Client Case Study: The Military Spouse J.D. Network

*Freedom Maker Client Case Studies are a new addition to the Freedom Makers blog. It is our goal to introduce you to some of our amazing clients and Freedom Makers to learn how they collaborate for success. 

The Military Spouse J.D. Network (MSJDN) has been a Freedom Maker client for several years, utilizing two Freedom Makers to fulfill their mission. 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 fulfills its mission through dedicated volunteers. Because it is run by a Board of volunteers, the administrative burden can be overwhelming. According to Libby Jamison, former MSJDN President, “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.”
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MSJDN works with one Freedom Maker, May Katherine Cisowski, on social media management and special projects. Mary Katherine’s goal is to administer their members only Facebook page. She verifies membership and removes members who are no longer active. Her role, however, has grown over time. In addition to the Facebook page, she assists with event management, research and special projects as they arise. Mary Katherine works with Google Drive, Facebook, Basecamp and MailChimp to assist MSJDN. In her words:

“I absolutely LOVE it! The leadership of MSJDN has been fantastic to work with and, given my previous professional experience providing membership support and event management for military-related nonprofits, their needs are right within my wheelhouse. It allows me to continue to my passion of serving military-related organizations”

Erin Zarnecki is the other Freedom Maker on the MSJDN team assisting with their member emails and newsletter. She writes, edits, and distributes the biweekly member emails, bimonthly newsletter and posts content to their website. She, too, uses Basecamp for internal communication, Wordpress, MailChimp and CiviCRM. 

“I really enjoy working with MSJDN. I have a background in nonprofit work, and love being part of something that works for the ‘greater good.’ Combining the worlds of military spouses with an organization advocating for positive changes for military spouses, you meet some amazing, accomplished people.”

It was important for MSJDN to supplement their dedicated volunteers with virtual assistants because they know their regular administrative, necessary tasks are handled. Their leaders can focus on enhancing existing projects and developing new initiatives. 

According to Jamison, MSJDN 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.”

An additional plus of having Freedom Makers on board is the consistency they bring to the organization. MSJDN is run by a volunteer board with an annual change in who holds roles and responsibilities. By having Freedom Makers in place through those changes, they provide continuity in their day-to-day operations despite who may be serving in the leadership roles.