As All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) marks the end of its 18th year of operations, I am filled with gratitude for the commitment and dedication of those who have played a part in serving our mission. Together, the efforts of nearly 3,000 volunteers and 150 staff have had a positive impact in the lives of over 33,000 people – work made possible through the generosity and support of our donors and partners.
The benefit of this collaboration reaches beyond each program. Friendships forged in mucking out basements in hurricane-swept Florida or sharing meals with Ukrainian refugees in Poland extend and amplify our impact. Our active global alumni network means we were not strangers when we arrived in Türkiye in February or more recently on Maui, Hawaii. When disaster strikes, alumni from affected areas step up once again to volunteer, and connect us into grassroots organizations leading the relief efforts. Meanwhile, in Nepal, the Philippines and Mexico, close ties with national nonprofits enable us to maintain a community-centered approach to rebuilding and mitigation projects year after year. These human connections within our organization and with those we serve transform our lives and communities in a thousand different ways.
In closing, let me welcome you to All Hands and Hearts’ 2023 Annual Report, where you can explore amazing stories of our shared impact in disaster-affected communities. I’m so proud to stand alongside all of you as we embark on another year of community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief. Thank you!
All Hands and Hearts provides community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief.
We take a humanitarian approach that emphasizes local involvement and empowerment during times of crisis. We actively engage community members, recognizing their invaluable knowledge of the area and its needs. Volunteers, motivated by compassion and a desire to help, contribute their time, skills and resources to assist affected communities, focusing on immediate relief and long-term recovery efforts. By fostering collaboration and understanding, we promote sustainable solutions that address the unique challenges faced by those impacted, building resilience and strength within the community.
All Hands and Hearts is committed to the health and well-being of people. We actively promote diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure an atmosphere where every individual can thrive. This year, we launched a National Volunteer Sponsorship Fund to build a more diverse group of volunteers by removing barriers to volunteering. Our Household Prioritization Process aims for equity in disaster relief by targeting those with the least access to recovery resources. Also, leveraging leading practices and experts, we developed a new training curriculum to strengthen our culture of safety and respect, including interactions with the communities we serve.
We recognize that the external environment is also critical to human health and well-being. As such, we are committed to taking climate action seriously. For many years, we have applied construction practices that make the built environment more resilient. Increasingly, our projects also involve strategies to protect and harness the natural environment’s ability to mitigate damage from future storms, earthquakes and fires.
Prioritizing these commitments keeps us focused on fostering sustainable solutions and collective success wherever we work.
At All Hands and Hearts, our programs draw inspiration from the communities we work alongside, starting the moment our boots hit the ground to the final farewell. We achieve this through a collaborative approach that includes relationship building with local leaders and organizations, living amongst residents and encouraging volunteering across local society and the host nation. It is this connection with the community that generates substantial and meaningful impact.
Typhoon Rai left widespread destruction across the Philippines in 2021, rendering more than 3,500 classrooms unusable. This created a huge need in Southern Leyte for safe spaces where children could learn and play.
All Hands and Hearts heeded the call and built ten Transitional Learning Spaces (TLS) to quickly serve over 2,100 students across six vulnerable communities. To strengthen safety, we conducted training for residents on disaster risk reduction and engaged a grassroots partner on child protection training. Leveraging the expertise of our regional-based staff and in collaboration with local government and communities, we devised solutions that were tailored for and built by Filipinos.
In September 2022, Hurricane Fiona caused significant damage to the island of Puerto Rico. The communities of Toa Baja and Toa Ville were heavily impacted, where heavy rainfall and flash flooding rendered many homes unlivable.
Leveraging our expertise in disaster response, we were asked to work with a local nonprofit, PRoTechos, and their dedicated network of community volunteers on the ground. AHAH provided clean-up kits and staff training over a three-week period, while PRoTechos led their teams through muck and gut and mold sanitation scopes of work. This short but impactful partnership supported 23 homeowners in work essential to preparing these homes for further restoration.
All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) harnesses the compassionate power of individuals to support disaster-affected communities. This year, we introduced a new effort to address barriers to volunteering with our National Volunteer Sponsorship Fund to promote historically underrepresented volunteers and grow a dynamic culture that improves through the power of diversity. This fiscal year, nearly 3,000 volunteers from 71 countries joined one of our programs, helping AHAH amplify our impact and create meaningful change.
Following three devastating earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria in February 2023, All Hands and Hearts mobilized our team and landed in Istanbul within 24 hours.
We reached out to our Turkish alumni, who quickly joined the team, bringing invaluable local knowledge and playing an instrumental role in the immediate, positive impact we had on the ground. We have coordinated over 17,500 volunteer hours in Türkiye alone, connecting people willing to help with those who need it most. Our volunteers have impacted over 11,500 lives, with a focus on addressing the needs of internally displaced communities. This has included providing access to essential goods, constructing vital infrastructure and engagement in activities to address psychosocial needs.
In October 2022, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) mobilized within days of Hurricane Ian’s landfall in Florida. In swift response to the storm’s impact, we helped communities prepare to rebuild through debris removal, muck and guts and mold sanitation.
October 2023 marked the one-year anniversary of AHAH’s Hurricane Ian relief work, and few other organizations remain on the ground. Those supporting our efforts join a global volunteer force who have successfully returned survivors to their safe and resilient homes. In Florida alone, 19 volunteers have joined AHAH through the National Volunteer Sponsorship Fund, helping create a diverse community of international changemakers with one common and unifying goal – providing community-inspired, volunteer-powered disaster relief.
All Hands and Hearts’ Ukraine Crisis Relief program continues to address urgent needs caused by Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine. Taking a new approach to community support, we leverage our expertise and volunteer power to support the widespread internal displacement and refugee crisis in Ukraine and Poland.
Partnering with Save Ukraine, a local non-profit, we provided 99 transitional shelters to vulnerable, displaced families within war-torn Ukraine. This positively impacted over 470 individuals. In Poland, we established local partnerships and conducted diverse tasks to support the developing needs of Ukrainian refugees. Through collaboration and focused efforts, we distributed aid and renovated vital infrastructure within refugee communities, including shelters, food distribution points and community centers.
This fiscal year, All Hands and Hearts quickly responded to significant tornadoes in Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma, helping communities on their path to recovery. Our dedicated team provided critical relief efforts, including hazardous tree and debris removal, and undertook a new responsibility by supporting a Mississippi-based Emergency Manager in the operation of a distribution center. Establishing a functional list of households by need, we helped connect people to the available resources around them.
The impact of tornadoes on individuals and their communities is devastating. To remain vigilant, our teams diligently monitor tornado activity, identifying opportunities to utilize our expertise in disaster response and support people and places in need.
All Hands and Hearts Canada is an independent nonprofit with recent full approval to operate in Canada. The organization will use its platform to engage Canadian donors and volunteers to assist in disaster relief programs worldwide.
Established in 2017, Happy Hearts Fund Czech remains steadfast in its commitment to provide help with post-disaster education. Through diverse initiatives, they’ve championed fundraising and global awareness for recovery efforts in Mexico, Nepal, the Philippines and locally in the Czech Republic. Their impact spans 16 reconstructed schools, benefitting nearly 2,400 students.
In 2023, Happy Hearts Indonesia (HHI) rebuilt 34 schools. In total, HHI has rebuilt 310 schools across Indonesia while also training 126 schools in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), 132 schools in disaster risk reduction and 39 schools in financial management and entrepreneurship.
In May 2022, the effects of Hurricane Agatha caused damage to 136 public schools on the Oaxacan coast, exacerbating the impact of the 2017 earthquakes. In collaboration with the Barrio Nuevo Toltepec community, three schools were rebuilt — José Martí Kindergarten, Benito Juárez Secondary School and Rufino Tamayo Primary School — for a total of 25 schools rebuilt in Mexico.
During this fiscal year, All Hands and Hearts U.K. Trust advanced its international fundraising mission, successfully securing support from U.K.-based grants, trusts and dedicated individual patrons. Among the notable accomplishments were impactful JustGiving campaigns for AHAH’s Türkiye Earthquake Relief and Ukraine Crisis Relief programs. Additionally, remarkable events like the London-to-Istanbul cycle ride effectively raised both funds and awareness.
FY23 Preliminary, Unaudited Expenses
Total – $14.3M
We strive to carefully manage the funds entrusted to us by our donors. 95% of our donations are spent directly on programs around the world.
FY23 Preliminary, Unaudited Revenue
Total – $17.3M
We are inspired by our global community of supporters, whose contributions empower us to further our mission. The resilience of the people we assist humbles us and strengthens our resolve. As such, we remain committed to delivering volunteer-powered, community-inspired disaster relief in the coming year and beyond. Join us, and together, we can forge a path of recovery and hope for decades to come.
All Hands and Hearts has earned a 4-star rating, the highest given by Charity Navigator, for the ninth consecutive year.
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