Ohio National Guard Enlisted Association

What Ohio National Guard Enlisted Association does

The Ohio National Guard Enlisted Association (ONGEA) is a private nonprofit professional membership association that serves as the Ohio state affiliate of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS). Its stated mission is to give a voice to enlisted National Guard men and women, their families, and retirees in Ohio. ONGEA engages directly with Ohio National Guard leadership and elected representatives to advocate on benefits including TRICARE, GI Bill parity, state-tax treatment of military retirement, and civilian credential recognition for military training. The association's documented advocacy accomplishments include Post-9/11 educational benefits, TRICARE Reserve Select, tax-free military retirement in Ohio, early retirement with active-duty tours, and maintenance of the ONG Scholarship Program at 100% state tuition.

ONGEA's core products are membership programs and ancillary member benefits. Membership is sold in tiered formats — enlisted or associate annual memberships at $25 per year (with optional auto-renewal) and lifetime memberships at $250 (reduced to $225 with promotional codes such as RISING5, YELLOWRIBBON, and NEWOHIOGUARD). The association also administers or distributes educational scholarships, emergency relief grants via the We Care for America Foundation (WCFA), the State Sponsored Life Insurance Program for Ohio Guard members, professional development events including an annual Awards Banquet and the Women's Veterans Engage Conference, and publishes "THE VOICE" newsletter. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via ongea.org, supplemented by unit-level outreach across Ohio Army and Air National Guard formations.

The revenue model is subscription-based membership dues with no disclosed external funding, advertising, or earned-income streams. Current statewide membership stands at 936 members against a goal of 2,500 (37% attainment), with material variance across units (e.g., 121 MXG at 133%, 178 OG at 175%, 112 FS at 0%). Operations are run from a single office at 2825 West Dublin Granville Rd, Suite C119, Columbus, Ohio, under elected leadership — Lance Cole serves as President — with the broader national organization led by EANGUS President CMSgt Josh J. Baker and Interim Executive Director (Ret) Sgt. Maj. Frank Yoakum. There is no proprietary technology platform, no API surface, and no AI/ML capability; ONGEA is not a technology company.

Name

Ohio National Guard Enlisted Association

Legal name

Ohio National Guard Enlisted Association

Website

https://ongea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

ONGEA is the Ohio state affiliate of EANGUS, a nonprofit professional membership association serving enlisted members of the Ohio Army and Air National Guard. It delivers advocacy, scholarships, emergency relief, life insurance, and professional development funded by $25 annual and $250 lifetime membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military Professional Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAKAI

Veterans & Military Family Benefits Administration

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Social Security, Benefits & Welfare Administration

Keywords

• Military membership association
• Guard member benefits
• Legislative advocacy services
• Emergency relief grants
• Veteran scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ONGEA generates revenue primarily through annual and lifetime membership dues. Annual enlisted or associate memberships are priced at $25 per year with auto-renewal options. Lifetime memberships are available for $250 (reduced to $225 with promotional codes). New life members receive a free BULLET THERMOS.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ONGEA is a nonprofit professional membership association serving enlisted members of the Ohio Army and Air National Guard. It sells annual ($25) and lifetime ($250) memberships and delivers member benefits including legislative advocacy on benefits such as TRICARE and GI Bill parity, emergency relief grants, educational scholarships, a state-sponsored life insurance program, and professional development through conferences, training, and an annual awards banquet. [Inferred from association type and stated dues; specific source text was not provided in the input block beyond the company name.]

Product overview

ONGEA is a professional association providing membership services to enlisted members in the Ohio Army and Air National Guard. The organization operates a unified membership platform offering tiered programs (annual auto-renewal, lifetime, associate), supplemented by member benefits including educational scholarships, emergency relief grants, and advocacy services. The association also facilitates the State Sponsored Life Insurance Program, professional development events, and publishes "THE VOICE" newsletter. Key advocacy efforts focus on legislative priorities including TRICARE expansion, GI Bill parity, and civilian credential recognition for military training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ONGEA Membership Programs (Annual & Lifetime) Tiered individual membership (Annual $25 or Lifetime $250) granting access to ONGEA's legislative advocacy, scholarships, emergency relief, life insurance program, and professional development events; targeted at enlisted Ohio Army and Air National Guard members, retirees, families, and Associate Members.
• Legislative Advocacy Services Ongoing advocacy campaign program on behalf of enlisted Ohio National Guard members covering benefits like TRICARE and GI Bill parity, with direct access to state and federal policymakers through EANGUS representation rights.
• State-Sponsored Life Insurance Program Group life insurance product available to ONGEA members through a state-sponsored carrier partnership, providing affordable coverage as a member-only benefit.
• Emergency Relief Grants (WCFA) Financial hardship/emergency grant program for ONGEA members facing disaster or severe financial need, administered through association relief-fund partnerships.
• Educational Scholarships Educational scholarship awards made to ONGEA members and their dependents to support higher education expenses.
• ONGEA Annual Awards Banquet Annual recognition banquet recognizing outstanding enlisted Ohio National Guard members and ONGEA contributors, with networking and professional development.
• "THE VOICE" ONGEA Newsletter Recurring member newsletter providing advocacy updates, benefit news, association business, and professional content for ONGEA members.
• Professional Development Conferences & Training Conference and training programming — including the Women's Veterans Engage conference and other unit-level training — delivered to ONGEA members for professional development and networking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Post-9/11 educational benefits secured through advocacy
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Battle Cry GearminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 May 2026Battle Cry Gear, a veteran-owned small business, partnered with EANGUS/ONGEA to produce and sell official EANGUS polo shirts. Orders were taken through May 30 for the 2026 conference, with proceeds supporting association visibility and esprit de corps.
• USAA Educational FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2024EANGUS and the National Guard Relief Foundation partnered with USAA Educational Foundation to create the 'Guard Your Finances' online course for National Guard members. The course provides financial literacy training and is required for NGRF loan applicants. USAAEF provides free financial education resources.
• Combined Federal CampaignminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational Guard Relief Foundation participates in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC Code: 11859), allowing federal employees to donate through payroll deductions. This is a recurring charitable giving partnership.
• EANGUS (Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerONGEA is the Ohio state affiliate of EANGUS, the national professional association for enlisted National Guard members. EANGUS provides advocacy infrastructure, national conferences, professional development programs, and coordinates legislative efforts across all 54 states and territories.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Military Officers Association of America (MOAA): MOAA is a dues-funded professional association advocating for active-duty, retired, and Guard officers and their families. It shares ONGEA's member-benefit-plus-legislative-advocacy model and overlaps with ONGEA's associate (commissioned/warrant) member category.
• American Legion: The American Legion is a major veterans membership association with state-level posts, dues-based revenue, legislative advocacy, and scholarships. Its operating model closely mirrors ONGEA's state-affiliate, dues-driven, advocacy-and-benefits approach, scaled to a national veteran constituency.
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV): DAV is a major veterans service organization with state chapters, dues revenue, advocacy, and benefits delivery. Its chapter structure and service-officer model parallel ONGEA's unit-level outreach within a different but overlapping veteran segment.
• Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW): VFW is a large congressionally chartered veterans service organization with membership dues, state posts, advocacy, and benefits programs structurally analogous to ONGEA. It serves a broader veteran population but uses a comparable dues-funded advocacy and member-benefit model.
• National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS): NGAUS is the officer counterpart to EANGUS, advocating for National Guard officers. Both organizations operate at federal/state levels with parallel membership, advocacy, and conference structures, serving overlapping but distinct Guard populations.
• Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS): EANGUS is the national parent organization of which ONGEA is the Ohio state affiliate. It provides national advocacy, conferences, and shared infrastructure; ONGEA's value to members is largely mediated through this national body.
• National Guard Relief Foundation (NGRF): NGRF is the emergency relief and financial assistance arm closely tied to EANGUS and ONGEA's membership base. It administers the same WCFA emergency relief grants and 'Guard Your Finances' course that ONGEA promotes to its members.
• AMVETS: AMVETS is a congressionally chartered veterans service organization offering membership, advocacy, and benefits programs. It competes for the same volunteer-and-dues-driven veteran advocacy space as ONGEA, with overlapping policy priorities on healthcare and education.
• Reserve Organization of America (ROA): ROA advocates for all Reserve Component service members (including National Guard) on benefits, healthcare, and retirement. It operates on a similar dues-funded, advocacy-centric model and competes for the same Guard/Reserve policy wins ONGEA pursues.

Broad incumbents

• USO: The USO is a large, established nonprofit supporting service members and families through programs, entertainment, and transition services. It serves the same Ohio Guard population ONGEA addresses but with a much broader portfolio funded largely by donations and corporate partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohio-national-guard-enlisted-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ohio National Guard Enlisted Association