How A Soldier’s Child Foundation Expanded Its Impact
Posted by Trey Mosier
For the children of fallen military heroes, grief arrives without warning. At A Soldier's Child Foundation, that weight is met with something powerful: a community determined to turn profound loss into lasting hope. As the organization has grown to serve thousands of families across the country, keeping up with the operational demands of that mission required better tools. SignUpGenius became one of them.
The Organization
A Soldier's Child Foundation was born from a single act of grief and resolve. When a local family lost their son in Iraq, co-founder JoJo Mackin's husband felt an undeniable call to make sure that sacrifice would never fade from memory. What began as one community's response to one family's loss has grown into a nationwide mission serving thousands of children across America.
The foundation reaches those children through three core programs: personalized birthday celebrations that remind kids they are seen and remembered, immersive outdoor camps that build community and resilience, and life-changing scholarships that invest in their futures. Taken together, these programs do something rare. They do not just acknowledge loss. They actively work to replace it with belonging, purpose, and possibility.
That mission is deeply personal for the people who carry it out. Rachel lost her military father in 2012 and entered the program as a child, finding community at camps and comfort in the foundation's birthday recognition. She never really left. She now serves on staff as a scholarship administrator and mentor, guiding the next generation through terrain she knows firsthand. "I literally grew up within this program," she reflects. "It completely shaped who I am today, and now I have the privilege of helping shape others who walk this path."
The Problem
Growth is a good problem to have, but it is still a problem. As A Soldier's Child Foundation expanded its reach, the operational demands of running year-round camps, managing scholarship programs, and coordinating a full calendar of events grew alongside it.
Family information was scattered across spreadsheets. Camp rosters had to be assembled manually. Event registrations came in through a patchwork of emails and forms that required constant reconciliation. Every hour the team spent tracking down a waiver, updating a roster, or cross-referencing a registration list was an hour not spent with the families they existed to serve.
For an organization whose entire value proposition is the quality and consistency of the experiences they create, that administrative drag was more than an inconvenience. It was a threat to the mission. "Our capacity for sustainable growth remains our most pressing challenge," said JoJo. "We're committed to serving as many families as possible, but we must ensure we have the infrastructure and systems to do it with excellence every single time."
Genius Tip
Collecting participant information through your sign up means intake and registration happen in the same step. No separate forms, no follow-up emails asking for details you should already have.
A Soldier's Child Foundation brought SignUpGenius in as a central hub for the logistical work that was previously spread across too many places. The shift consolidated three critical functions into one platform.
Function
Before SignUpGenius
After SignUpGenius
Family intake
Scattered spreadsheets and email chains
Gathered and organized through a single sign up
Camp rosters
Built manually from multiple sources
Populated automatically as participants register
Event registration
Managed across disconnected forms and inboxes
Centralized in one accessible platform
New family onboarding
Time-consuming and inconsistent
Streamlined and repeatable
The result was not just a cleaner workflow. It was a meaningful shift in where the team's energy went. Hours that had been absorbed by administrative tasks were redirected toward program delivery and family engagement. "We can efficiently organize our program rosters, seamlessly integrate new families, and maintain everything in one accessible place," said Rachel. "It reclaims countless hours that we can redirect toward what truly matters: creating meaningful experiences for the children we serve."
The Results
With the administrative burden lifted, A Soldier's Child Foundation has been able to grow without losing the quality and intentionality that defines their programs. New families are integrated more smoothly. Camp logistics come together faster. The team spends less time reconciling data and more time building the connections that give their work meaning.
Perhaps more importantly, the organization now has the infrastructure to support continued growth without being constrained by it. A mission this important deserves systems that can keep up. "Using SignUpGenius has been absolutely transformative for our operations," Rachel said.
The foundation continues to expand, reaching more families, awarding more scholarships, and creating more of the moments that help children move forward. Each campfire circle, each celebrated birthday, each scholarship awarded is made more possible because the logistics behind it are no longer getting in the way.
In Their Words
We asked the team at A Soldier's Child Foundation about their experience with SignUpGenius. Here is what they shared.
On impact: "Using SignUpGenius has been absolutely transformative for our operations." — Rachel, Scholarship Administrator
On day-to-day use: "We can efficiently organize our program rosters, seamlessly integrate new families, and maintain everything in one accessible place." — Rachel, Scholarship Administrator
On what it makes possible: "It reclaims countless hours that we can redirect toward what truly matters: creating meaningful experiences for the children we serve." — Rachel, Scholarship Administrator
On the challenge of growth: "We're committed to serving as many families as possible, but we must ensure we have the infrastructure and systems to do it with excellence every single time." — JoJo Mackin, Co-Founder
Ready to spend less time on logistics and more time on your mission?
SignUpGenius helps nonprofits and community organizations manage registrations, rosters, and events in one place. Get started for free.
I love SignUpGenius and have introduced it to my entire staff here at First United Methodist Church in New Braunfels! I have become much more organized and have saved a lot of paper in the process. Thank you for offering this great site. We plan to use it for years to come!
Posted by Trey Mosier
