Begun in 2013 as the Greater Philadelphia Veterans Consortium, under the Service to the Armed Forces program of what was then the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter (now Region) of the American Red Cross, the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium has evolved and grown to serve more veterans in more places with more services and continues to evolve today.

From the beginning, non-profit veteran-servicing organizations participated in the consortium to increase their resilience and build capacity to prepare for and respond to the needs of their communities. In 2015, the consortium’s executive committee reorganized and committed to meeting weekly to advance the mission and impact of the consortium; elections have been held regularly since then.  At the same time, the name was changed to the Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium or DVVC to reflect the broader membership. Bylaws were adopted in 2016; mission and vision were codified the next year and a committee structure was established.

Since 2016, DVVC member organizations have met quarterly for networking and informational panels, strengthening the network of support for veterans in the region. Topics have ranged from employment and education to fraud protection and congressional support. 

DVVC is a VA Community Veterans Engagement Board for southeastern Pennsylvania and was recognized in 2018 by the VA for its accomplishments. Organizations continue to join DVVC. From a group of less than 25 veteran-servicing organizations (VSOs) in 2013 DVVC current membership is now over 125 VSOs in addition to over 350 nonmember organizations and individuals who participate in DVVC events.

Accomplishments of DVVC 2015-2020

The Delaware Valley Veterans Consortium began as a community effort to connect information, services, and resources in a supportive networking collaborative.

Over the years, efforts have focused on engagement, advocacy, and shared referrals, tied to the theme of “Connect, Communicate, Collaborate”, with presentations on topics ranging from employment and education to homelessness, mental health, and fraud prevention. Committees continue to coordinate to ensure that Veteran benefits and services, including mental and physical health care, are broadly shared.

Structural Accomplishments

2013    Organization started by the American Red Cross 

2016    Bylaws passed; amended in July 2017; establishes officers, elections, committee structure.

2017    Mission, Vision Objectives of DVVC identified

2017    Logo created 

2018    Committee goals  and standard operating practices for the committees approved

2015-2020   Elections Held Regularly 

Committee Accomplishments

Marketing  

2018    created DVVC brochure 

2020    established written Social Media SOP; published guidelines for new monthly newsletter replacing quarterly news sheet, added Executive Committee column in newsletter to advance communication to membership and others 

Membership   

2019    verified membership roll 

2020    Membership Matrix, designed membership SOP 

Programming 

2016    Quarterly informational meetings began

2019`   created protocol for in-person programming planning and room setup 

2020    led effort to switch to Zoom meetings during pandemic