An interview with Susan Ludwig about the Coast Guard Foundation
by David Schmidt 13 Aug 2018 08:00 PDT
August 13, 2018
Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet conducts surf drills in Nags © U.S. Coast Guard District 5
A Hundred years ago, setting sail across a large body of water required a conscious decision to take one’s life into one’s own hands, given the crude state of navigation, communications and rescue services. This isn’t to say that modern sailors enjoy perfectly certain outcomes-we don’t-but the simple truth is that a inexpensive handheld GPS buys far more accuracy and awareness than the world’s best celestial navigator ever could, and the fact that an SOS button on a handheld tracking device, EPIRB or PLB quickly alerts the correct rescuing authority of an unfurling calamity dramatically lowers the bar to entry for offshore sailing compared to bygone days.
On U.S. waters, this rescuing authority is the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the brave men and women who wear this uniform are responsible for helping to save myriad lives each year, while also helping to keep the country and its navigable waters safe.
While this is a big mission, an important question emerges: Who helps the rescuers in times of trouble or when the ultimate sacrifice must be paid?
Here in the United States, this mission falls to the Coast Guard Foundation (coastguardfoundation.org), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports members of the USCG and their families. There are four main pillars of this work, namely helping to increase the “well-being, education and morale” of USCG members; “empowering and educating” USCG families; “providing critical support during times of injury and loss”, and serving to promote the USCG’s missions.
The Coast Guard Foundation was created by retired USCG members who served during WWII and who saw, in the ensuing years, that U.S. government funding wasn’t covering all of the USCG’s needs, so they created this non-profit organization to help raise funds to cover any budgetary deficiencies. In 1986, the Coast Guard Foundation expanded their mission to also support projects that help “the education, welfare and morale of all USCG members and their families”. This includes providing exercise equipment, computers, and educational materials to active USCG members, as well as creating college scholarship funds for sons and daughters of the fallen.
When it comes to giving back to the community of people who do the most to ensure safe boating experiences for millions of Americans, one has to search long and hard to find a more worthy cause than the Coast Guard Foundation (coastguardfoundation.org/ways-to-give).
On a personal note, several of my friends and colleagues have been rescued at sea by the USCG (and/or other international life-saving organizations), and I am sincerely grateful for the sacrifices that the brave members of the USCG and other services made to keep these people alive and well. Likewise, I’m also grateful to the Coast Guard Foundation for helping to support these heroes when there’s no one else standing by to respond to their own (metaphoric) SOS calls.
I interviewed Susan Ludwig, president of the Coast Guard Foundation, via email, to learn more about this organization and the important work that they do on behalf of the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard.
What initially drew you to the Coast Guard Foundation, and what gravity continues to keep you engaged with this important job and organization today?
In 2013 I received a call from the Foundation to discuss a potential position. I researched the organization and was immediately drawn to its mission and vision to enhance the welfare and personal resiliency of Coast Guard members and their families with education, morale and relief programs.
My grandfather, father and brother all served proudly in the military, and I knew first hand of the sacrifices made by our country’s military members and their families.
What do you see as the CGF’s most important current mission? Also, has this changed in your tenure as the CGF’s president?
2017 was an unprecedented hurricane season and the impact on Coast Guard families was huge. With the help of very generous and responsive Coast Guard Foundation donors, we were able to get support to effected Coast Guard members very quickly to address immediate needs; it was both personally and professionally gratifying to lead our team’s response and to be onsite with the Coast Guard response teams.
Now, we are looking towards the remaining needs, whether it’s morale, infrastructure, resources for families, in the wake of these storms, and other natural disasters.
Traditionally, we’ve focused on boosting readiness and morale and providing scholarships for Coast Guard dependents and spouses. These are still critical elements of our support for the service. During last year’s storms, we didn’t stop these programming priorities, we just expanded our capacity for support.
Can you give us an idea as to the level of help and support that the CGF is providing to active members of the Coast Guard, as well as to the families of the fallen? Also, have these numbers been going up or down recently?
We work hard to be there for Coast Guard members when they need it most. We have a host of programs that kick-in when times are tough-support for families suffering a loss of an active duty Coast Guard member, college scholarships for the children of fallen Coast Guard heroes, and programs to support Coast Guard units when a fellow member dies in the line of duty.
On a day-to-day basis, our morale-support programs help keep Coast Guard members fit and ready to serve, and provide important recreation opportunities for Coast Guard families to enjoy their duty stations and communities. Our scholarship and grant program is top-notch and demand grows every year.
What is your favorite CGF success story and why?
There are so many, but nothing touched me as much as our support of the very brave USCG family members who were airlifted out of harm’s way from Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria.
These USCG spouses and their children left the island in the middle of the night with only one bag and no idea how long they would be evacuated. The family members were met in Florida with Coast Guard Foundation gift cards for immediate needs like diapers, baby food, clothing and toiletries.
The USCG active-duty members remained on the island focusing on critical missions knowing their families were safe and being supported.
What kind of dominoes start falling if and when the CGF starts to run shy on resources (financial, human, et al)? Who suffers?
The most difficult part of working in a community-service organization is having to say “no” in someone’s time of need. We work hard to not be in that position.
We have an incredibly generous group of active donors who respond to these needs on a daily basis and in times of emergency. We are strategically focused on building our endowment so we can have a perpetual source of funding. We also try to grow our programs in a responsible way to maximize the support for individuals, families and Coast Guard units.
It can be difficult but we are committed to our core mission and stay focused on our long-term goals.
How difficult has it historically been for the CGF to secure enough funding, year-on-year? Also, do you see the fund-raising situation getting easier or harder in coming years?
A strong non-profit organization has a plan that seeks support from a variety of avenues.
For the Coast Guard Foundation, we start with a solid base of annual donors; people who year after year, provide gifts that support our pillar programs. We have a very active and engaged board of directors that helps us share our mission and generates a significant level of support. We bring supporters closer to our mission in order for them to have a larger impact in a particular area, say a scholarship for a Coast Guard kid going to college.
Other donors make provisions to leave a legacy gift through our planned giving program. Our event program draws a significant number of corporate and foundation supporters. We are grateful to each and every one of our supporters, and show our appreciation whenever we can.
I’m not sure if [our fund-raising mission is getting] easier or harder than [in] past years; I think it’s better to say the fundraising landscape is constantly changing…and we have to be ready to respond in new and efficient ways. We have to be responsive to our donors communicating the impact they are making through their gifts.
What remains constant is [that] we treat each supporter with the utmost respect, and pledge to use their gift in a way that maximizes impact for those we serve, the men and women of the United States Coast Guard.
Given the critical work that the Coast Guard does to help protect the maritime community, what are the best ways that individual sailors can give back to the brave men and women who serve in this branch of the armed forces?
First and foremost, be the most prepared you can be while you are out on the water. Follow safety guidelines, weather reports and make smart choices. The reality is though, accidents happen, weather changes and people get injured. If you find yourself in need, don’t hesitate to call for assistance and guidance.
If you do want to show your support for USCG members and their families, reach out to the Coast Guard Foundation, directly or via our website and social media channels, and make a contribution to our programs that support USCG members when they need it most.
And when you see a Coast Guard member, whether it’s boarding your sailboat for a safety inspection or patrolling the coastline of your favorite inlet, take a moment and say “thank you” for their dedication and service to our country.
Anything else that you’d like to add, for the record?
We are honored to be able to support the brave men, women and children of the USCG when and where they need us the most. Thank you for the opportunity to share our story.