Dog Tag Inc.

We seek to bridge the gap often left for transitioning veterans after attending the DoD’s mandatory Transition Assistance Program, as well as other transition programs, and provide a program for often overlooked military spouses and caregivers. With a holistic focus on developing the whole person and facilitating the military-to-civilian cultural shift rather than job placements, DTI’s program reflects the needs of today’s transitioning veterans, military spouses, and caregivers. Dog Tag Bakery acts as a living business school for our Fellows. Our high-touch, high impact approach allows us to provide individualized attention to our fellows over the course of their five-month fellowship, connecting them with the resources and tools needed to achieve their version of success. We believe transformational change happens when we create a learning space that is safe and supportive, yet also challenging for our fellows. We strive to foster transformational change in the well-being, growth, and development of our fellows every day. We empower our Fellows to have realistic insight into where they are today, where they’d like to be, and how to get there.

Loneliness and decreased feelings of connectedness not only make transitioning from the military more challenging, they’re also associated with depression, suicidality, and health issues. Those we serve are already vulnerable––from physical and/or mental health concerns and/or economic instability––so we are committed to continuing our program and helping our Fellows and alumni move forward during and after this crisis. Given COVID-19’s staggering economic impact, we foresee increased demand for our program as unemployment numbers continue to rise.

DTI’s Fellowship Program is a four-part, comprehensive education, entrepreneurship, and employment-readiness program that puts experiential learning at the center of its efforts. Our high-touch, high-impact approach allows us to provide individualized attention to our fellows over the course of their five-month fellowship, connecting them with the resources, tools, and network needed to achieve their version of success. Fellows have the time, space, and resources to identify their personal and professional goals, and build a roadmap of tangible next steps towards reaching them. Our program is comprised of 4 parts: Academic Foundation - Fellows earn a Certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University’s SCS; experiential learning through hands-on work throughout various organizational functions, providing context for the academic coursework provided by our partner Georgetown University; learning labs – a series of workshops and lectures that facilitate career exploration and development of hard and soft skills; and wellness - from mindfulness to journaling, nutrition to yoga, our wellness-oriented approach allows the service-disabled veterans, military spouses, and caregivers to be mentally ready to absorb the lessons and resources our program provides and lay the foundation for their successful transitions into civilian life.

Our Fellowship Program is a four-part comprehensive curriculum that puts experiential learning at the center of its efforts.

Curriculum, Part I: Certificate in Business Administration
DTI partners with Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies to award Fellows with a Certificate in Business Administration. This program has been tailored specifically to fit the Fellows’ learning needs. Customizations include substitution of the standard finance course with a custom Financial Management course, and the addition of an Entrepreneurship course. Upon successful completion of the full curriculum, Fellows earn a certificate with the full rights and privileges of all Georgetown University certificate recipients. The full list of courses in the certificate program are: Principles of Management; Principles of Marketing, Business Accounting, Communications in Organizations, Financial Management, Entrepreneurship, and Business Policy.

Curriculum, Part II: Rotation through the Business Functions at Dog Tag Bakery
Dog Tag Bakery, a successful business entity, exists as a living business school for the Fellows to engage in the hands-on tasks, strategic thinking, and reality of running an actual small business. The bakery serves as a model that can be applied in any business environment. The cohort is broken into small groups of 3-4 Fellows each. Teams spends five weeks in each of the four business functions. Each rotation consists of 12, three-hour sessions in the following business functions: Operations, Management & Human Resources, Finance & Strategy, Fundraising, Marketing & Public Relations, and Product Development and Delivery.

Curriculum, Part III and IV: Learning Labs and Wellness
Learning Labs provide Fellows with the experience and confidence to help guide them on their path towards success. Fellows meet a number of business contacts and professionals to help broaden their network, expose them to various paths of career success, and challenge them to think differently about their own career paths and aspirations. Through workshops, guest speakers, and crafted experiences, Fellows refine the soft skills that allow them to be effective in the civilian workplace––this means recognizing that experiences and relationships are central to their success. Adults learn best when they apply the lessons of their past to new experiences; much of the transformative power of this program comes from the reflective activities that build meaning. Fellows are tasked with keeping a journal of their experience and sharing lessons learned in monthly reflection papers. Additionally, regular group conversation and interactions through a reflective process gives voice to what Fellows are feeling and creates deeper levels of meaning. Finally, we introduce resources and practices around self-care, such as yoga and counseling services, bringing the practice of well-being into service for their overall health and career wellness.

DTI has enrolled 163 Fellows across our first thirteen (13) cohorts. To date, we’ve achieved a 93% graduation rate. Of graduates:
-51% are employed in the private, public, or nonprofit sector
-38% are entrepreneurs who own and operate their own businesses or nonprofits
-22% are enrolled in postsecondary educational programs
-20% are focusing on their health and recovery
-10% are currently seeking employment and working closely with DTI staff
(Note: Total exceeds 100%, as some alumni fall into more than one of these categories.)

We plan to run two fellowships of 15-16 Fellows a year for the near future. As of our 9th Cohort's graduation in 2019, we have served over 100 service-disabled veterans, military spouses, and caregivers––and that number is only growing. The power of our program does not end with the personal and professional development which Fellows experience; we have begun to observe and track a “ripple effect” as our alumni positively impact their communities–-create jobs, mentor others, and champion the needs of the veteran, caregiver, and military spouse communities.

Surveys of our alumni show that:
91% of alumni strongly agree that the program has made a positive impact on their professional lives;
89% strongly agree that the program has made a positive impact on their personal lives;
80% felt that their personal skills (self-care, work/life balance, self-reflection) have been positively impacted by Dog Tag Fellowship;
79% felt that their communication skills (presentations, writing, finding your voice) have been positively impacted by Dog Tag Fellowship;
73% felt that their professional skills (networking, problem-solving, leadership, conflict resolution) have been positively impacted by Dog Tag Fellowship