The impacts of Dog Tag Inc. : a mixed-methods exploration of an entrepreneurial fellowship for veterans, military spouses, and military caregivers / Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Kathryn E. Bouskill, Sarita D. Lee.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Holliday, Stephanie Brooks, author.

Bouskill, Kathryn E., author.

Lee, Sarita D., author.

Contributor:

RAND Education and Labor (Program)

Rand Corporation.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Veterans--Employment--United States--Case studies.

Veterans.

Veterans--Employment--United States--Evaluation.

Veterans' families--Services for--United States.

Veterans' families.

Veterans--Employment.

United States.

Genre:

Case studies.

Place of Publication:

RAND Corporation 2022

Summary:

Dog Tag Inc. is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help veterans, their spouses, and those who serve as their caregivers reintegrate into civilian life. The organization runs the Dog Tag Inc. Fellowship Program, a five-month entrepreneurial fellowship program designed to enhance reintegration into civilian entrepreneurial and employment opportunities. This report describes research to help Dog Tag Inc. better understand how its fellowship program shapes the careers and life trajectories of its alumni. The authors first conducted focus groups and interviews with program alumni to better understand their experience with the fellowship. Using this information, as well as existing quantitative data on Dog Tag Inc. alumni outcomes, the authors worked with Dog Tag Inc. to revise the organization's existing alumni survey to more adequately and meaningfully capture the longitudinal impacts of the Dog Tag Inc. Fellowship Program at scale. They then fielded two waves of the revised survey in 2020 and 2021, the results of which are presented here and complemented by qualitative data. In addition to providing valuable information to Dog Tag Inc. as the organization continues to expand and refine its programming, these findings are likely to be of interest to other organizations serving veterans, spouses, and caregivers.

Contents:

CHAPTER ONE: Introduction

CHAPTER TWO: Methodological Approach

CHAPTER THREE: What Challenges Do Veterans, Caregivers, and Spouses Face in Transitioning from Military to Civilian Life? Insights from the Literature

CHAPTER FOUR: How Dog Tag Inc. Alumni Describe the Program's Impact: Qualitative Findings from Focus Groups and Interviews

CHAPTER FIVE: How the Fellowship Continues to Affect Alumni and Their Post-Fellowship Experiences: Findings from Alumni Survey Data

CHAPTER SIX: Conclusion

APPENDIX A: Revised Survey

APPENDIX B: Alumni Survey Development

APPENDIX C: Data Corresponding to Chapter 5 Figures

APPENDIX D: Analyses from the Original Dog Tag Inc. Alumni Survey (2018 and 2019).

Notes:

See also RAND/RB-A1898-1