By Libby Jamison, MSJDN Past President
The Military Spouse J.D. Network (MSJDN) is a bar association for military spouses in the legal profession. Founded in 2011, it supports over 1,200 military spouse attorneys by advocating for licensing accommodations for military spouse attorneys; educating the public about the challenges faced by career-minded military spouses and their families; encouraging the hiring of military spouses; and providing a network connecting military spouse attorneys with each other and their supporters.
MSJDN would not exist without the dedication of our volunteers - from Board members to committee leaders to project managers, volunteer power has made MSJDN the successful organization it is today. But as we have grown in size and scope, the administrative burden on our volunteers has grown as well. One of our goals has been to offer MSJDN members meaningful volunteer opportunities like pro bono legal work, regulatory and legislative advocacy experience, and project development to help them gain experience, build their resumes, and maybe fill a gap between jobs. We don’t want to bog down our volunteers with some of the necessary administrative work that keeps MSJDN running. When it became clear that the administrative tasks were becoming overwhelming, we sought out options for help, which is when we contacted Freedom Makers to find out more about virtual assistants. Initially, there was some opposition to the idea. We decided to try a test period and ultimately, continued with the program, which has been a critical development in building a sustainable non-profit organization.
The Military Spouse J.D. Network (MSJDN) is a bar association for military spouses in the legal profession. Founded in 2011, it supports over 1,200 military spouse attorneys by advocating for licensing accommodations for military spouse attorneys; educating the public about the challenges faced by career-minded military spouses and their families; encouraging the hiring of military spouses; and providing a network connecting military spouse attorneys with each other and their supporters.
MSJDN would not exist without the dedication of our volunteers - from Board members to committee leaders to project managers, volunteer power has made MSJDN the successful organization it is today. But as we have grown in size and scope, the administrative burden on our volunteers has grown as well. One of our goals has been to offer MSJDN members meaningful volunteer opportunities like pro bono legal work, regulatory and legislative advocacy experience, and project development to help them gain experience, build their resumes, and maybe fill a gap between jobs. We don’t want to bog down our volunteers with some of the necessary administrative work that keeps MSJDN running. When it became clear that the administrative tasks were becoming overwhelming, we sought out options for help, which is when we contacted Freedom Makers to find out more about virtual assistants. Initially, there was some opposition to the idea. We decided to try a test period and ultimately, continued with the program, which has been a critical development in building a sustainable non-profit organization.
Our Freedom Makers help with some of our imperative membership and communications tasks, like sending the MSJDN newsletter and bi-weekly emails to members, preparing emails to external contacts, coordinating the MSJDN calendar, informing members of local events, and managing member requests to join our private forum. Utilizing Freedom Makers has allowed our volunteers to focus on the meaningful work of moving the mission of MSJDN forward. By supplementing our dedicated volunteers with Freedom Makers, we know that the regular administration tasks necessary for MSJDN's operations are handled and our leaders can focus on enhancing existing projects and developing new initiatives.
Overall, we chose Freedom Makers because of the great value and the opportunity to hire military spouses. As an organization dedicated to supporting military families, it was really important to us to extend that support to our administrative efforts as well.
For more information on MSJDN, check out their website here. To learn how Freedom Makers can help your organization or business, contact us today.
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