Becoming a certified sponsor means you'll accompany your TSMV (Transitioning Service Member/Veteran) on their next chapter of life. Each journey will be unique based on where the service member is in their timeline when they join the program. Despite the varying circumstances encountered by sponsors and TSMVs, each journey follows similar phases, which are outlined below.
How Matching Works:
Your Community Integration Coordinator (CIC) or a member of the Onward Ops Operations Team will match you with a Transitioning Service Member or Veteran (TSMV) relocating to your area.
Matching is based on:
The SM’s transition goals and needs
Your sponsor profile (background, location, experience)
Local resources in your community
The goal is to create the best possible fit for a supportive, practical relationship.
You’ll get a match request notification in your Onward Ops dashboard.
On your Sponsor Dashboard you’ll see the SM’s enrollment and intake info
Their stated goals
Post-Military destination
Any specific needs (e.g., job search, housing, education)
This intake form is a great starting point—it helps you understand what matters most to your SM right now.
How You’ll Be Connected
After accepting the match, an intro email will be sent to both you and the SM.
This message goes to your personal email and your Onward Ops Google account.
While the SM is encouraged to initiate first contact, many sponsors choose to reach out first to get things rolling.
💡 Tip: Use the First Contact email or text templates in your toolkit to make that first message easy and warm.
Follow-Up & Timing
Your CIC or Operations Team will follow up within 7–12 days of the match to confirm contact has been made.
Keep in mind: SMs may still be on active duty or in transition mode, so delayed replies are normal.
Be patient, stay positive, and feel free to send a gentle check-in if needed.
The goal of the initial interaction with your TSMV is to establish rapport, not to dive into goal-setting. You’ll set goals later, after a few sessions when trust has been built.
What to include in your first phone call:
Introduce Yourself: Share a bit about who you are and why you’re excited to be a sponsor.
Explain the Process: Give an overview of how the sponsorship works.
Listen Actively: Allow your TSMV to share their thoughts, and listen attentively.
Acknowledge Their Strengths: Highlight their accomplishments to build confidence.
Discuss Communication Preferences: Ask how they prefer to stay in touch (phone, email, text).
Schedule Regular Check-ins: Meet at least once a month in person or virtually. In-person meetings are ideal in a comfortable, private setting.
Set Next Steps: Schedule your next call or meeting before ending the conversation.
Maintain Consistency: Have regular monthly check-ins at the same time each week to provide structure and reliability.
You have established a relationship. You have talked about issues in the domain areas. This phase - the journey phase - can take as long as the TSMV needs. One of the first things a sponsor does is make a collaborative, initial assessment of the TSMV's status within each domain. You will then be able to assist the TSMV in establishing domain-specific goals that can be evaluated on a monthly basis.
Once the focal domains are chosen, you will work together with the TSMV to:
Identify the areas where assistance is needed;
Develop lists of short and long-term goals;
Identify the actions that need to be taken to achieve each goal;
Create new action plans, as needed; and,
Connect him or her to resources as required.
To ensure progress during a transition, reviewing each session and outlining simple, manageable tasks for the TSMV to complete before the next meeting is important. Goal sheets are an excellent resource for identifying goals and breaking tasks down into smaller pieces, making them more attainable and helping the TSMV feel motivated.
Not every TSMV will have issues in every domain. Some TSMVs may be comfortable addressing two or three domains before feeling well-adjusted enough to explore other domains. This is completely fine! The Onward Ops program exists first and foremost to support the TSMV.
At times, you may be faced with action items that you do not know how to complete or that are not relevant to your
areas of expertise. In these cases, you are encouraged to engage with your Onward Ops program Community Integration Coordinator or Onward Ops operations team. The network and structure of the Onward Ops program allow for the sharing of knowledge and resources.
Although every situation is different, typically, a Veteran is ready to graduate about six months after the transition. The Graduation Phase consists of the Veteran’s final meeting, or final two meetings, and their actual graduation from the program.
How do you know if your Veteran is ready?
Utilize these guidelines and ask these questions below to assess the situation:
Confirm updated short- and long-term goals lists.
Review the five domains. Discuss the successes and obstacles in each.
Do you have anything else you would like assistance with?
Are you familiar with the available resources?
How will you handle obstacles in the future?
Discuss a roadmap for the future with your Veteran.
After discussing the information and answers to the questions above, use the checklist below to assess your Veteran’s readiness further:
Does the Veteran show evidence of mental calmness and personal resiliency?
Is there any evidence of mental or physical health concerns?
Does the Veteran have a job that supports personal goals and responsibilities?
Does the Veteran have sufficient housing for himself or herself and their family?
Does the Veteran have connections and bonds to the community, including a person with whom they can manage stressors in the future?
Does the Veteran have access to adequate family care for dependents?
Has the Veteran applied for, completed, or at least been made aware of all eligible military, medical, and educational benefits that are available to him or her?
Next steps:
Finally, if you and your Veteran agree that he or she is ready to graduate, contact your Community Integration Coordinator. If there is no CIC, please contact the Operations team. The appropriate CIC or Onward Ops Operation Manager will reach out to you to confirm the status change.
Tips to Get the Most of Your Sponsorship Relationships
Establish Expectations And Ground Rules: Make introductions, answer questions, delineate expectations of the process
Do An Informal Needs Assessment: Review the intake information and develop a list of the service member’s priorities or areas of concern
Set Goals Mutually: You and the service member should set goals and prioritize what you’ll address together first - develop the action plan.
Set A Contact Schedule: Decide on the best form of communication and a consistent time/day to establish a schedule. Be clear about your time boundaries. Offer enough availability not to leave your service member/Veteran in a lurch, but not so much that they become an annoyance.
Listen Carefully First, then Ask and Advise: Hear what the service member has to say before giving your opinion. Query them on their point of view. They bring insights and perspectives which you may not yet appreciate.
Let Them Make Their Own Decisions: The sponsor is generally more knowledgeable and experienced than the service member. It would be easy just to tell the service member what to do.
Be Accountable to Each Other: If you promise to look into an issue or provide a resource to the service member, do so according to the terms of your commitment. By the same token, expect them to meet their pledges to you. Trust and accountability are the foundations of an effective mentoring relationship.
Check Your Biases and Impulses: Hopefully, you’ll get to know your service member reasonably well. Before you do, avoid letting stereotypes distort your impressions. Just like you, that person may be different from what’s on the surface.
Suggested Contact Timelines
Contact with your transitioning service member will vary based on their needs and preferences. Below are general guidelines, but remember, if your relationship doesn’t follow these exactly, it doesn’t mean it’s not successful.
12 months or more out from their separation date: 1-2 times per month
6-12 months out from their separation date: 2 times per month
4-6 months out from their separation date: 2-3 times per month
0-3 months out from their separation date: Weekly
Once the Veteran is in the community: weekly via phone or email and visit at least once per month in-person
For Veterans who have already separated: monthly via phone or email and visit at least once a month in-person
Sponsor Worksheets - Smarter Goals
SMARTER Goals Objectives from Sponsor Training
Smarter Goals Examples
For assistance or any questions, please feel free to contact Danielle Bracco at danielle@hq.onwardops.org.