Report

Serving Our Post-9/11 Veterans

Research on leading practices among veteran-serving non-profit organizations and their funders

Out of the more than two million non-profit organizations in the United States, approximately 45,000 self-identify as serving U.S. military service personnel and their families. Some of these non-profits have long traditions of caring for members of the military, while others are just getting started.

 

Together, they offer a wide array of services. They range from guiding veterans and their families to proper health care to helping them gain access to schools to finding them meaningful careers and decent housing.

 

Naturally, with so many organizations, not all of them approach their work with the same resources and capacities; interestingly, studies estimate that veteran-serving non-profits are smaller than the overall non-profit population, with an estimated 80 percent generating less than $100,000 in annual revenue. Differences aside, all want to help military men and women make the often difficult transition back into civilian life. Some are seeking how best to do that.

 

Our first step has been to determine the essentials of good, quality service for veterans who have answered the Nation’s call in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. We have sought to identify effective strategies and practices for organizations to use. We have done so through this in-depth research that can help them better serve veterans.