We know from corporate, census, and personal data that there are more than 28 million Veterans currently living in the United States. How many are registered to vote? How many are civically engaged in our democracy? The truth is that Veterans are often overlooked in civic engagement efforts, despite the fact that they are a key constituency, especially in rural areas around the country. As of 2020, there are more than 1.5 million Veterans ages 18-35 in the U.S., and more than 4 million Veterans between the ages of 35-54.

While many people have a stereotype of what a Veteran looks like, the reality is that increasingly, Veterans represent the diversity of America. Over the past 30 years, racial and ethnic minorities have entered the military in ever-increasing numbers. Women, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, and Americans from a variety of religious and economic backgrounds are increasingly joining the ranks of America’s Veterans and military families. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs Minority Veterans Report, by 2040, minority Veterans are projected to make up 35.7 percent of all living Veterans. These changing demographics provide an exciting opportunity to bring new voices to the forefront of our democracy.

In 2023 we have witnessed a growth in cloud technology and associated tools, many marketed at large enterprise companies. What do you do if you are a startup or small nonprofit and want to engineer similar technology and capabilities to generate models and capture insights? In the case of the Vet Voice Foundation. How do you reach out and elevate a new generation of Veteran voices?

Adrienne at the Vet Voice Foundation is tasked with growing the The Vet Voice Foundation's Proprietary Veteran File to help engage a growing generation of diverse Active Military, Veteran, and Military Family members. Learn about how she set up a system design, tables, to then generate new ML models for nonprofit with under 20 employees making a big difference nationally.