PLATINUM2023

The Long Walk Home Inc

Helping veterans and military families make the transition to civilian life.

aka The Long Walk Home   |   VENICE, FL   |  www.thelongwalkhome.org

Mission

The Long Walk Home is a Veteran led 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to helping veterans and military families make the transition to civilian life. We do this by providing educational programs and action-oriented experiences.

Ruling year info

2013

CEO/ Founder

Ron Zaleski

Main address

466 EDGEWOOD RD

VENICE, FL 34293 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Long Walk Home

EIN

20-5700906

NTEE code info

Community, Neighborhood Development, Improvement (S20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Veterans are 1.5 times more at risk of suicide than non-Veterans. In 2019, 6,261 Veterans took their lives—that's 17 every day. There are 400,000 Veterans living in Sarasota County alone, so this problem is right on our doorstep. Suicide does not happen on a whim; it is often the result of a long internal battle. A 2017 study found that 87% of Veterans are exposed to potentially traumatic events. Exposure to combat can certainly trigger this, life-threatening situations are not the sole cause for trauma in Veterans. Military service members are trained how to use deadly force, contrary to what we are taught as children. This alone can create a moral injury. And regardless of whether or not a Veteran is diagnosed with PTSD, they all face the hurdle of readjusting to civilian life. Abruptly losing the sense of structure in the military can be both jarring and difficult. Veterans need an accessible resource to turn to during this transition—someone to walk with them on their journey.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Mentorship Program

Our Mentorship Program helps Veterans and military families create personal-development plans and address obstacles they may face in civilian life. They are assigned 10 educational and action-oriented challenges, each addressing a unique problems (relationships, goals, mindfulness, etc.). After completion they may choose to become a Mentor, for which they will receive adequate training. Become a Mentor is an excellent opportunity for a Veteran or loved one to pass on what they learned from the Mentorship Program and be of service to others. We encourage Mentors to also attend one of our Suicide Intervention Workshops (ASIST by LivingWorks), where they learn valuable strategies for dealing with a crisis. We offer these services free of charge, ensuring everyone is granted equal access to support.

Population(s) Served
Veterans

We frequently hold outreach events for Veterans and military families to reduce stress and create a sense of comradery:

Annual Veterans Day Bike Ride
Hiking/Camping Retreats
Mentor Training Workshops
Suicide Prevention Workshops (ASIST by LivingWorks)
Axe Throwing Tournaments for Veterans
Walks
Animal Encounters
Educational Webinars & Seminars

Population(s) Served
Military personnel
Veterans

Where we work

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of personal development plans in place

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Mentorship Program

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of participants at suicide intervention workshops.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Mentorship Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of community outreach events.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Veterans

Related Program

Outreach Events

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of homeless participants engaged in housing services

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Veterans

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

This program has ended. The Long Walk Home, Inc had a homeless shelter for close to 3 years that housed Veterans and family members.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Our utmost goal is to provide Veterans and military families with educational resources and action-oriented experiences that will have a positive and lasting impact on their lives. The services help individuals create personal-development plans, intervene during a suicidal crisis, and adopt a service-driven attitude. We intend to make these services are made as widely available to the target population as possible.

To align with these goals, we have several short-term objectives in place. The Long Walk Home aims to enroll 2,000 or more Veterans and family members into the Mentorship Program by January 2025. More importantly, our target is to have 1,000 mentors by this time. Currently, 3 out of 4 participants who complete the Mentorship Program will choose to become mentors. If this rate were to remain unchanged through January 2025, we would need to enroll and graduate at least 1,500 participants to achieve our mentor milestone. As part of this effort, we also have the objective to raise our completion rate. This rate refers to the percentage of participants who start and complete the program. Our targets are to post a completion rate of 75% by the end of January 2024, and 90% by the end of January 2025. The next two objectives relate to expanding the services provided: offering 12 in-person workshops/seminars and 16 Zoom group courses between 2022-25. During this program's growth, we expect to maintain the program’s current level of impact: 95% of participants reporting a positive shift in at least one aspect of their life.

Outside of the Mentorship Program, we have several more objectives that will support our mission. This includes meeting with 60 high-profile donors, raising $500,000, and reaching 100,000 followers on Facebook by January 2025.


Through our Mentorship Program and Suicide intervention workshops we have helped Veterans prevent suicide. We plan to continue growing these programs.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

The Long Walk Home Inc
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

The Long Walk Home Inc

Board of directors
as of 09/26/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Mark Moody


Board co-chair

Sean McMahon

Sean McMahon

Eric Konovalov

Jaqualine Killian

Sam Lambert

Roberta Ruxton

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/3/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/03/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.