We were lucky to catch up with Raven Hilden recently and have shared our conversation below.

Raven, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

As the Founder/CEO of a nonprofit that serves Veterans, deployed military and their families, there are many stories that I come across. Some are absolutely heartbreaking. Others are very heartwarming. Some of the most amazing experiences occur when we least expect them. MilVet has many programs and one of them is called our Holidays For Heroes program. Each year we grant wishes to children of military families who are in need or who have lost a loved one. A few years ago, one of our volunteers, who is an Army veteran was struggling. He had lost his beloved wife less than a year prior to cancer. He was not looking forward to the holidays without her and was feeling pretty despondent. I asked him if he would like to help us deliver some gifts to our families (it was during covid so we couldn’t hold our event at a physical location as usual). He reluctantly agreed and accompanied me to deliver gifts to a homeless family. This particular family consisted of a veteran who had stage 4 cancer due to exposure to agent orange in Vietnam, his wife, daughter and 12 year old grandson. They had lived in a nice house for 30 years until the medical bills grew to large and they lost their house. They had been staying in a one bedroom motel, which cost a lot and could not afford a hot meal or gifts for the child or family for Christmas. Our volunteer saw the tears in the grandmothers eyes and her gratefulness to those who donated the gifts and he was shocked by how sad he had been. He missed his wife terribly but also realized that so many others had been suffering and he could help. That year he assisted with dozens of deliveries, some as Santa and others as a fellow veteran that wanted to give back. There is something healing, therapeutic and beautiful about giving back to others, whether it be time, resources, donations or talent.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Raven Hilden and I am the Founder/CEO of MilVet.org. I founded the nonprofit in 2016 as a way to connect others to resources in the community. I previously worked for the State of California Senate and Assembly as a Field Representative and I saw a need for more resource assistance and military programs in my community. As a military spouse, I also saw a need for improvement in the delivery of veteran services. MilVet has grown to a very successful organization due to a great group of volunteers and partnerships with community members, large organizations and contributors. MilVet is dedicated to supporting deployed troops worldwide, veterans with claims assistance/resources/emergency assistance and their families who support their mission. We have been honored to receive nonprofit of the year awards from local Chambers of Commerce in 2021 and 2022 as well as Nonprofit of the Year from the 67th California State Assembly District. Support from the community and nation have helped us accomplish so much for our brave men and women who serve our country to keep us free.

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing a 100% volunteer organization can be challenging. Motivation must be intrinsic. Our volunteers are screened to determine their goals and objectives so we can ensure that our clients, volunteers and organization are all benefitting and achieving their goals. The culture of the organization is based on servant leadership. This philosophy is based on the premise that by providing tools and support for our volunteers, we are creating a stronger organization for those we serve. All volunteers, including myself are equal in that we work together to accomplish tasks and encourage personal and professional growth.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Nonprofit organizations must be able to think outside the box, Creativity and tenacity are crucial for success. There are many similarities to running a for-profit business but there are additional challenges. Transparency, accountability and brand are vital to obtaining support. When we work together we become stronger. MilVet is proud of the ability to work with other nonprofits, businesses, community leaders and diverse volunteers to be able to provide support and a voice to those we serve.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.milvet.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/milvetorg
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/milvet.org

Image Credits
Raven Hilden