Tag Archives: sea of goodwill

Sea of Goodwill Series: The Warrior Gateway: Empowering the Military Community & Its Service Providers

Posted on by Devin

When members of the military community (veteran, active duty, National Guard, Reserve, and family members) look for help on the web, the search for support and assistance across the major search engines for terms like “PTSD” or “veterans assistance” yields millions of results.

When you are looking for organizations in your hometown today, how is this helpful?  With an estimated 400,000 service organizations and programs seeking to serve this community, how do you know what services are best for you or your family?  How can you share your experiences with other veterans or family members?

The answers to these questions form the foundation of the Warrior Gateway.

The Warrior Gateway is a new approach to connecting today’s military community to the network of not-for-profit, government and private sector services and programs they seek.  Modeled after the best practices from the world of social media, the Warrior Gateway lets community members quickly find what they’re looking for, rate organizations and programs, leave comments about their experiences, and share organization profiles with others.  The result is more relevant information and better decision-making for themselves, their families, and their needs.

Currently, more than 32,000 service providers have Warrior Gateway profiles, allowing these organizations to communicate with the military community about services, programs, and current events, as well as respond to customer feedback.  On their profile, they can answer questions and address feedback, creating an ongoing customer service conversation between customers and providers.

How much does it cost? It’s Free. We believe it is our duty to serve our military community in appreciation of their service.  The Warrior Gateway pulls together a coalition of partners—across the sea of goodwill—that share our mission of connecting all military community members with the reliable, effective support they need.  Check it out here.


This post was authored by Devin B. Holmes.  Devin B. Holmes is the Executive Director of the Warrior Gateway.

Sea of Goodwill Series: Teaming Up to Help the Military Community Successfully Steer Through the Sea of Goodwill

Posted on by Devin

“The transition is the hardest part,” says Veteran Steven Pater when discussing the switch from military to civilian life in a recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, Those Leaving Military Can Use an Assist.  However, the search for help with that transition can also be daunting, even overwhelming.

The recent white paper, Sea of Goodwill: Matching the Donor to the Need, released by the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, estimates  over 400,000 service organizations nationwide are dedicated to making the reintegration back home easier for the military community (active duty, Guard, Reserve, Veterans, and family members).  These service groups take many forms including faith-based, public, fee-for-service, non-profit, local, regional, and national organizations.

With this abundance, members of the military community are continuously faced with the same question: How can I access the right service when I need it and where I live?  How do I know if it is good?

It is the responsibility of those serving our military community to work together to answer this question.  We need to deliver a transparent system of access points to credible, dependable, and consistent information about available resources.  As consumers and recipients of these services, it is vital that military community members have “a voice” in shaping and sustaining this network.

Cooperation and communication across the sea of goodwill is critical:  “We, as a nation, must build key partnerships and link national and local community efforts…to work as a team and provide the highest level of quality of our veterans, Service members and their families deserve.” (Sea of Goodwill: Matching the Donor to the Need).  Ultimately, all of us serving the military community have one goal in mind: easing the transition of military community members back into civilian life.

Sea of Goodwill White Paper

Posted on by Devin

Release of the Sea of Goodwill White Paper:  Building the Bridge to Help Veterans & Their Families

Creating and sustaining a long-term solution for better transitional support of veterans and their families as they return to civilian life requires participation and support of organizations and government at both the national and local levels.  Authored by Colonel David W. Sutherland, USA and Major John W. Copeland, USA, the Sea of Goodwill: Matching the Donor to the Need white paper seeks to foster this discussion.

The white paper focuses on three key elements in helping veterans and their families reintegrate into civilian society: education, access to health care for life, and employment. While these needs are simple, delivering the right service at the right time and place across more than 400,000 estimated service organizations is more complex.

Read the white paper.  Share it with your friends.  Tell us what you think.

To read the full Sea of Goodwill: Matching the Donor to the Need, click here to get the PDF.


Veterans Reintegration