STRATEGIC PLAN FOR VET TO VET MAINE

V2VME’s strategic plan encompasses our growth plan as conceived before COVID-19.

Mission:

Vet2Vet Maine is committed to alleviating social isolation and loneliness among Maine’s veterans and linking them to services.

Objectives:

Combat social isolation by linking veteran volunteers to veterans in need of a friend.

Connect veterans to services and benefits.
Foster beneficial relationships and friendships and provide peer-to-peer mentoring.

Goal 1: Build on strengths to make a stronger, more effective, and more efficient organization.

Hire a full-time program director.
Hire a part-time office manager/administrative assistant.
Continue to strengthen communications among volunteers, veteran friends, and the public.

Goal 2: Achieve financial stability and attract funds to:

Regarding Financial Stability as a major goal.

Goal for future: have a reserve 2x the amount of annual operation costs.
Explore and collaborate with other group(s) to see if any of the services we provide can be fee-for-service (billable to the organization).
Develop an evidence-based program to qualify for billable services.
Build stronger business sponsorships. Ask businesses to allow us to do presentations to veteran employees about V2VME and follow up with requests that companies sponsor their employees who volunteer by making a donation to the program to honor them.
Identify and contact defense contractors and other businesses related to the military for financial support.
Develop a timeline of when to contact corporate and other sponsors and when to apply for grants, who will be responsible for each contact, and how much to request.

Marketing

Control marketing. Match recruitment efforts for volunteers and veteran friends with capacity to serve (don’t overmarket services).
Continue marketing to potential donors.
Target marketing to increase success of fundraisers/events.
Prepare list of businesses employing current volunteers and target them for donations.
Frame the need to have a comprehensive, well-run program (with more staff) to motivate donors and attract grants.
Reach out to recently discharged veterans (younger vets) and women veterans as potential volunteers/donors.
Continue work with State Bureau of Veterans’ Services and the Maine Military & Community Network to increase visibility and connect with potential collaborators.
Strengthen PR efforts with local media.

Five-Year Plan Goals/Action Plans

This Year (NOW):
- Develop list of businesses to approach for donations. Each board member asked to meet 3 businesses or individuals for sponsorship.
- Develop list of grants to pursue.
- Develop mailing list for annual appeal, print, personalize, and disseminate.
- Continue outreach with local/state organizations
  - Chambers of Commerce
  - State Bureau of Veterans’ Services
  - Veterans groups and fraternal organizations
  - Civic organizations
  - Maine Military & Community Network
  - Municipalities
  - Universities and other institutions to attract younger veterans as volunteers and veteran friends
- Complete UNE mini-project to assess effectiveness of program
- Attract funding to support program director position for at least 10 hours a week in following year.

1-2 years:
- Evaluate and disseminate results of UNE project.
- Explore grants to develop a larger pilot project to build on the UNE study.
- Attract enough funding to expand staff to half-time office manager.

2-4 years:
- Develop evidenced-based program based on assessment projects.
- Explore fee-for-service options with VA and other funders.
- Maintain/increase staff to full time program director, half-time office manager, half-time development director.
- Explore expansion to other areas of the state (need paid liaison staff member).

5 years:
- Develop model to be used nationwide.
- Explore expansion to areas outside the state.

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