Year In Review and Look Ahead to 2011

Posted on by Devin

What started as an idea in 2009 became reality in 2010. The launch of the Warrior Gateway in March of this past year showed how new ideas, innovation and collaboration could positively impact our transitioning military community. Our growth in 2011 will continue to show how our unique approach will help connect individuals with non-profits and government service providers as well as educational and employment opportunities. The following Year in Review message showcases what the Warrior Gateway has accomplished in a very short time span as well as our plans to continue to make the Warrior Gateway the best resource it can be.

A Unique Idea is “Born”:

When the Warrior Gateway launched it was described at the time as an innovative web portal. It was, at launch, both a job search tool and an online directory for the military community to find local service organizations that could satisfy their unique needs. How the Warrior Gateway stood out as different:

  • Empowered users by allowing them to share their experiences with organizations they’ve utilized, good and bad
  • Provided members an additive benefit by learning about those experiences in their search for reliable information

In addition, we used the best design principles modeled after successful sites like Google Maps, Yelp and Craigslist to make sure users could find what they were looking for quickly and easily. The easy-to-use design was popular with our users and for the portal to continue to grow we hit the road to spread the word.

Bringing the Gateway to the Community:

This past year, the Warrior Gateway team went to communities across the nation to introduce people the strength of a free and interactive online resource directory. We attended more than 40 meetings, panel discussions, conferences and other events including:

Throughout 2010 we were mentioned in a variety of publications. The Warrior Gateway was mentioned in 17 news media outlets. Some of the major publications were:

  • The Washington Post
  • The New York Times
  • The San Francisco Chronicle
  • The Associated Press

Our approach was also praised by high level figures such as Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Craig Newmark, the founder of Craig’s List, who saw the value of its helpful and innovative approach.

Helping to bring together the Sea of Goodwill:

While we focused on introducing the Warrior Gateway to transitioning military members and their families in cities such as:

We have also reached out to industry partners, government leaders and the media to highlight the military community’s need for immediate access to quality services in their area and to help grow the Warrior Gateway. Our approach of working with the Sea of Goodwill community to find the best collaborative approaches to address the needs of those in transition helped Warrior Gateway make significant progress in a very short amount of time.

The Way Forward: Predictions for 2011

As the Warrior Gateway grows this year, our ability to help grows as well. We are excited to announce that this year we will be:

  • Launching the Gateway Information Network
    • A network of national, local and government websites that collaborate to share information to ensure there is no wrong door. No matter where military community looks for information, they will find consistent, relevant and accurate answers
  • Expand the Warrior Gateway
    • To ensure service members and their families can transition smoothly, we plan to extend into the areas of education and employment
    • We will stand up a Gateway Volunteer Corps, for those who want to volunteer their time to help the Warrior Gateway grow in their community
  • Reach for new goals
    • We will continue to connect veterans and their families to the best resources in their areas and increase the number of organizations in the service provider directory with a year end goal of at least 100,000!

You can also help veterans and their families today!

Come check out WarriorGateway.org! If you have visited a service organization in your area – rate them and share comments on your experience. If that organization is not in the Directory – add it. It is completely free and easy to do!

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