SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed by learning and human capital management software provider Cornerstone OnDemand (NASDAQ: CSOD), today announced the launch of VolunteerReady.org, an open online learning platform that provides training and resources free of charge to spontaneous volunteers responding to disasters in the United States.

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VolunteerReady was developed to improve the effectiveness of spontaneous volunteers — untrained and unaffiliated individuals that step up to meet an immediate need in the aftermath of a disaster. In recent years, U.S.-based disaster response organizations have seen a significant rise in spontaneous volunteers answering the call to help in local relief efforts. These untrained volunteers often bring essential knowledge of the local area and a strong desire to help. But without basic training, they can make it difficult for disaster response organizations to manage the large numbers of volunteers and appropriately and safely leverage their skills for response and recovery efforts.

In collaboration with leading organizations in disaster relief, including Catholic Charities USA, Emergency Management Institute (EMI), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Mennonite Disaster Service, Points of Light, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Team Rubicon, The Salvation Army, and World Cares Center, the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation launched VolunteerReady to serve as a centralized training platform to allow spontaneous volunteers to take just-in-time training before, during and after a disaster.

The program provides a variety of free, short online courses on essential topics in disaster response such as roles and responsibilities for volunteers, code of conduct, and physical safety. All courses can be taken on computers, tablets and smartphones. The Foundation intends to add more topics and learning resources in the coming months.

Additional Resources

• For more information about this initiative and to register for training, visit www.VolunteerReady.org.

Comments on the News

“Last year, the United States experienced a historic year of weather and climate disasters, totaling more than $300 billion of cumulative damage — the worst in U.S. history. After each disaster, Americans rallied. We saw the giving spirit of the American people and their deep desire to help others. But we also saw there was a need to equip unaffiliated and untrained volunteers with basic knowledge and skills to provide the most amount of aid possible,” said Julie Brandt, executive director, Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation. “VolunteerReady helps to meet this critical need and prepare more volunteers to safely and effectively respond to disasters.”

“When disasters hit, it is often neighbors helping each other first. When Team Rubicon arrives on scene, we look to incorporate local volunteers into our operations because it is their community,” said Pat Ross, deputy director at Team Rubicon. “With VolunteerReady, we’re enabling these volunteers to quickly gain the required skills to keep themselves safe working in a disaster setting and meet the needs of their neighbors in their time of need.”

About the Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation

The Cornerstone OnDemand Foundation transforms the way people help people. By providing Cornerstone OnDemand’s talent management technology and capacity-building programs to the nonprofit sector, the Foundation helps organizations around the world better develop, engage and empower their employees and the people they serve. The Foundation focuses its efforts in the areas of education, workforce development and disaster relief. Since its founding, the Foundation has forged strategic partnerships with many leading nonprofits, such as Americares, Save the Children, Teach for America, Team Rubicon, and YearUp. www.cornerstoneondemand.org

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