It’s Official, We Are Military Spouse led.

Celebrating recognition as a Military Spouse led nonprofit

May 15th, 2024 — MBRNPC is proudly celebrating an achievement in becoming an officially recognized Military Spouse Led Nonprofit. The U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce created the first and only of its kind certification, in an unprecedented commitment to land military spouses a seat at the table for the first time in history.

The United States has long been defended by members of the armed forces and in a silent role, military spouses support those service members. Cost of living in the U.S. often warrants dual household incomes to cope with high living expenses. Military families give up a lot in the name of freedom, from constant relocations, and time away from family, to the difficult reality that finding a career that fits this lifestyle continues to be a challenge. Secure employment for spouses continues to be an enduring sacrifice with military spouse unemployment being four times the national average, pre-pandemic.

Military spouse employment is a hot topic within the military space with hundreds of organizations working to provide solutions, improve policy, and increase opportunities for traditional employment. Traditional employment is only half of the picture. As the challenge to obtain traditional employment lingers more military spouse are turning to entrepreneurship with 48% of spouses having been self-employed or operating their own business. 

“Traditional employment initiatives only account for half of military spouses. To move the needle on military spouse unemployment, we must focus energy on the other half of the equation, self-employment.” Jaime Chapman, COO and Co-Founder, U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce 

The U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce is on a mission to garner national recognition of military spouse business owners through its certification process. Supporting military spouse owned business is a win-win move for both the spouses and the corporation who hire them for B2B enterprise. By supporting the military spouse, you directly impact the quality of life for the service member, influencing higher military retention and national security. 

”The Military Spouse Led Nonprofit certification gives military spouse nonprofit leaders a seat at the table.” Beth Conlin, Amazon

Since 2012 military spouse unemployment remains statistically unchanged. It’s time to look at the entire picture, including the 48% of military spouse entrepreneurs. The best way to find and support a military spouse owned business is to start locally.

”Military spouses who also work as birth professionals at their duty stations bring unique and much needed services for military families. Often times we see limited resources in the way of lactation, doula care, childbirth education, birth options, pelvic floor therapy and mental health support just to name a few, for expecting and postpartum Military Families. For years spouses have brought these additions skills and resources to their community but sometimes run into barriers setting up a business and do not always have the support they need to network and grow. One of our goals is to provide a place of connection not only for families looking for pregnancy and postpartum support, but bring opportunities for military spouses to expand a career into birth work.” Amanda Dodson, CoFounder

The Military Spouse Chamber is forging the path to national opportunities for military spouse owned business. The Military Spouse Owned Led Nonprofit certification is the first and only certification of its kind allowing corporations to formally recognize and track supplier diversity spend with military spouse led businesses and opens a new door for economic empowerment. To learn more about the certification, please visit www.milspousechamber.org/certification.

About the U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce:

The Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce (MSCC) is the one stop shop for anything and everything a military spouse business owner could ever need. MSCC is on a mission to ensure that all active duty and veteran military spouse business owners have the tools and resources they need to strengthen their families, communities, and our economy. For more information please visit www.milspousechamber.org, and you can connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

About the Military Spouse Led Nonprofit Certification:

The Military Spouse Chamber is forging the path to national opportunity for military spouse led business. The Military Spouse Led Nonprofit certification is the first and only certification of its kind. The certification allows corporations to formally recognize and track supplier diversity spend with military led nonprofits and opens a new door for military spouse economic empowerment. To learn more about the certification, please visit www.milspousechamber.org/certification.

“Veteran and military spouse business owners are 10x more likely to hire fellow veterans and spouses. By empowering these individuals with meaningful training and mentorship, we are impacting their families, their communities, and our nation’s economy.” Stephanie Brown, CEO and Co-Founder, U.S. Military Spouse Chamber of Commerce