What Operation Gratitude does

Operation Gratitude Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003 (per firmographic data) and headquartered in Chatsworth, California, with a mailing address in Encino. The organization's core function is delivering care packages, letters, and expressions of appreciation to active-duty military service members, veterans across all eras, first responders (fire, law enforcement, EMTs), and military families including Gold Star families. Over 23+ years, Operation Gratitude has delivered more than 4 million care packages and mobilized 250,000+ volunteers annually through its Assembly Days, Signature Activations, Battalion Buddy program (187,000 hand-filled bears delivered to military children since 2011), and Mail Call testimonial program. Approximately 85% of all financial contributions are allocated directly to program services, and the organization holds a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating and five consecutive years of the GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency.

The organization's core technology and emerging product is the Virtual FOB (Forward Operating Base) platform, announced for April 2026 launch, which enables volunteers nationwide to participate in hands-on service activities through toolkits, letter templates, and local delivery guides — removing the geographic constraint of requiring travel to the California warehouse. This platform supports a transition from a centralized warehouse model to a distributed community-powered distribution network. The organization no longer accepts in-kind donations at its Chatsworth facility as part of this operational restructuring. Technology partnerships are limited to standard nonprofit infrastructure: Stripe for payment processing, Classy for donation management, and Google Analytics for web analytics.

Operation Gratitude's revenue model is donation-based, with suggested giving tiers at $25, $50, $100, $250, and custom amounts, where each $25 donation is positioned as "thanking a hero." Donors can make one-time gifts or become monthly sustaining donors. Revenue sources include individual donors, corporate partners, and grants (managed by a dedicated grants program manager). The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: volunteers request care packages through the website, the organization ships pre-packed boxes to units/stations/departments, and volunteers deliver locally through Signature Activations. The organization's executive leadership is led by Founder and Board Chairperson Carolyn Blashek and Executive Director and President Emily M.R. Schwartz, supported by a CFO and functional directors across marketing, corporate partnerships, finance, IT, and military/first responder programs.

Name

Operation Gratitude

Legal name

Operation Gratitude Inc.

Website

https://operationgratitude.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers care packages and letters of appreciation to active-duty military members, veterans, first responders, and military families, mobilizing 250,000+ annual volunteers through Assembly Days, Signature Activations, and its Virtual FOB platform nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military and Veteran Support Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterans Affairs & Military Family Services (BPAIAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Advancement Services & Donor Operations (CRM, Gift Processing, Stewardship) (EDALAOAD)

Keywords

• Care package delivery
• Veteran support services
• Military appreciation programs
• Volunteer mobilization
• Nonprofit community engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Chatsworth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Financial Contributions: Operation Gratitude is a nonprofit organization that generates revenue through financial donations from individuals, corporations, and other sources. Approximately 85% of all financial contributions are allocated directly to program services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Operation Gratitude assembles and ships physical care packages containing care items and handwritten letters to active-duty service members, veterans, first responders, and military families. The organization mobilizes 250,000+ volunteers annually through its Virtual FOB platform, Assembly Days, and Signature Activations, and supports these packages via donations at a suggested $25 per package rate.

Product overview

Operation Gratitude operates as a nonprofit organization offering a unified volunteer engagement platform centered on delivering care packages and expressing gratitude to those who serve. The core product is the Virtual FOB platform, which enables nationwide volunteer participation without requiring physical presence at the California warehouse. This platform connects with other programs including the Battalion Buddy Program (delivering hand-filled bears to military children), Assembly Days (community-organized package assembly events), Signature Activations (nationwide days of coordinated action), and Mail Call (letter-writing and testimonial collection). Care packages are the tangible output—physical packages funded through donations at $25 per package and distributed to active duty service members, veterans, and first responders. Together, these programs form an integrated volunteer-powered model for expressing gratitude to American heroes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Virtual FOB: A virtual platform enabling volunteers nationwide to participate in hands-on service activities and assemble care packages from their own communities.
• Battalion Buddy Program
• Mail Call
• Assembly Days

Products and services

• Care Packages Physical packages containing care items, handwritten letters, and expressions of appreciation that are funded through donations at a suggested $25 per package and shipped to active duty service members, veterans, first responders, and military families who request them through the website for their units, stations, or departments.
• Virtual FOB Platform A virtual volunteer platform enabling Americans nationwide to participate in hands-on service activities that support service members, veterans, and first responders. Provides toolkits, letter templates, local delivery guides, and direct connections to heroes near volunteers.
• Battalion Buddy Program A program delivering hand-filled bears to military children with deployed parents, delivered through volunteer-organized team events. Since 2011, 187,000 bears have been delivered.
• Assembly Days Community-organized events in which volunteers assemble care packages locally. Operation Gratitude supplies the materials and volunteers organize the events in their own communities.
• Signature Activations Nationwide days of action in which pre-packed care package boxes are distributed and volunteers deliver them to local heroes in their communities.
• Mail Call A letter-writing program combined with a testimonial collection that features real stories from service members, veterans, and first responders who received gratitude from the program.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gary Sinise Foundation: The Gary Sinise Foundation serves veterans, first responders, and military families through programs including care packages, entertainment, and community-building — directly comparable to Operation Gratitude's combined veteran and first-responder beneficiary mandate and donor-driven model.
• Packages From Home: Packages From Home is a nonprofit that ships care packages to deployed U.S. military personnel overseas, relying on volunteers and donations — a direct operational and mission analog to Operation Gratitude's core care-package program.
• Soldiers' Angels: Soldiers' Angels organizes volunteer-driven care-package and letter-writing programs for deployed service members, veterans, and military families — an almost identical operating model to Operation Gratitude's, including community-powered assembly and direct shipment of packages to units.
• USO (United Service Organizations): The USO is the most prominent nonprofit delivering morale and care-package support to active-duty U.S. military worldwide, directly comparable in mission, beneficiary base (active duty service members and families), and donation-driven model. It shares Operation Gratitude's emphasis on tangible expressions of gratitude deployed far from home.
• Any Soldier: Any Soldier facilitates care-package and letter delivery to individual deployed service members through a volunteer network. It competes for the same donor and beneficiary audiences and operates with a similarly lean, community-powered model.

Broad incumbents

• American Red Cross: The American Red Cross runs dedicated military and veteran support programs (emergency communications, deployer services) and is a broad humanitarian incumbent. It competes for both donor mindshare and beneficiary engagement within the U.S. military ecosystem that Operation Gratitude also serves.
• TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors): TAPS is the leading nonprofit providing bereavement care to military families who have lost a service member. It overlaps with Operation Gratitude's Gold Star family segment and competes for the same defense- and veteran-aligned donor community.
• Wounded Warrior Project: Wounded Warrior Project is a large, well-resourced veteran-support nonprofit offering a broader portfolio of programs (mental health, career transition, physical recovery). It is a direct competitor for veteran-focused donor dollars and a benchmark for nonprofit scale and program sophistication.
• Semper Fi & America's Fund: The Semper Fi Fund provides comprehensive financial and recovery support to wounded, ill, and injured service members, veterans, and military families. It overlaps with Operation Gratitude's military-family beneficiary segment and competes for similar institutional and individual donor pools.
• Blue Star Families: Blue Star Families is a large military-family support nonprofit focused on community building, spouse employment, and well-being. It overlaps with Operation Gratitude's military-family segment and competes for the same corporate, foundation, and individual donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OperationGratitude
• Instagraminstagram.com/operationgratitude
• Xx.com/OpGratitude
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/operation-gratitude

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Operation Gratitude