Trish Forant knows the military. eMail Our Military’s founder is a military wife, the daughter of a veteran and an avid troop supporter. Wanting to make a difference after 9/11 Trish, who was working as a IT Instructor, decided she needed to do something more to help make a difference. When she learned the DoD cancelled “any service member mail” due to the threat of anthrax, she created eMail Our Military to keep supporting the troops in an innovative and safe way.

I was able to spend some time with her recently and here is a transcript of our interview:

Steve: How does eMail Our Military (eMoM) support our troops?
Trish: Service members register with us to receive morale support via email, mail and care packages. They are then matched with civilians who have registered to provide that support.
In addition to having the ability to correspond with a military service member — or several — on a one-on-one basis, eMail Our Military also runs seasonal and year round support projects to keep folks motivated and having fun, all while supporting our troops.

Steve: eMail Our Military (eMoM) was created in 2001 as a response to the DoD’s cancellation of the “Any Service Member” and “Operation Dear Abby” mail programs. How has it evolved over the last 7 years?
Trish: We started as a grassroots online group with a handful of supporters in the U.S.  Now, we’re a charitable military support organization with thousands of military and civilian members worldwide. We work with some of the best and brightest people and companies to get support to our troops.  We’re proud to say we were one of the 1st organizations to step in and help provide morale support to our troops immediately after 9/11 and we’ve led the way for organizations like the DoD’s AmericaSupportsYou.mil to follow.

Steve: What would you like to see happen over the next 7 years for eMail Our Military?
Trish: I’d like to see eMail Our Military (eMoM) continue to focus on innovate ways to support our troops.  We currently have community relations leaders in several states but I’d like to see that expand to include all 50 states.  I’d like for us to continue to be a leader in new media and help more of our service members embrace this technology. I’d absolutely like to see eMail Our Military become one of the most successful non-profit military support groups.

Steve: I see that you also have an online store, does this help raise money for projects and support the site to keep it running?
Trish: Yes, though we are in the process of moving away from that particular venue to focus on other areas we believe will be more successful. We want to do try to be as self-sustaining as possible. Though we rely  on member support, we understand that not everyone has the ability to contribute. We want to ensure that even when times are tough we’ll be able to maintain the level of support  our troops have come to expect from us.

Steve: What other things do you to offset your costs? Are you a non-profit?
Trish: Some of the things we do to help offset costs are run specific campaigns, like our postage patriots, that cover the shipping charges for our care packages. Campaigns like that target exactly where we need help and allow us to get the job done efficiently.
We’ve filed for non-profit status and are happy to say that it’s pending. We’re really excited about that dream coming to fruition.

Steve: How long have you been a Network Solutions customer?
Trish: 11 Years now

Steve: I sometimes like to close an interview with a “Do This List”. So for you, what are the top five things you have learned building a small business/non-profit on the web?
Trish: In no particular order,

• No matter how big  your business gets, remain community oriented.
• Social Media/New Media works in a big way.  Include it in your business.
• Listen to your audience.
• Don’t judge a person by their online profile.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.

If you would like to learn more about Trish and what she is doing, head to eMailOurMilitary.com and check it out.