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In September 2007, the Partnership established a formal collaboration with the American Red Cross to strengthen the nation’s preparedness and response to disasters.

The partnership between the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies, and the Red Cross had its genesis in a task force established by the Roundtable after its member companies contributed more than $362 million to post-Katrina relief efforts. The new partnership is aimed towards engaging the business community in strengthening national disaster preparedness and response efforts.

The two organizations work to ease cooperation between the private and nonprofit sectors by opening new communications channels between the business community and the Red Cross and also focus on matching the needs of affected communities with available corporate resources before and after a disaster strikes. In addition, companies share first-hand reports from disaster sites with the Red Cross through the Partnership for Disaster Response Web site. The partnership has also developed both domestic and international emergency protocols that outline how the business community will communicate with the federal government and relief agencies.