#NoNaturalDisasters

How we think and talk about disasters influences our responses, including decisions on what crises and communities to support, and how and when we provide critical philanthropic resources.
By continuing to use the phrase natural disasters, we position disasters as something we cannot control and have no influence over. Dr. Ilan Kelman, author of the book, “Disaster by Choice,” says that the phrase “natural disaster” is inaccurate and creates a sense of helplessness. Rather, he says, “Disasters come from vulnerability, not from hazards originating in nature.”
CDP hosted a conversation between Dr. Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London: Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction and Institute for Global Health, and Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation and CDP board president, as they explored what it means for donors to stop thinking of disasters as “natural” and why a shift in narrative on disasters can change philanthropic decision-making.
This webinar was co-sponsored by Giving Compass, Philanthropy New York, Philanthropy California, United Philanthropy Forum, Council on Foundations and Alliance Magazine.