FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Oct. 30, 2023) – The new nonprofit MilitaryConnected.org announced it has raised nearly half-a-million dollars in seed funding and is growing its team as it seeks to transform how hiring managers in corporate America attract, support, and engage military-connected talent.

The military-connected talent pools comprise over nine million people; however, talent and hiring managers often lack the tools and support to place them into sustainable careers. When they seek help, they either drown in a sea of goodwill or fail to find customized support from other nonprofits. This has led to high turnover and underemployment in the military-connected community.

“Our members are highly valued by employers who recognize their leadership and team-building skills, attention to detail, and commitment to fulfilling a mission. While hiring initiatives have helped turn the corner on veteran unemployment, the real challenge is ensuring that every member of the military-connected community is able to realize their full potential in the civilian workforce,” said Jonathan Fermin-Robbins, Interim Executive Director at MilitaryConnected.org. “We’ve solved how to get them into a job, but not how to keep them.”

While veterans entering the civilian workforce have little trouble finding jobs, the challenge is finding employment they find meaningful, reflects their skills and abilities, and leads to lasting careers.

Research shows that underemployment disproportionately affects veterans. They are 70 percent more likely to step back in seniority in their first civilian jobs when compared to the roles they held in the military, and are nearly 16 percent more likely to be underemployed than their civilian counterparts; 42 percent of veteran talent leave their first civilian job in one year; 80 percent leave in two years, which is 10 percent higher than their civilian counterparts. The cost of replacing an employee can range from one-half to two times the employee’s salary. However, research also found that 70 percent of the reasons for employee turnover are preventable. These gaps open up an opportunity for new solutions.

Other nonprofits nobly focus on talent acquisition to solve these challenges. MilitaryConnected.org will be the first nonprofit to offer data-driven organizational assessments and customized programs to help talent and hiring managers, and company leaders, better attract and keep their military-connected employees.

Thanks to a generous donation by a military-connected family estate, MilitaryConnected.org is prepared to tackle these challenges head-on. It is currently seeking corporate partners who share its commitment to improving the lives of America’s military-connected community.

In the coming months, MilitaryConnected.org is launching three programs to meet its mission:

• Military Advisory Services, which offers actionable intelligence on how talent and hiring managers can attract, support, and retain military-connected talent. The organization will work with employers to assess, design, and implement transformative initiatives that help them find, hire, and integrate military-connected talent.
• MILCON, a crowdsourced recruitment and talent engagement platform.
• Data and Research Center of Excellence, which will leverage data collected from their programs to conduct research projects for stakeholders to improve the lives of the military-connected community.

To lead these programs, MilitaryConnected.org announced two new members to its team. Jonathan Fermin-Robbins has joined as Interim Executive Director to lead the start-up nonprofit toward sustained growth. A decorated U.S. military veteran (U.S. Army), Jonathan previously served as Chief of Staff at Aliro, Inc., a technology company that helps healthcare teams meet rising staffing demands.

“There’s an acute challenge in our community overcoming meaningful employment with mismatched talent,” said Fermin-Robbins. “Drawing on my experience leaving the Army, we have to do more to ensure hiring managers are ready, not just friendly, to bring the best into the workforce and beyond. At MilitaryConnected.org, we’re not going to shy away from solving these large-scale challenges. And we look forward to it.”

Dr. Chis Cate was named Director of the Data and Research Center of Excellence. Dr. Cate most recently served as Vice President of Research of Student Veterans of America (SVA) for over a decade, where he pioneered new research into student veterans and the GI Bill®.

Business leaders and prospective partners who wish to learn more about supporting the military-connected community may contact MilitaryConnected.org at info@militaryconnected.org.

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About MilitaryConnected.org:

MilitaryConnected.org is committed to improving the lives of America’s military-connected community through employer education, talent engagement, and data-driven research. It seeks to ensure every member of America’s military-connected community has equal access to the resources necessary to unlock their full potential. Be more than military-friendly, become military-ready at militaryconnected.org.