PurposeThe stakeholders are now demanding more visibility and role clarity in the emergency supply chain to improve collaborative efforts. Using a contingent resource-based view (C-RBV), the author studies crisis leadership as a complementary organizational resource for the successful adoption of digital technologies (DTs) in the emergency supply chain. The author further examined the relationships between DTs on information visibility and collaboration under the moderating effects of crisis leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe author gathered data from 117 NGOs in India using a multi-informant questionnaire. The author further tested the research hypotheses using variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsDTs under the interaction effect of crisis leadership have a significant influence on the information visibility and the collaboration in the humanitarian context. The findings of the study extend the C-RBVs to create a better understanding of applications of DTs in alleviating human suffering due to crises.Practical implicationsThe author provides some direction to the managers engaged in the humanitarian supply chain, contemplating using emerging technologies to enhance information visibility and collaboration.Originality/valueThe current study offers some useful implications for theory. The study findings suggest that the DTs under the moderating effect of the crisis leadership significantly improve the information visibility and the collaboration among the emergency supply chain relief workers. These findings contribute to the C-RBV literature by expanding the scope of the theory. To date, the C-RBV is yet to be explored in humanitarian or emergency settings. Further, the study empirically tests the moderating role of crisis leadership which is touted to be the game-changer, particularly in crises or emergencies.