Many times we find ourselves at a loss for how to appropriately thank our veteran’s for the huge sacrifices they have made that provide us the freedoms we enjoy every day. I ran across this list of practical ways we can make a measurable difference in the life of a veteran and wanted to share it as we recognize our veteran’s in 2020.
- Use a veteran-owned business. Approximately nine percent of the 27 million small businesses in the U.S. are veteran-owned. You could support veteran entrepreneurship by frequenting those businesses or adding them to your company’s supply chain.
- Bring in a veteran speaker. There’s a reason people say that someone was telling “war stories.” Veterans have great insight into leadership, crisis management and personal grit. The next time you’re planning a corporate event, look into bringing a speaker who served in the military.
- Hire a veteran. If you work in any kind of management position, you can help your business or nonprofit improve its veteran hiring practices. A great place to start is PsychArmor, a nonprofit organization which provides top-class, free webinars on how to find, hire, train and retain veterans and military spouses.
- Earmark your donations. If you donate money to your alma mater, consider earmarking your donations specifically to support programs and services supporting veterans. Also consider contributing to scholarships at your university that are set aside specifically for veterans. Nonprofit organizations such as Four Block provide critical services to student veterans as they prepare for internships and then jobs in the private sector.
- Volunteer. If you prefer to focus on grass roots efforts, support and interact with organizations such as the Veteran Success Resource Group that brings together hundreds of veterans and family members in one afternoon to meet representatives from all the local government agencies that hire and support veterans, businesses that want to hire vets or include veteran-owned businesses in their supply chain, universities that provide vet services and a multitude of veteran service organizations.
- Offer your expertise. You know the old saying, time is money. Instead of just giving cash, you could also give some of your time to a veterans group. Think about which skills you have from your job which might be beneficial. Do you work in construction? You could help build houses for wounded veterans.