Strategic Plan
Empowering student veterans and connecting them with resources, opportunities, and community.
SVA 2025-2029 Strategic Initiatives
This plan encompasses five goals with a focus on relationships, chapter value, advocacy, academic and employment support, and enhancing infrastructure. By concentrating on these specific focus areas, it will allow us to fulfill our vision and purpose, and to enhance the experience for anyone who calls themselves a Student Veteran of America.
The National President & CEO in conjunction with the Board of Directors and Headquarters Staff designed and implemented the strategic planning process.
01. Deepen SVA HQ’s relationships with chapters and members and scale direct support for chapters
Strengthen connections with chapters and refine or expand existing support offerings to boost engagement with HQ, enhance chapter sustainability, and maintain a stable number of active chapters.
Importance
SVA HQ offers a range of resources to support chapter growth and sustainability, including one-on-one consultations and other tailored services. However, only about 25% of chapters currently report awareness of these supports. Strengthening awareness and engagement with these resources presents a valuable opportunity to enhance chapter success. Additionally, improving continuity during leadership transitions and increasing compliance with SVA requirements will provide greater clarity around chapter activity. This will enable more effective resource allocation and ensure chapters receive the support they need to thrive.
Vision for Success
The majority of chapters report a strong connection to SVA HQ and actively engage with available resources and support, as reflected in annual survey results and the number of chapters reaching out to HQ for assistance.
Partnerships
Engage funders and corporate partners to sponsor events, and cultivate alumni as donors to support SVA’s mission.
Objectives
- Additional outreach coordinators to support revised outreach strategy.
- Direct funding for chapters to enable increased engagement with SVA.
- Increased travel to campuses.
- Research capacity to enable feedback loops on chapters’ perceptions of programming and supports.
- Technology investments to support relationships with chapters.
02. Align chapters around the goal of sense of belonging and showcase the value of chapters and belonging to external stakeholders
Ensure chapters are aligned around the shared goal of fostering a sense of belonging among student veterans. Leverage both quantitative and qualitative data to demonstrate the value of SVA chapters—including their positive impact on belonging and academic outcomes—to key external stakeholders.
Importance
Over the past 15 years, at least 20 studies have shown a strong connection between a sense of belonging and improved academic outcomes. Currently, 56.7% of SVA chapters prioritize building meaningful communities, directly supporting members' sense of belonging. The remaining 43.3% focus on a range of other goals, many of which may not explicitly address belonging. By highlighting how SVA chapters contribute to student veterans’ success—particularly through fostering belonging—we can strengthen external support from campus administrators, funders, and other stakeholders.
Vision for Success
SVA can demonstrate that chapters have a measurable, positive impact on student veterans’ sense of belonging, which in turn supports stronger academic outcomes. This impact, assessed through the Belonging Study and other research tools, will serve as a powerful evidence base to engage and attract greater support from external stakeholders, including funders and universities.
Partnerships
Continue developing and strengthening funding pipelines to support chapter initiatives and the infrastructure needed to measure their impact effectively.
Objectives
- Communications / marketing capacity to (1) support the development of materials for chapters that represent SVA’s brand and reflect the ultimate goal of facilitating sense of belonging and (2) refine external communications about the value proposition of chapters.
- Data analysis capacity (including visual data analysis capacity) to measure chapter impact on belonging and academic outcomes.
- Major gifts research and stewardship to source and manage funding that supports chapter-related research and activities.
03. Continue building on research and advocacy efforts to increase political and public support of student veterans
Expand current research and advocacy efforts to address critical gaps in student veteran data, increase awareness and support, and mobilize public and political champions to drive policy changes that reflect the needs of student veterans.
Importance
There is a significant lack of reliable, accessible, and targeted data on veterans and student veterans—such as graduation rates and the economic impact of military service. As a result, current policies and legislation often fall short of meeting student veterans’ needs, with issues like monthly housing allowances and parity for National Guard and Reserve members remaining key areas of concern.
Vision for Success
By publishing high-quality, accessible research on student veterans, SVA establishes itself as the leading subject matter expert, reflected in increased inbound requests for expertise. Through SVA HQ the organization drives changes to state and federal policies that better address student veterans' needs, as measured by enacted legislative reforms.
Partnerships
Establish partnerships with universities or colleges for IRB-approval and other organizations that contribute to advancing policy efforts.
Objectives
- Grant writing to source and manage funding for research.
- Research capacity to drive qualitative analysis.
- Marketing and Communications capacity to promote data and research.
- Grow the advocacy team.
- Legal fellow to oversee regulatory efforts at the federal level Education Benefits Case Manager to support with 1:1 cases.
04. Address the unmet needs of transitioning service members and veterans through the Advising Center and Career Center
Launch the Advising Center and Career Center—tech-enabled services designed to support transitioning service members and their families with resources to achieve their academic and career goals.
Importance
A Pew analysis found that veteran undergraduates take on a median loan amount $500 higher than their nonveteran peers, while research from ZipRecruiter and the Call of Duty Endowment indicates that nearly one-third of veteran job seekers are underemployed—often due to challenges in the transition process. Additionally, many stakeholders have highlighted the difficulties veterans face in finding colleges that align with their unique needs.
Vision for Success
The Advising Center will guide transitioning service members toward best-fit academic and career pathways, measured by the number of users successfully placed. It will also strengthen chapter membership by connecting users to SVA chapters on their campuses. The Career Center will serve as a trusted bridge between veterans and employers, facilitating placements in interest-aligned opportunities that offer equitable wages. Success will be measured by the number of veterans achieving their career goals through Career Center services. Together, the Advising Center and Career Center will create a comprehensive, one-stop resource for supporting transitioning service members and their families.
Partnerships
Engage funders to support the sustainability and scalability of SVA’s initiatives while collaborating with third parties to develop and maintain essential tech infrastructure. Additionally, connect with transitioning service members to promote and encourage the use of the Advising Center and Career Center.
Objectives
- Career and education coaching to provide 1:1 consults with Advising Center users, on an as needed basis: 3 full-time employees (FTEs) by 2028.
- Campus relations specialists to steward relationships with universities: 2 FTEs by 2028.
- Employer relations specialists to steward relationships with employers: 2 FTEs by 2028.
- Technology expenses to support full suite of services in MySVA.
- Visual data analysis capacity to measure engagement and track impact.
05. Enhance supporting capabilities and invest in infrastructure to unlock the full benefits of the strategy
Strengthen organizational capacity by implementing systems and processes that support all aspects of SVA, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
Importance
Enhancing support capabilities and investing in infrastructure are essential for scaling SVA’s impact and ensuring long-term sustainability. This initiative focuses on developing internal systems, technologies, and processes that enable seamless operations across all functions. By building a highly effective and efficient infrastructure, SVA can drive innovation, improve performance, and adapt to evolving needs. These foundational investments will strengthen the organization’s ability to execute its strategy and maximize value for student veterans and their families.
Vision for Success
Success in this area means establishing efficient systems that enhance organizational effectiveness and service delivery for veterans. Our vision is a seamlessly integrated operation where staff collaborate effortlessly, supported by modern technology that optimizes communication and data sharing. By strengthening our infrastructure, we will expand our capacity to serve more veterans while maintaining or improving service quality. We will measure progress through increased operational efficiency, including a significant reduction in administrative time spent on repetitive tasks through automation and improved processes. Ultimately, these efforts will create a more agile and resilient organization, capable of adapting to changing needs while driving meaningful, mission-aligned outcomes.
Partnerships
Realizing this vision will require strategic partnerships with technology providers, higher education institutions, and experts in operational models, organizational design, and systems integration. Engaging funders dedicated to capacity building—such as private foundations, corporate philanthropy, and federal grant programs—will be essential. These partners will provide both financial support and technical expertise, equipping the organization with the necessary tools to strengthen infrastructure, enhance efficiency, and ensure long-term sustainability.
Objectives
- Hire additional full-time employees to support: Salesforce, fundraising, marketing and communications, data analysis, facilities, and office management.
- Maintain current mix of full-time employees and contracted services for: finance and accounting, IT, marketing and communications, and HR.
- Continue to integrate across platforms and systems.
- Invest in additional technological advancements..
- Complete move to new office space.
How You Can Help
Be part of the solution and help empower student veterans.