National Nonprofit Day’s Impact on Military Spouses

By Lily Snyder

August 17th is National Nonprofit Day. National Nonprofit Day is about recognizing the benefits and positive impacts made by nonprofits in their communities. It’s also about recognizing the people behind the scenes who have the passion to drive their visions of service forward. Non-profit founders like Michelle Aikman and Anna Flores of SMSS, who start nonprofits with nothing but their heart, passion, and motivation for it to succeed to provide services that wouldn’t otherwise be available.

Did you know only 1% of the U.S. population serves in the military? And 10% of the population are veterans. That makes it a misunderstood place and it’s easy to feel lost as a spouse. That’s why Aikman and Flores started the Society of Military Spouses in STEM. In 2016, it was just an idea. Now the organization as members from US military posts around the globe. SMSS is a place where military spouses in STEM is a place where all military spouses in science, technology, engineering, or math find a community where they belong.

4 Ways to Give to a Nonprofit

 

• Volunteer  Offering your time and skills is a great way to help a nonprofit. Often, they need help with certain projects but don’t have means to complete it. Do you have a skill or hobby that you don’t get to use as much as you want? Use them at a nonprofit.

 

• Share their content / spread the word Write a blog post, create a video, or simply share your favorite Tweets and posts from your favorite nonprofit. In a noisy online world, nothing helps a nonprofit like spreading the word and helping other people and search engines learn about their cause.

 

• Donate Money Don’t have time to give to your favorite nonprofit? Even a couple dollars can help an organization go a long way. Nonprofits can always use more money to grow their programs and give back to the communities they’re serving.

 

• Join a nonprofit organization that fits your interests Nothing helps non-profits more than people joining. It shows that the organization offers value. By joining you show that it is something people are interested in. Being active in a nonprofit community not only helps the organization, but you as well. Non-profits, like SMSS, provide networking, job boards, professional feedback, and more.

What’s your favorite way to give back?