Honor the Troops: Veterans Day Ideas for Your Nonprofit or Fundraiser

America is a nation of veterans. Roughly 19 million Americans are veterans. 

Every November 11th is Veterans Day. This is a federal holiday, meaning nearly all businesses are closed. Americans are expected to commemorate veterans in some way, following any number of Veterans Day ideas. 

As a non-profit or fundraiser organizer, how can you celebrate the veterans in your group? What can you do to make a difference in veterans’ lives? How should you decorate your office? 

Answer these questions and you can celebrate Veterans Day the right way. Here are some great Veterans Day tribute ideas.  

Celebrate the Veterans of Your Organization 

If you have veterans within your nonprofit, you can commemorate their accomplishments. At a minimum, talk to them before Veterans Day. Ask them for any Veterans Day celebration ideas. 

You can invite in members from their unit or division to come in. You can give them a lunch free of charge so they can reconnect. 

If you have someone who is comfortable with public speaking, you can have them give a speech. They can talk about their experience as a veteran and what your organization can do to help veterans. 

Invite a Public Speaker

You can also invite a public speaker from outside your organization. Many prominent veterans are available for speaking engagements. 

You can have one person give a speech, or you can organize a panel. Veterans love to talk to each other and exchange stories. This is a great way of showing diverse perspectives. 

Go to a Memorial or Museum 

Nearly all military museums offer discounts on Veterans Day weekend. Organize a field trip to a museum near you. 

If you don’t want to go to a museum, you can go to a local memorial or cemetery. You can lay flowers, play military music, and tour the grounds. 

Keep in mind that the place you visit may be crowded on Veterans Day itself. You may want to go the day before or after so you have the location to yourself. 

Raise Money for Veterans’ Causes

One of the best Veterans Day tribute ideas is to raise money for a particular cause. Try to find a cause that relates to your organization in some way. If your organization focuses on mental health, give money to a veterans’ group that helps with mental health. 

You can consider any number of fundraising ideas. Many organizations like to organize fun runs or 5ks, especially on Veterans Day itself. 

If you want to stand out, consider doing an art show or an auction. You can ask local veterans to make art pieces about their service and then sell them. 

Make sure that you check out the credentials of an organization you plan on donating to. Ask around to see if the group is credible and inspect someone’s history if they claim to be a veteran themselves. 

Volunteer at an Organization 

You can donate your time in addition to donating your money. Many VA centers are looking for volunteers right now. Give a center a call and ask them how the members of your nonprofit can help. 

You can work with an official at the Department of Veterans Affairs on a customized volunteer program. This lets you find volunteer opportunities that are specific to the skills of your members. If someone likes volunteering, they can continue to work with the VA. 

Adopt a Family 

Veterans are people who no longer serve in the military, so many Veterans Day promotion ideas do not extend to active-duty members. Yet many veterans’ groups encourage Americans to support active-duty members in addition to retired personnel. You would honor the service of retired soldiers by helping current ones. 

A few groups like Soldiers’ Angels have adopt-a-family programs. This allows individuals or nonprofits to give gifts to children in a military family. They can also give gift cards to military spouses so they can buy meals. 

You can do this for Veterans Day or Christmas. You can continue to support the family as time goes on, or you can make a temporary adoption. They will remain in the system so another person can adopt them. 

Write Letters

You should sign up with a company like A Million Thanks. They will give you the addresses of veterans, and your nonprofit can write letters to those addresses. 

You can include any details you want in your letter. Most veterans appreciate short letters thanking them for their service. But you can get longer and more formal if you have something important to say. 

Decorate the Office

You can follow many Veterans Day decoration ideas. You can hang up small flags around your office. You can buy red, white, and blue flower bouquets and place them in glass vases. 

If you have the time, you can do some research and find the photographs of local veterans. You can then display them in your building with written descriptions of their service. This lets you create your own memorial. 

You can also do something more elaborate like buying a flagpole with a brand new flag. You should click here and there on different websites, examining the prices for poles and other materials. 

The Best Veterans Day Ideas

You have many Veterans Day ideas to choose from. You can celebrate the veterans who work for you. You can educate your employees by inviting a public speaker or going to a special location. 

You should help the lives of veterans in some capacity. You should donate money or time to a charity or nonprofit. You can also adopt a military family. 

Help active-duty personnel by writing supportive letters to them. Make a memorial inside your office and hand out American flags. 

Commit to helping veterans long-term. Figure out how you can help by following our coverage. You can also read more articles on Best Digital Mate.