“You’re So Passionate—But We’re Not Hiring”


The Frustration of Turning Advocacy Into Employment

There’s a special kind of exhaustion that comes with being told your lived experience is “invaluable” but apparently not billable.

If you're in the world of military and veteran advocacy, you’ve likely heard it before:

“You’re doing amazing work!”
“This is such important advocacy!”
“Have you thought about volunteering with us?”

Yes. I’ve thought about volunteering. I am volunteering. I’ve been volunteering. For years. While living on survivor benefits that barely cover groceries, utilities, and insurance—forget savings or stability.

And still, I show up.

I attend hearings. I write policy briefs. I help people navigate the bureaucratic jungle of VA claims and survivor benefits. I coordinate legislative calls-to-action, participate in Hill Day events, and provide input on national military family policy.

But when I ask, “Are there any paid roles available?” suddenly, the line goes quiet. The “passion” that was so praised a moment ago becomes an excuse—“We wish we could, but we’re all volunteer-run.”

Translation: we want your expertise, your time, your trauma, your testimony—but not your invoice.

It's not just disheartening. It's unsustainable.

Advocates—especially military surviving spouses—bring hard-won knowledge, systems-level insight, and emotional labor to the table. We’ve lived the policies we’re trying to fix. That is not a “nice to have.” That is irreplaceable.

If organizations truly want to “center the voices” of those most impacted, they need to put their money where their mission statements are. Otherwise, it's just performative allyship wrapped in a volunteer badge.

Here’s the truth:

  • Advocacy is labor.

  • Lived experience is expertise.

  • And expertise deserves compensation.

I’m not looking for charity. I’m looking for opportunity. For a chance to turn years of advocacy into a career. To keep doing this work—but without burning out, going broke, or being told (again) to “check back next year.”

To those hiring in the military/veteran nonprofit space: if you value what we do, start valuing it with a paycheck. Passion doesn’t pay the bills.

And to my fellow advocates: you're not alone. You're not "too demanding." You're just tired of being applauded and ignored in the same breath.

We don’t need more “thank yous.” We need jobs.

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When the Paycheck Dies With Your Partner: The Harsh Reality of Reentering the Workforce as a Widow

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The Cost of Cowardice: When PPE Sat in Boxes and Soldiers Died