policy reforms. From advocating for language access in emergency communications, to supporting policies that protect renters’ rights, to amplifying local voices in housing, infrastructure and environmental decision-making—the private sector has influence that can unlock equitable access and stronger local systems.
A useful question for any company: How can you use your relationships and resources to help communities grow and thrive after disasters?
Moving from Short-Term Impact to Lasting Change
The intersection of corporate philanthropy and disaster resilience is complex, but the takeaway is clear: Efforts that center community knowledge, address systemic inequities and commit to long-term relationships are the ones that create lasting impact.
Getting started and clearly defining corporate parameters is essential. Understanding where you can meaningfully contribute and being transparent about your limitations builds trust and keeps the work grounded in authenticity.
The good news? Doing something is better than nothing. There’s space for every company to show up and learn alongside communities.
What’s Your Perspective?
If you’ve worked at the intersection of philanthropy, social impact and climate resilience, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What approaches have worked in your experience? What challenges still need to be addressed? Let’s learn from each other.
Curious about our services? Let’s start a conversation.
by Sam Hartsock
Strategy Lead + Cofounder
