THE AMERICAN LEGION OF IOWA

What THE AMERICAN LEGION OF IOWA does

The American Legion Auxiliary Department of Iowa is a state-level 501(c)(19) nonprofit veterans service organization and a department of the national American Legion Auxiliary, headquartered at 720 Lyon Street in Des Moines with a lean staff of nine employees. Its mission is to advocate for veterans, active military, and their families; foster patriotism and citizenship; and deliver youth leadership and civic education programs. The organization operates a hierarchical structure of nine geographic districts across Iowa, each led by an elected district president, with county-based local units serving as the primary delivery channel for membership, volunteer coordination, and community programming.

Core programs include a week-long Girls State civic education simulation priced at $500 per participant for the 2026 session at Drake University, a Junior Camp residential leadership program at $350 per participant for 2027 at the Christian Conference Center in Newton, Iowa, the Poppy remembrance and fundraising program, the ALAMIS membership management system, and a scholarship and recognition portfolio. Veterans services are delivered through formal partnerships with five VA facilities across Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota — including the Des Moines VA Medical Center, VA Iowa City, Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, VA Sioux Falls, and VA Omaha-Western Iowa — providing volunteer support, donations, and gift-card programs.

The revenue model is nonprofit and diversified across recurring annual membership dues (with Paid Up For Life options), tax-deductible donations processed through PayPal, modest youth program fees, poppy sales, and event-driven fundraising. Marketing and member communications transitioned from a paper Communique to a bi-weekly electronic newsletter via Constant Contact beginning in 2025. Technology infrastructure is intentionally light: Google Forms for data collection, Zoom for Department Executive Committee meetings, Microsoft Office 365 calendar integration, and the federation-level ALAMIS system — there is no proprietary technology platform, no public or partner-facing API, and no documented AI/ML capability.

Name

THE AMERICAN LEGION OF IOWA

Legal name

American Legion Auxiliary Department of Iowa

Website

https://iowaala.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Legion Auxiliary Department of Iowa is a nonprofit veterans service organization that supports veterans, military personnel, and their families across Iowa's nine districts through advocacy, youth civic education programs like Girls State and Junior Camp, and volunteer partnerships with five regional VA facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The organization generates revenue through annual membership dues from its members across Iowa's 9 districts and numerous local units. Membership applications and Paid Up For Life (PUFL) options are available.
2. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations are accepted to support veterans across Iowa. The organization provides donation forms and categorizes contributions for various veteran support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The American Legion Auxiliary Department of Iowa is a nonprofit membership organization that supports veterans, active military, and their families through advocacy, volunteer coordination, and youth civic-education programs. Core offerings include the week-long Iowa Girls State program (mock-government civic education), Junior Camp (youth leadership residential camp), scholarships and recognition awards, a Poppy remembrance program, VA facility volunteer and donation services, and membership administration through the ALAMIS system.

Product overview

The Iowa American Legion Auxiliary operates as a membership-based nonprofit service organization supporting veterans, military personnel, and their families. The organization functions as the Iowa department of the American Legion Auxiliary with nine district structures. The primary offerings include youth development programs (Girls State, Junior Camp, Junior Activities), veterans support services (VA facility partnerships, Poppy Program), membership services (ALAMIS management system, Electronic Newsletter), and scholarship/award programs. These programs are delivered through coordination between the Department headquarters in Des Moines, district leadership across Iowa's nine districts, and local units.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Iowa Girls State: Youth civic education program for young women in Iowa
• Junior Camp

Products and services

• Iowa Girls State A week-long educational program teaching Iowa youth about government, citizenship, and leadership through a mock state government simulation. New rate is $500 per citizen.
• Junior Camp Annual residential youth camp held at Christian Conference Center in Newton, IA. Sessions run June 6-11, 2027 with new rate of $350 for 2027. Includes Junior Convention component.
• Veterans Services Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Comprehensive VA facility support across 5 locations in Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Iowa Girls StatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIowa Girls State is an affiliated program of the American Legion Auxiliary that teaches high school students about government and citizenship. The Auxiliary provides support, promotional materials through an Etsy shop, and coordinates the program held annually in June. Department convention photos are available through Team Photo Network.
• Americans For Independent Living (AFIL)minorOthersListed as one of Iowa Department President Judy Ring's projects, representing the organization's advocacy initiatives for independent living for veterans and people with disabilities.
• Healing at English River Outfitters (HERO)minorOthersListed as one of Iowa Department President Judy Ring's projects, representing therapeutic outdoor programs for veterans.
• Iowa Blue Star Mothers Chapter IA-1moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of Iowa Department President Judy Ring's projects, representing collaboration with Blue Star Mothers of America Chapter IA-1 to support military mothers and veterans.
• U.S. Department of Veterans AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal support relationship with VA facilities including Des Moines VA Medical Center, VA Iowa City Health Care, Iowa Veterans Home, VA Sioux Falls, and VA Omaha-Western Iowa Health Care. The organization provides volunteer support, donations, and coordinates specific facility needs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Military Order of the Purple Heart: A congressionally chartered veterans service organization focused on combat-wounded veterans, with state departments and local chapters that provide comparable VA facility advocacy, benefits assistance, and community programs.
• AMVETS (American Veterans): A federally chartered veterans service organization with national scope and state departments. Provides comparable veteran advocacy, volunteer programs at VA facilities, and community service activities that overlap with the auxiliary's mission.
• The American Legion: The parent veterans service organization whose Iowa department (ialegion.org) is explicitly linked from the auxiliary's website. Operates parallel veterans advocacy, community programs, and membership structures serving overlapping veteran and family populations in Iowa.
• American Legion Auxiliary (National): The national parent organization of the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Iowa. Operates the same mission and membership model at a federated level, providing bylaws, branding, scholarships, and programs that the Iowa department delivers locally.
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW): A national veterans service organization with state-level departments in Iowa that delivers comparable membership-based veteran advocacy, VA hospital volunteer programs, community service, and youth scholarship programs. Direct competitor for veteran members and donor dollars in the same Iowa geography.
• Blue Star Mothers of America: A national nonprofit membership organization for mothers of service members and veterans, with an Iowa chapter (IA-1) explicitly listed as a partner of the auxiliary. Both organizations target overlapping family and community support constituencies in Iowa.
• Paralyzed Veterans of America: A congressionally chartered VSO focused on veterans with spinal cord injuries and disabilities, providing benefits advocacy, VA hospital support, and research funding. Operates in overlapping VA facility locations including the VA Iowa City Health Care System.
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV): A major congressionally chartered veterans service organization providing benefits advocacy, VA hospital support, and disability-focused programs. Operates Iowa chapters that compete for veteran members and serve overlapping VA facilities in the same multi-state footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: A large national nonprofit serving post-9/11 wounded veterans with programs in mental health, career counseling, and physical wellness. Represents a broader, more digitally sophisticated VSO incumbent that competes for veteran members, donors, and policy attention at the national level.

Emerging players

• Iowa Girls State: An affiliated youth civic education program operated in close coordination with the auxiliary. While not a competing VSO, it operates in the same youth civic-education niche and represents a closely aligned peer program sharing staff, facilities, and promotional infrastructure in Iowa.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-american-legion-of-iowa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about THE AMERICAN LEGION OF IOWA