2020 and Beyond: The Next 10 Years for Boot Campaign

A year into my position at Boot Campaign, I shared our five key goals for the future. I want to update you on progress made, pitfalls overcome and how our team, board of directors, veteran ambassadors and patriotic donors from coast to coast collaboratively worked together to position Boot Campaign to continue to grow and change.  

Every year, nearly a quarter of a million veterans are separating or retiring from military service. Our goal will always remain to give back to veterans of every era, and we more recently we have become steadfast in our efforts in providing individualized efforts to restore lives, one veteran, one military family at a time. 

I am proud and thankful for everything the Boot Campaign team has accomplished in the last decade. Here is a snapshot on where we stand with our strategic aspirations moving into the next decade and into the future. 

GOAL #1

STATED IN 2018: Continue to hone our individualized and holistic program to kick-start the journey of improved health for the veteran community by expanding our top-tier wellness partners to include other scientific and research-based specialized care providers.

UPDATE: To date and since the program began in mid 2016, Boot Campaign’s Health and Wellness Program has benefited more than 230 veterans and more than 500 family members, with major results that include:

• Adding more partners committed to individualized and evidence-based care

• Serving more veterans, effectively and efficiently, with long-term, real-life results. 2019 was our biggest year to date and we expended our reach, helping more than 120 veterans and impacting more than 300 family members

• Optimizing veteran and military family trust by hiring military competent staff and case managers

• Developing a formal intake and evaluation process for we serve, designed and administered by Program Director Dr. Jenny Howland, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

GOAL #2

STATED IN 2018: According to a report from the National Alliance for Caregiving, sixty-five percent of veteran caregivers report caregiver burden. Many existing programs offering services to military caregivers tend to be targeted toward the veteran, or tend to require time away from home on the part of the caregiver, which can be burdensome. Studies suggest that treating a veteran individually for PTSD without including the spouse in the treatment sessions could risk unbalancing their relationship even more than it already is. 

UPDATE: In 2020, Boot Campaign will add individualized heart rate variability (HRV) training to our program, specific to veterans and their spouses and caregivers, thanks, in part, to funding from the Infinite Hero Foundation. HRV training is a validated method to reduce stress, improve mood, and increase energy, and we will offer this service not only to veterans in our care, but spouses and caregivers as well. 

GOAL #3

STATED IN 2018: Grow to $5 million dollars in annual sales, donations and support to further our programmatic efforts while maintaining at least (and hopefully better than!) 85/15 ratio in dollars put towards programmatic efforts versus administrative costs. 

UPDATE: I’m proud to report that in 2018 88 cents of every dollar went back to program efforts to support veterans and their families. We continue to need donors from coast to coast to make a real life, meaningful and long-term difference in the lives of military families. Donate today. 

GOAL #4

STATED IN 2018: Continue to collaborate with premier and like-minded veteran service organizations, government entities and private sector patriots to thoughtfully steward and grow our programs. There are more than 46,000 non-profits across the country that serve the military community. We aim to link arms with the best of the best.

UPDATE: Together we can do more and I’m proud to say that Boot Campaign has stayed true to fostering a culture of true collaboration. 

• In 2019, we made Christmas possible for Tennessee families with non-profit, veteran serving organization partners like ASYMCA, Cohen Veterans Network, Fisher House Foundation, Operation Homefront and Operation Standdown

• We also partnered with Hope for the Warriors and Stop Soldier Suicide to provide a continuum of care for veterans who weren’t a fit for our H&W program but still needed support

GOAL #5

STATED IN 2018: Get boots on the feet of more Americans to make every day a celebration and demonstration of our support and gratitude for those who have sacrificed for us all to protect our freedoms, the Constitution of the United States of America and all those who call her home.

UPDATE: Thanks to our friends and partners like Altama, who produced a limited-edition 10 year anniversary boot for us, and Unimex, who give back to our programs with each purchase, more Americans are sporting Boot Campaign-clad feet in a show of support for those who serve. But we can’t stop now! New gear can always be found in our shop, so snag the latest. Get boots and give back! 

We’ve forged ahead in these three years, and with your help, we can make sure our collective dreams for the future of Boot Campaign and those we serve become a reality. Continue to hold us accountable, ask for more information about how we are doing and help us achieve the five outlined goals above.

It is our duty as Americans to serve those who served us first as they reintegrate into our communities.

I can’t wait to see what the next decade holds.