Expand our donor base so that we can meet the increasing demand for VFW programs and services to veterans, troops and military families. Increase awareness of and support for health and wellness issues that impact veterans and military families, including Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, and veteran suicide prevention. Increase our intervention toward service personnel, veterans and their families so as to meet their financial, emotional and physical needs.

The VFW Foundation derives its long-term goals from our basic clear mission which is to assist in any way possible our nation's veterans, service personnel and their families. Our Board of Directors have identified various functional areas that require organizational improvement. Since we operate in a competitive sector with many other charities that address similar needs, we are committed to increasing our brand awareness. Thus, we believe it is imperative to have consistent messaging. Over the last year, we have taken steps to solidify our brand and outreach. We strive to tell our story so that others will know the positive impact we are having on those we serve. We have also concentrated on donor management so that we can properly communicate with and cultivate donors as well as understand their concerns, desires and giving focus. Additionally, we have entered into several strategic partnerships with corporations and other nonprofits so as to extend our service capabilities and address issues that require a larger collaborative effort. For example, we are working closely with Feeding America, their network of affiliates, the VA and corporations such as Humana to address the issue of food insecurity especially among military families.

The VFW Foundation exists in close partnership with the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. Through their network of 6,295 Posts in almost every U. S. community and 1. 6 million members and auxiliary members, we can generate incredible interest for our programs and mobilize volunteer outreach. We also work closely with the Department of Defense, the VA, social service agencies, etc. , so that our target population is aware of our services.

The answer is two-fold. Our progress forward would of course be realized in higher donation totals. To judge the success of any nonprofit is ultimately to look at their fundraising record and how they manage/direct that funding into relevant programs and services. Therefore, the other progress element would be to see an increase in the number of military families whom we serve. It would reason that the more we fundraise, the more we can help our target service population.

The VFW Foundation is working toward improvement in two areas, namely, our branding and strategic partnerships. We have made great strides accomplishing this in 2017-2018. We are in the process of implementing a new logo and communicated our mission/goals better internally and externally. We have also made key relationships with new corporate and non-profit partners which will increase our visibility and ability to provide assistance to our target population. With that said, we want to increase our financial reserves which have remained in the $5-$6 million range for the past several years. By growing our funding base we can ramp up our outreach and effectively meet the needs of additional military families.