Women Veterans Day is an opportunity for Americans to stand together and honor the contributions and sacrifices of Women Veterans. But this day is also about a lot more than recognition. It’s a chance for corporate leaders to accelerate their efforts to recruit, hire, train, empower, and support Women Veterans. And, this isn’t just a moral obligation; it’s also a strategic advantage. Let us share with you why…
The Value of Corporate Support for Women Veterans
When corporations get behind a Women Veterans’ organization or implement targeted recruitment programs for Women Veterans, the benefits multiply exponentially. Your corporate efforts advance Women Veterans’ careers, increase access to healthcare, prevent crisis-level situations such as homelessness or food insecurity; and, they also add to your corporation’s brand identity – showing consumers that you don’t just talk the talk about a great cause – you walk the walk, too. Take a look at how corporate support for Women Veterans can benefit you.
Enhance Your Brand
When you extend corporate support for Women Veterans, you not only serve a community who needs you, but you elevate your brand image. Today’s consumers are increasingly socially conscious. They prefer to support brands that demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility. By supporting Women Veterans, you show that your corporation values the sacrifices and contributions of those women who served our country. This can lead to increased customer loyalty and a stronger brand reputation.
Foster Diversity and Inclusion
Many corporations collaborate with Women Veterans’ organizations to develop and implement targeted recruitment programs. This is a highly effective strategy to accelerate advancement of Women Veterans in the civilian workplace and ALSO accelerate corporate growth with excellently equipped employees. Women Veterans are known for benefiting corporations several times over with their impressive leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Recruiting and hiring Women Veterans can help your corporation foster diversity and inclusion, and cultivate a more dynamic and innovative workplace.
Contribute to a More Equitable Society
When you throw corporate weight behind Women Veterans, you’re showing that you stand up for equal and fair opportunity for career advancement, competitive wages, and more. The fact is, research shows that Women Veterans earn less and experience unemployment or underemployment more than their male counterparts. Your corporate support of Women Veterans creates new avenues for positive change and intentional efforts to close those gaps.
3 Ways Your Corporation Can Support Women Veterans
As you approach Women Veterans Day, we urge you to join us in developing innovative ways to support Women Veterans. Organizations like WVIF has a long history of corporate collaborations and partnerships. Along the way, we’ve learned a thing or two about best practices. Your corporation can help us create an ecosystem of support, beginning with a few key programs of your own. Consider this:
Establish Corporate Social Responsibility Program
A popular and effective way to extend corporate support for Women Veterans is by establishing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs focused on their needs. These programs can include scholarships, mentorship opportunities, volunteer support, and financial assistance for Women Veterans. CSR programs create tangible support for Women Veterans, and empower them to transition smoothly toward post-military success.
Sponsor Women Veterans Organizations and Programs
Sponsorship is an impactful way to support Women Veterans. By sponsoring Women Veterans organizations and programs, your corporation can provide much-needed financial support and resources. The fact is, many nonprofits that support Women Veterans run on a tight budget. Corporate support opens doors wide open, keeps the engines running, and allows the nonprofit leaders to do what they do best: serve Women Veterans in the ways they need it most. Sponsorships can include funding for events, workshops, and support groups that cater to the needs of Women Veterans.
Hire Women Veterans
A direct and lasting way to support Women Veterans is through meaningful employment. Imagine implementing a program that targets leadership-oriented employees, who have spent years honing sharp decision-making and strategizing skills, who thrive in a team setting, and who get the job done efficiently. When you organize a hiring program for Women Veterans, that’s exactly what you’ll get! Plus, you’ll cultivate a supportive, inclusive, productive work environment, where growth is off the charts.
WVIF and Your Corporation
When your corporation seeks to implement or revamp its corporate support for Women Veterans, you are likely looking for a partner. And you don’t want any partner; you want a partner who has a deep understanding of the Women Veteran population’s needs and dynamics. You want a partner who can help you meet your goals while effectively serving the people who you BOTH care about. You want a partner who communicates, collaborates, and accelerates.
WVIF has been proud to partner with national and local corporations for over a decade. And because the Women Veteran population continues to grow at a rapid pace, we continue to have more work to do to serve this incredible community; and we want you to be a partner with us.
This Women Veterans Day, we invite you to consider collaborating with WVIF to serve the Women who have served and sacrificed for our country. Help us stand up and recognize, honor, and empower the Women who stood up for you, for me, for all of us.