How to Celebrate & Support Veterans at Your Company

From Veterans Day to Military Appreciation Month to Memorial Day, there are lots of great opportunities for your company to give back to the heroes who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. While giving back in a truly meaningful way can seem challenging, there’s always something your company and employees can do and plenty of incredible nonprofits to help you do it.

How your company can celebrate veterans

The following initiatives were curated by our team of social impact experts that execute thoughtful social impact efforts for our customers every day. Candidly, some of these initiatives are easy enough to accomplish internally, but for others, you will need to lean on a social impact program or team. 

Don’t have a social impact program or team? Learn more about Percent Pledge powered customized social impact programs, a single source for donations, volunteering, charity vetting, & impact reports.

[1] Donations

Percent Pledge's Veterans Cause Portfolio contains four amazing, thoroughly vetted nonprofits that help take the guesswork out of choosing the right organization for your company and employees to donate to and partner with.

Operation First Response 

Operation First Response is on a mission to serve all branches of our nation’s Wounded Heroes/Disabled Veterans, Gold Star Families, and First Responders with personal and financial needs. Services are provided from the onset of injuries or illness, throughout their recovery period, and along their journey into the civilian world by assistance such as rent, utilities, and groceries. 

Bunker Labs

Bunker Labs envisions a future where military service is a leading pathway to successful business ownership and entrepreneurship. They provide community programs, and courses to help military veterans and military spouses start and grow successful businesses and startups.

Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening America's military families through community building.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the national organization providing compassionate care for all those grieving the death of a military loved one. TAPS honors our military men and women by caring for all those they loved and left behind.

Percent Pledge allows all companies and employees to donate to these nonprofits simultaneously through its Workplace Giving Platform.

[2] Volunteering

Time is invaluable, and volunteering your organization’s time, while inspiring your employees to do the same, is often the greatest gift you can give. It’s the perfect team building event and can have an incredibly positive impact on your employees and your organization. 

Send a message of hope

Organize a group of employees to provide support, smiles, and encouragement to veterans in hospitals, schools, senior living, and rehabilitation centers by writing letters of encouragement through Cardz for Kidz.

Pack a bag

Assemble a team of employees to pitch in and support Operation First Response. Their Backpack Program fills and sends backpacks (with a change of clothing, hygiene items, and additional comfort items) to combat support hospitals across the globe.

Support a service member

Encourage your employees to volunteer with Soldiers' Angels. They can send care packages, cards, letters of encouragement, and more to service members, deployed in support of combat and humanitarian missions around the world, away from their families and loved ones.

[3] Other great ways to support veterans

Inspire your employees to get involved to raise awareness. No gesture is too small. 

Hold a moment of silence

Pick key days or occasions – Veterans Day or Memorial Day – and organize a company-wide moment of silence to honor our brave servicemen and women.

Recognize your company’s veterans

Encourage the leadership team to take a few moments to thank employees who have served by writing a note that lets them know just how proud they all are to work alongside them.

Fly the flag

It may seem like a small gesture, but by simply flying the flag, you are acknowledging and honoring the service and sacrifice of our nation’s veterans.

Support veteran-owned businesses

Encourage your employees to shop online at one of the many veteran-owned businesses across the U.S. or at locally run, veteran-owned businesses. A quick Google search or connecting with your local chamber of commerce will turn up lots of quality results.

Find a breakdown of each of these efforts and more for your company to make a positive impact by downloading our Support Veterans kit. Again, if you need help pursuing these initiatives, learn more about Percent Pledge’s proven social impact program and team of experts.