Crisis Response Community volunteers know what it takes to stay connected

April is Global Volunteer Month. All month long, we’re recognizing some of the ways Cisco employees give their time, skills, and expertise in their communities.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina formed over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and went on to become a Category 5 storm that would devastate the city of New Orleans. In response to the disaster, Cisco deployed what was then its Tactical Operations, or TacOps, team to help reestablish connectivity for first responders and victims.

Now, 20 years later, what was then TacOps has evolved to become Cisco Crisis Response, a corporate function with a mission of providing connectivity in response to crisis, backed by the strength of more than 800 employee volunteers who comprise the CCR Community.

CCR Community volunteers are ready to be deployed to natural disasters and humanitarian crises on short notice. Their mission is to deliver the connectivity needed to help first responders assess a community’s needs, coordinate an effective response, and begin the process of recovery while enabling victims to contact their loved ones and access the critical information and services they need to rebuild their lives.

To ensure they’re ready when the call comes, hundreds of CCR Community volunteers complete in-person and virtual trainings where they learn how to quickly establish connectivity in the most challenging of circumstances.

CCR Community volunteers recently attended training in Rome and Munich, and I talked to three volunteers who participated: Michele Festuccia, a solutions engineering leader, and Maurizio Cocco, a solutions engineer, both from Italy, and Anna Boom, a customer experience leader in Germany. Here are some highlights from our conversation.

Volunteers Answering the Call

I asked Anna why she signed up to volunteer with the CCR Community.

“Seeing the different areas where the CCR team has deployed—everything from hurricanes to floods and wildfires—and being able to support those missions seemed like such an incredible way to give back to the community,” she said.

It’s a sentiment shared by many CCR volunteers: a desire to contribute to something larger than oneself, alleviate suffering, and stand in solidarity with those affected by crises. CCR allows us to do that in the context of providing Cisco’s unique connectivity offerings—a powerful combination.

Michele shared , “When there is a call, training positions us to be prepared to go in the field to support a critical situation.”

More Than Tech: The Human Element

As the volunteers discovered, volunteering with the CCR Community is about more than technical expertise.

“Our training included crisis simulations. The practice scenario kept us all on our toes and made us realize that when a crisis happens, you have to prepare in different ways that are outside of technical and really come back to connecting with people,” explained Anna.

Having the technical chops to build a wi-fi network when infrastructure is wiped out is one thing, but being a CCR Community volunteer means also needing to deliver human connection and adapt to evolving situations in the moment.

The empathy, communication, and problem-solving skills needed to effectively assist communities during crises are as much a part of the CCR volunteer tools as our rapid response kits, and our Network Emergency Response Vehicle (NERV).

Giving Back is in Cisco’s DNA

Giving back as a habit is part of what it means to work at Cisco and is an important aspect of our culture. In fact, in FY24, 70,000 Cisco employees around the world acted in service of people, planet, and society—the fifth consecutive year that 80% or more of Cisco employees did so.

Maurizio talked about how giving back is just part of what we do.

“It’s part of our DNA to support and to give back during this kind of, let’s say, not so good period,” he said. “As part of Michele’s team during the 2016 earthquake in central Italy, with the support of Cisco, we were able to support those affected and create a sort of hybrid Cisco Meraki kit.”

Michele explained why they volunteered for the CCR Community. “We wanted to join the CCR team to tap into the resources of the larger CCR organization. As Maurizio said, giving back is in the DNA of the people on my team.”

By bringing their expertise and local experience to the CCR Community and leveraging its resources, Maurizio and Michele are able to amplify their impact and create a more coordinated response to crises.

Worldwide Volunteers for Local Impact

Speaking of local experience, talking to Michele, Maurizio, and Anna was a reminder of the value of having and training volunteers worldwide.

When crisis happens, there’s nothing like having a deep bench of trained volunteers all around the globe—one reason why capacity building is one of the key tenets of CCR.

Sending someone who doesn’t speak Italian to respond to a crisis in Italy is just not efficient or effective. At 800 volunteers strong, the CCR Community ensures we bring a wide variety of expertise and skills to every crisis.

Preparedness is Key

The training sessions in Munich and Rome underscored the need for preparedness and clear processes in responding to crises.

“Being prepared and proactive about all the processes that are needed in facing a crisis is critical,” said Maurizio. “Everyone who is a volunteer has to be managed in a proper way in order not to create confusion but to provide help, to provide support.”

Michele agreed: “All our volunteers need to know what they can do and what they can’t do. The capability to plan and to work in a synchronized way with the other people is the first principle that we learned during the training.”

Beyond the Bottom Line

In our discussion, we also talked about the perceived business value of philanthropic work in a corporate context—what value humanitarian work brings to the business side of things.

Michele explained that building relationships and building trust “is a different way to present Cisco to the market.”

A Call to Action

We have the deepest appreciation for the dedication and passion of CCR volunteers. Their stories serve as a powerful reminder that volunteerism is not just about providing aid, but about building connections, fostering resilience, and creating a more compassionate world.

As Anna put it, “Volunteering is a way to give back to the community and support Cisco because it’s such an important thing that we do.”

So, as we celebrate Global Volunteer Month, let us all be inspired by these individuals and find our own unique ways to give back to our communities. Whether it’s through skilled volunteerism, direct service, or simply offering a helping hand, every act of kindness makes a difference.

To learn more about the impact Cisco employees are making, check out our “What We Accomplished” eBook about how we have supported our employees’ giving back efforts and transformed our collective contributions in the process.

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