SUPPORTING OUR · · 2014-06-06• Supporting the military community ... • San Antonio Area Foundation’s military initiative ... Transition •Wounded Warrior Project – TRACK

SUPPORTING OUR

MILITARY COMMUNITY:

ONE FOUNDATION’S PERSPECTIVE

Discussion outline

• Supporting the military community - research and observations… the who,

what, where, why, when, how

• Disconnects and challenges (NPOs & military community)

• Strategies for addressing these challenges

• Promising practices (and takeaways) around the USA

• San Antonio Area Foundation’s military initiative

• Background, goals, and strategy

• Expected outcomes and observed results

• Unanticipated results and ongoing efforts

© San Antonio Area Foundation 2013

Research and observations … the who,

what, where, why, when, and how

Supporting the military community


Define the population

• Army

• Navy

• Air Force

• Marines

• Coast Guard

• Those who have fallen

Nonprofits serving

this population

Active Duty

Reserve Components

Veterans *

Family Members


Understand characteristics - military

Military (.5%) Servers,

protectors, providers

Mission-driven

Structure and rules

Disciplined

Trained leaders

Women veterans Unit cohesion

(we take care of our own)

Different Eras

OIF / OEF multiple

deployments

May have PTS, PTSD, or

TBI

May need a hand up

(don’t want a hand out)’


Understand characteristics – supporting organizations

Support (frequently not in the

.5%) VSOs

MSOs

Component programs

National advocacy

groups

National collaboratives

White House, DoD, VA

Local government

Employers / Chambers


Identify the challenges

Disconnects (awareness and communication)

Cultural (in)competencies, culture shock,

and stigmas

Complexity


“A scattered disorganized field”

94+% have budgets of under $1M

The typical veterans’ organization is

smaller than the typical nonprofit


Most active grantmakers 2008-2012

• Wal-Mart Foundation

• Community foundations

• Silicon Valley

• San Diego

• DC National Capital Region

• Texas

• New York Community Trust

• Bank and other corporate

foundations

• USAA

• Bank of America

• Verizon

• Wells Fargo

• A few private family or

institutional foundations

• El Pomar

• Perot

In Texas, we have the Texas Fund for Veterans Assistance, which is run

by the Texas Veterans’ Commission © San Antonio Area Foundation 2013

Know your community

Population growth of 16.41% since 2000

Cost of living is 14.30% lower than the U.S. average

Unemployment rate is 6.53%, compared to a 7.40% U.S. average

Bexar County:

Veteran population: 158,710

(2nd highest in Texas)

2011 VA expenditures: $1.48B*

In addition: DoD/VA medical, salaries, VA loan,

VA housing, Post 9-11 GI Bill, & job skills, etc.

help strengthen the region and provide an

economic buffer


Health

CHALLENGES

• Invisible and visible wounds of war

• Disengagement

• Uncertainty (health and economic security)

KEYS TO WELLNESS

• A continued sense of purpose and competency

• Adequate “tools” to navigate transition


Mental health recommendations

Increase cadre of providers who are

trained and certified

Change policies to encourage active duty personnel and veterans to seek needed care

Deliver proven, evidence-based care

whenever and wherever services are provided

Invest in research to close information gaps and plan effectively


Backlog

The VA is trying to address the backlog

problem, but it still exists.

Communities can provide interim support.


(Un)employment

300,000 troops complete military service each year.

• Many find that their skills are not well understood by civilian employers.

• Many have never worked in the civilian workforce.

• More than 40 percent of reservists lose income when they mobilize. National

Guard is also hit hard.

• Reserve component small-business owners have been especially challenged by

deployments.


Employment situation 2012

• Unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans: 9.9% (2.2%)

• Jobless rate for all veterans: 7.0% (1.3%)

• 28% of Gulf War-era II vets reported a service-connected disability

compared with 14% of all veterans

• Among all vets, the unemployment rate for:

• men declined by 1.4% to 6.9% in 2012

• female veterans was little changed at 8.3%


Negative impressions are harmful

• PTSD (everyone has it; it is untreatable; and it is permanent)

• Procedure-driven

Myths

• Rigidity

• Un(der) educated

• Poor investment

Stereotypes • Uninformed hiring

managers

• Higher unemployment rates

• Challenges navigating the civilian labor market

Realities

Change the conversation:

Veterans are a Sound Investment © San Antonio Area Foundation 2013

Education

• 80% of student veterans drop out before completing a Post 9-11 GI Bill-

funded degree… or do they?

• These are nontraditional students with vast work and life experience

• Efforts are underway to translate work skills into certifications

• Student Veterans Associations are forming to help


Challenges for military families

Military Family

Challenges

Well-being and mental

health

Quality education for

children

Educational and career options for

spouses

Quality and available child care

Caregiver / new reality

for wounded warrior families


Characteristics of Successful Programs

Awareness

Cultural Competency

High Touch

High Intensity

• Enduring v Temporary

• Responsive v Bureaucratic

• Personal v Impersonal

• Adaptable v Cumbersome

• Discreet v Indiscreet

• Unique v Specialized

• Peer-to-Peer v Directed

• Honest v Regulated

• High quality v Good

Application Criteria


Promising practices and programs • My Reboot Camp Coming soon: Veterans Outreach & Transition Center

• Wounded Warrior Project – TRACK Coming soon: Patriot’s Casa Transition

• Enrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities

• Workshop for Warriors ESGR & DoD’s Employment Information Program

• Heroes2Hire American GI Forum, National Veterans Outreach Program Employment

• Mission Continues San Antonio Coalition for Veterans and Families

• Team Rubicon Team Red, White and Blue

• Warrior and Family Support Center Engagement

• Student Veterans of America

• Posse Foundation Education

• USO Yellow Ribbon Fund

• Blue Star Families Operation Resilient Family

• Operation Homefront Easter Seals (various locations) Family

• Dallas Foundation with Scott & White Hospital

• Give an Hour

• Operation Homefront Health

• Fisher House Community Blueprint Network

• Returning Heroes Home

• CFI Public-Private Partnerships


Strategies to address challenges

Set conditions for success so there is “No wrong door” for our service members and their families

Invest in learning

more

Conduct proper

due diligence

Convene and

connect

Require excellence

Reduce Complexity

Provide Technical

Assistance


DoD to Community Strategy

“Warm hand-off”

Transition Assistance Programs / DoD Support

Transition Information Program / Community Support © San Antonio Area Foundation 2013

Recommendation: get involved

• Learn about military and veteran issues in your community

• Develop strategy to guide your work

• Invest in military/veteran-centered grant-making initiatives

• Collaborate with grant makers and other stakeholders

• Plan for sustainability


Military Initiative © San Antonio Area Foundation 2013

Program goals

Optimal Conditions for Transition

Awareness & Cultural

Competency

NPO Sustainability

NPO Capacity


Program strategy


Certification Program: 2014 Plan

1-Day Mini Conference: Certificate Orientation / Military Culture 101 & Military Benefits 101

Board Development & Effective Governance

Overview of the Sector and How to Build Strategic Partnerships

Organization Culture & Change Management

2-Day Sustainability Conference: Principles of Fundraising, Market Research, & Social Enterprise

Impact Assessment: Accomplishing What You Set Out To Do

Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations

Financial Management

Legal Oversight

Volunteer Management

Human Resource Development/Staff Recognition and Empowerment

Information Technology & Facilities Development

Evaluation

We are a brand new organization

with very few resources…By

learning how to manage a non-

profit… we are learning the basics,

legalities and logistics of how to

become and maintain a successful

organization for years to come…

We value this class more than

words could ever express.


Expected program outcomes

Outcomes

Collaboration

Training

INCREASED:

• Benefits to diverse stakeholders

• Long-term results

• Effectiveness (including cost- effectiveness)

• Ability to learn and adapt


Cohort assessment (before)

30


31

Cohort assessment (mid)


32

Cohort assessment (end)


Program results


Unanticipated transformation

Convening

Collaboration Collective Impact


Military & Veteran Community Council Structure

Grants, Programs &

Services

SAAFDN Military Initiative

Bexar Area Agency on Aging

Alamo Service Connection

Points of Light VetCorps

Strategic Communications Committee (STRATCOM)

Volunteers & Peer Mentorship Transportation & Mobility Research

Health Family Support Education Housing & Homelessness

.

. . Solution Teams

Military Affairs Committee

Veterans & Family Support Subcommittee

Senior Enlisted Advisory Council

Office of Military Affairs

Veterans Affairs Commission

Veterans Service Office

Veterans Advisory

Committee

= Proposed

Mr. Carroll Schubert Ms. Melissa Beach Mr. Hector Villarreal Dr. Martha Spinks Mr. Bob Murdock Ms. Queta Marquez Brian Schroepfer Ms. Serafina De Los Santos Ms. Kimberly Myers

Chairman: Major General Alfred A. Valenzuela (USA, Ret)

Chair:. Ms. Mary Beth Fisk

Chair: Dr. Martha Spinks

Co-Chairs: Mr. Jim Cunningham;

Ms. Kara Hill

Co-Chairs: Ms. Katherine Sanchez-Rocha

Mr. Fernando Conejo

Co-Chairs: Mr. Jim Meadows; Mr. Van Mitchell

Chair: Mr. Sergio Gonzalez Co-Chairs: Ms. Siena Lindemann; Ms. Tish McCullough

Co-Chairs: Mr. Mark Frye; Mr. Brian Graybeal

Employment & Economic

Development

(Proposed) – TBD

Conclusion

Make the whole of veterans services in your community

greater than the sum of the disconnected parts

Connect / Engage / Inform


Melissa Beach, San Antonio Area Foundation

p: 210-775-5713 c: 830-542-9564

[email protected]

Resources • Abt. Associates, Inc. “Employment Histories Report, Final Compilation Report,” March 24, 2008:

http://www1.va.gov/vetdata/docs/Employment_History_080324.pdf.

• Belasco, A. The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11. Washington,

D.C.: Congressional Research Service, 2007.

• Belasco, A. Troop Levels in the Afghan and Iraq Wars, FY2001-FY2012: Cost and Other Potential

Issues.Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. July 2, 2009.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R40682.pdf

• Nancy Berglass of the Center for New American Security. April 2012. Investing in the Best: How to Support the

Nonprofits that Serve Veterans, Service Members and Their Families.

• Nancy Berglass and Margaret C. Harrell. April 2012. Well After Service: Veteran Reintegration and American

Communities.

• Bruner, E. F. Military Forces: What Is the Appropriate Size for the United States? Washington, D.C.: Congressional

Research Service, 2006..

• California Community Foundation: Vanessa Williamson. November 2009. Supporting Our Troops, Veterans and

their Families: Lessons Learned and Future Opportunities for Philanthropy: Highlights from a report on the Iraq

Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund (IADIF) of the California Community Foundation.

https://www.calfund.org/document.doc?id=359 . Download the full report at myccf.org © San Antonio Area Foundation 2013

Resources • LTG William B. Caldwell IV, USA (Ret.) and Major Crispin J. Burke. America's Veterans: A Sound Investment, the

latest in CNAS' "Voices From the Field" series. http://www.cnas.org/americas-veterans-sound-investment

• Cohen, Rick. “Foundations and Joint Chiefs Meet on Challenges in Veterans Philanthropy.” NPQ Nonprofit

Quarterly. October 3, 2013. http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/philanthropy/22967-the-community-foundations-

response-to-veterans.html

• Community Foundation National Capital Region and Montgomery County Community Foundation. Study Team:

Hope Gleicher, Debbie Lindenberg, Sunny Sumter. October 2008. Troops and Family Care Fund Feasibility Study

• Congressional Budget Office, “The Effects of Reserve Call-Ups on Civilian Employers,” May 2005, p. 2:

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/63xx/doc6351/05-11-Reserves.pdf.

• Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Employment Situation of Veterans: 2012,” March 20, 2013.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm

• Gulf Coast Community Foundation. March 1, 2011. Collateral Damage: Floridians coping with the Aftermath of War.

http://www.gulfcoastcf.org/news/2011/03/01/new-study-collateral-damage-of-war-on-florida-families/ . See also:

www.GulfCoastCF.org


Resources

• Dr. Margaret Harrell and Nancy Berglass. 2012 Employing America's Veterans: Perspectives from

BusinessesHosek, J., J. Kavanagh, and L. Miller. How Deployments Affect Service Members. Santa Monica,

Calif.: RAND Corporation, MG-432-RC, 2006. As of March 13, 2008:

• IAVA and RAND. “Careers After Combat: Employment and Education Challenges for Iraq and Afghanistan

Veterans. January 2009. http://www.iava.org

• IAVA. “Red Tape: Veterans Fight New Battles for Care and Benefits.” February 2010. http://www.iava.org

• Institute of Medicine, Committee on Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Board on Population Health and

Public Health Practice. Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Assessment of the Evidence. Washington,

D.C.: National Academies Press, 2007

• Joining Forces (White House Initiative): http://www.whitehouse.gov/joiningforces Joining Forces is a national

(White House) initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the

opportunities and support they have earned.

• National Academies. Two-Phase Report: Unanswered Questions, Lack of Data Hinder Agency Efforts to Meet

Needs of Iraq, Afghanistan Service Members, Veterans, and Families; & Preliminary Assessment of Readjustment

Needs of Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families. Released: March 31, 2010. http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12812


Resources

• Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. White Paper. “Expanding Public-Private Partnerships.” September 2013.

• Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Warrior and Family Support). Maj. John Copeland and Col. Dave

Sutherland. July 8, 2010. White Paper. “Sea of Goodwill; Matching the Donor to the Need.“ White paper. Link:

http://www.jcs.mil/page.aspx?ID=57

• Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Warrior and Family Support. Capt. Chris Manglicmot and Maj. Ed

Kennedy and Col. Dave Sutherland. September 8, 2011. Channeling the “Sea of Goodwill” to Sustain the

“Groundswell of Support;” Transitioning from Concept to Application. White paper. Link:

http://www.jcs.mil/page.aspx?ID=57

• Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Public-Private Partnerships Supporting the DoD Mission.” Joint Policy Memo

signed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral

James Winnefeld, 25 April 2013.

• OurMilitary.mil (“Connecting You With Your Military”): http://www.ourmilitary.mil/learn/our-military-families/ A link

from Joining Forces site provides info regarding the families, services, history, lingo, ranks/insignia, location of

military around the world, bases and installations, and uniforms.

• Philanthropy Roundtable. (Vital statistics). Serving Those Who Served: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Assisting Veterans

and Military Families. Thomas Meyer. May, 2013. © San Antonio Area Foundation 2013

Resources

• RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research. Terri Tanielian and Lisa H. Jaycox, Editors. 2008.

Study: Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and

Services to Assist Recovery. http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG720.html

• RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research. Testimony based on RAND results: 2009.

• Regan, T. Report: High survival rate for US troops wounded in Iraq. Christian Science Monitor,

November 29, 2004.

• Sperling’s Best Places: http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/military_retirement.aspx

• United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, “Kennedy Holds Hearing on

Veterans’ Employment Issues,” November 8, 2007: http://help.senate.gov/Maj_press/2007_11_08_b.pdf.

• Warden, D. Military TBI during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation,

Vol. 21, No. 5, 2006, pp. 398–402


Resources

• Department of Veterans Affairs. Draft for Public Comment (May 1, 2012). 2012 Report: Strategies for

Serving Our Women Veterans. Department of Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Task Force.;

http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/Draft_2012_Women-Veterans_StrategicPlan.pdf

• Veterans Outreach Center Inc. of Rochester, NY, with support from NYS Health Foundation, February,

2012. Report: Coming Home to Caring Communities: A Blueprint for Serving Veterans & Families.

Phone: 585-546-1081 www.VeteransOutreachCenter.org. (Provides resources related to community

partnering, as well as blueprint resources and performance commitment measures).

• Veteran Support Initiative: A community based model to meet the needs of service members and their

families. Presented by the Lincoln Community Foundation for the Council on Foundations 2011 Fall

Conference and reiterated at the Council on Foundations 2013 Fall Conference for Community

Foundations.

http://www.cof.org/files/Bamboo/whoweserve/community/documents/veteran_support_initiative_report.p

df


Resources • Website: The Wait We Carry. http://thewaitwecarry.org/

• Website: Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff: resources for military support. http://www.jcs.mil/

• Website: www.MyRebootCamp.com. Designed to provide support and resources for returning service

members who are transitioning into civilian life.

• Website: http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/ss_texas.pdf

• White House, “Responsibly Ending the War in Iraq,” Speech by President Obama at Camp Lejeune,

North Carolina, February 27, 2009; http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/iraq/ ;

• White House, “Statement by the President on Afghanistan,” February 17, 2009;

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Statement-by-the-President-on-Afghanistan/ ; Joint Staff,

Joint Chiefs of Staff, “Boots on the Ground Reports.”

Great sources for statistics:

• http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/ss_texas.pdf

• http://www.rorc.research.va.gov/atlas/Chapter_1_Veteran_Population.pdf


Articles worth reading

From Pew Research Center:

• For Many Injured Veterans, A Lifetime of Consequences (8 Nov 2011) :

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2126/injured-veterans-post-traumatic-stress-civilian-life

• The Military-Civilian Gap; War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era (5 Oct 2011):

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2111/veterans-post-911-wars-iraq-afghanistan-civilian-military-veterans

• The Military-Civilian Gap; Fewer Family Connections (23 Nov 2011):

http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/11/23/the-military-civilian-gap-fewer-family-connections/

• Women in the U.S. Military; Growing Share, Distinctive Profile (22 Dec 2012):

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2156/military-women-veterans


New release

• Tuesday October 1st at Brookings, the Center on Children and Families hosted an event tied to the

release of the Fall 2013 volume of the Princeton-Brookings The Future of Children journal and its

accompanying policy brief, both about military families.

The journal addresses a range of issues, including the demographics of military families, resilience,

economic well-being, child care, and others. The policy brief examines the impact of combat deployment

on family functioning and the well-being of parents and children. Several empirical studies show

elevated levels of child neglect and a range of behavioral and emotional problems among veterans,

service members, spouses of deployed service members, and their children. The brief proposes a

national agenda to test, improve, and expand current treatment and prevention programs to ensure the

nation is providing its military families and children with the help they deserve.

Read the brief, “Keeping the Promise: Maintaining the Health of Military Families and Children”:

www.brookings.edu/KeepingThePromise


Community Blueprint Network

The Community Blueprint Network (CBN) is a set of promising practices that address the critical issue areas

affecting veterans, active military and military families.

• Initiative is administered by Points of Light and was developed by an expert group of over 55 veteran

and military-serving organizations.

• The CBN drives collaboration, innovation, best practice sharing and more effective delivery of services

among organizations that serve military personnel and their families.

• Development of tools and resources that are being deployed and implemented across communities.

• Includes a “Community Action Planning Tool” – document is like a how-to tool-kit.:

http://www.handsonnetwork.org/community-blueprint

• Community Blueprint Network’s Community Blueprint Toolbox:

http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/military-initiatives/community-blueprint/toolbox

• Find Promising Practices at: http://www.handsonnetwork.org/community-blueprint#tabset-tab-3

• Find Useful Resources and Tools at: http://www.handsonnetwork.org/community-blueprint/resources-

and-tools


Melissa Beach is Director of Training and Nonprofit Services at the San

Antonio Area Foundation where she also oversees military initiatives. She

formerly administered the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia’s

military initiative. Melissa extensively researches challenges facing the

military community; awareness and cultural gaps between military and

civilian communities; and, ways funders can most effectively help

organizations accelerate and enhance services for transitioning military personnel,

wounded warriors, Veterans, and their families.

Melissa draws on a background in strategic planning, visioning, mission development,

facilitation, and Masters in Policy and Public Administration for her convening and

sector-strengthening work that includes large-scale collaborations between nonprofit

organizations, foundations, corporations, and policy makers.

A military spouse with two teenage children and a Marine Corps husband who is

currently stationed at Randolph Air Force Base, Melissa has remained actively

involved as a volunteer with the military community and family readiness programs for

over twenty years.

Documents

SUPPORTING OUR · · 2014-06-06• Supporting the military community ... • San Antonio Area Foundation’s military initiative ... Transition •Wounded Warrior Project – TRACK