Earlier this week, we celebrated our nation’s veterans and their service to our country. As they leave active service, many veterans are looking for ways to continue their service to others. And what better way to serve others than through a nonprofit? There are many reasons why veterans are ideal employees to help your nonprofit advance its mission.
Veterans are problem-solvers
In the field and on the home front, veterans and members of the military have a natural can-do, will-do attitude and seek solutions to the challenges they face.
Veterans are skilled at adapting
Changing circumstances in the field required real-time adaptation, sometimes with limited resources. Sound familiar?
Veterans are team players
This one can probably go without further explanation. Veterans have years of experience having the backs of the other members of their unit. Without teamwork in the field, there would be no chance of success. Through their training, veterans know how to be both a leader and a follower – and when each role is appropriate.
Veterans are dedicated to helping others
Their prior career was all about service. From the big picture of serving our nation to the more immediate service to those around them. Service to the community is a natural progression from that line of work.
Veterans are laser-focused on the mission
Masters of efficiency, veterans are able to see both the big picture and the little details that are essential to success. In the military, they debriefed via after action reviews. In the nonprofit world, we have evaluations and grant reports. Both look back to learn lessons to apply in the future.
Oh, and did we mention that hiring qualified veterans can help save your nonprofit money? There are tax benefits available to nonprofits. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit can be claimed by 501(c) organizations as a credit against the employer portion of social security taxes.
Ready to add a veteran to your nonprofit’s team? The U.S. Department of Labor shares resources on hiring qualified veterans.