Optimizing Veteran Non-Profits for Employment Support

If you are thinking about starting a Veteran non-profit, please continue reading - especially if you are in San Diego. In San Diego alone, there are over 2,500 non-profits specifically claiming to assist Veterans. This does make sense since there are over 101k active duty forces in this location. As such, the yearly amount of transitioning Vets is staggering; and many rightfully desire to stay in and around “America’s Finest City.” This, however, is where it gets complicated and the following article will focus on the employment aspect of Veteran support.

Veteran “transition fatigue” is real. It is actually debilitating when you are a Veteran anxiously sorting through all of the help offered, yet continually coming up empty. There is just so much “help” out there. My honest (and oft shared) assessment is many organizations are simply ill- equipped to fulfill their offer to assist in “helping or hiring” a Veteran. In an ironically sad twist many of these organizations are inadvertently wasting many, many, many transitioning Veterans’ time. 

For some, however, this is in fact an indictment; because hijacking the “Veteran narrative” to make one look good, sounds great on the cocktail circuit or social media account. For the majority who have righteous aims, we Veterans need you to help us optimize, consolidate, and legitimately refine what it means to offer results-oriented “help or hire” assistance.

In lieu of actually starting a Veteran non-profit, here are some suggested alternatives to move the meter:

-Declutter. Ditch the idea of creating another organization of motivational speakers, resume proof readers, LinkedIn experts, and dress-for-success workshops. There is so much free help out there for these most basic transition skills it is mind-numbing. Instead, find existing organizations with a mission you support with proven and sustainable funding sources and volunteer your time. On this note, if your goal is to charge for your services or create a job for yourself, it will be perceived as a shameful exploitation of transitioning Veterans desperately seeking to reinvent themselves. See next bullet.

-Rate. Create a Yelp like “app” to assess organizations who claim to “help or hire.” The presentation of crowd sourced big data would be a great resource in helping Veterans traverse the waters full of navigational hazards encumbering transition. Along with guiding Veterans in their searches, it will ideally create a natural Darwinian clearing house for those truly unhelpful organizations.

-Consolidate. Canvas your geographical area for like-minded Veteran non-profits and encourage an optimization of funding. Combine funding resources for more results-oriented outcomes. Think outside the box. As an example leverage your Chamber of Commerce to Team with a local business, and offer to pay the first year’s salary/benefits of a transitioning Veteran. This greatly lessens the risk of the hiring organization (yes, risk) by allowing it to train, provide legitimate experience, and assess overall abilities for full time employment on the organization’s dime at the end of a probationary year. As with all recommendations there are nuances, which require discussions outside of this article.

-Coordinate. Help Veteran non-profit organizations who operate in a relatively closed circle connect with those companies who can hire. The Veteran non-profit ecosystem often appears like its own little industry and the only people who really know about it are those directly involved. A few organizations have inroads with the local defense industry companies and a few of the other larger local companies, but, the vast majority of the local small and medium sized businesses are left outside. Although there are groups actively working to bridge this gap, there really is no coordinated effort to turn the closed circle into a wedge effectively breaking through to industries or businesses across San Diego County, which would clearly benefit. 

-Advocate. Lead the lobbying effort to establish (something resembling) an enforceable standard to ensure organizations claiming to “help or hire” Veterans are actually doing so. For example, advertising percentages of Veterans hired into an organization would do wonders in showing who is actually walking the walk, and not just talking the talk - akin to calorie counts on food menus … very helpful when deciding a next meal, or say, a new chapter in your life.  San Diego organizations like The Honor Foundation, Hiring Our Heroes, and Workshop for Warriors are the blueprint for success in this department. They not only help, but, they positively help Veterans get hired into situations capitalizing on their developed skill sets.

-Mentor. Sit down for a cup of coffee or beer with a transitioning veteran and really get to know him. Assess individual talents and credentialing in order to personally link Vets into your professional network of hiring professionals. Vets need access to those individuals who have the authority to hire, train, and grow talent. This truly requires some of your most valuable assets: time, trust, and endurance. Adopt your Veteran while he is in his career search process.

Similarly, if a Vet does not meet the basic marks, simply let him/her know and then offer to assist in building a road map to acquire the education, certifications, and experience leading to the desired destination. Veterans prefer honesty and actionable information over hyperbolic plaudits or hollow encouragement. *

Through all of this, please remember “transition fatigue” is a real thing for Veterans. It can lead to depression, exasperation, and hopelessness. As such, if you really want to help a transitioning Veteran please consider the options presented above before starting another non-profit and potentially contributing to the problem. In closing, thank you for even considering to assist, and hopefully this article helps guide you in your journey of helping or hiring a transitioning Veteran.

~Please pass this article on – you just might help a Veteran get hired~

Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful),

Brian T. Grana Lieutenant Colonel, USMC, Retired

* To be fair there are Veterans who feel “Thank you for you service” should equal an automatic hire. As a Veteran I am very comfortable stating all Veterans must own this fact: “You will be thanked for your service, appreciated for what you can do for an organization’s future, but truly respected for fully embracing the humility required to successfully transition.” If a Veteran does not have legitimate credentialing, experience, or bandwidth to move from the “military industry” to private industry he/she needs to get cracking. The Veteran must own their own transition! Your efforts, however, leveraging the recommendations in this article really could help minimize the friction.

**Many thanks to Isaac Lee, Kevin Cortes, and Phil Kendro for their positive contributions to this article**