Wounded Warrior Project

Wounded Warrior Project is a charity that helps U.S. veterans transition back to civilian life while providing support for warriors and their families. Always looking for new ways to engage with their 170,000 members, they created a gaming community on Discord. Unable to moderate the channel 24/7 with their small team, they looked for help. Not only did they need a cost-effective solution, they needed Discord expertise, and a team that could connect with their community. With ModSquad they found a partner that could meet their needs and provide that high level of care their community requires and deserves.

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a nonprofit organization that helps and empowers post-9/11 American veterans and active service duty members. They provide veteran support services and programs to help in the biggest areas of need, including physical and mental wellness.

WWP provides our country’s heroes and their families a listening ear, a helping hand, and a community that celebrates their success.

Wounded Warriors’ Gaming Community

In 2021, Wounded Warrior Project created a Discord channel in order to build a community for warriors interested in video games. It is a place where members who love gaming and live streaming can connect with other warriors and families across the country. Jackie Green, Wounded Warrior Project’s Alumni Gaming Manager, elaborates, “That’s the premise behind our Discord, to create a place where warriors can connect.”

Conversations on the Discord server extend beyond that. ModSquad Project and Community Manager Danielle G. explains: “There are numerous channels, with topics ranging from gaming to women warriors to a channel for family and friends of wounded warriors. In those conversations you have questions about health, community… it’s not just about gaming.”

Ensuring the trust and safety of the community on this popular platform was critical. Their small internal team wasn’t able to cover all the channels 24/7. So they turned to ModSquad for help.

Beyond typical content moderation

Like any platform, basic moderation is essential. The Mods ensure that all content meets WWP’s terms of service and set the tone for the community. The Mods also engage the community with pre-approved responses. WWP members enjoy a warm and welcoming environment.

Beyond that, the Mods are on alert for the well-being of the warriors themselves. That can be as simple as noting when a warrior needs assistance with benefits and helping get them to the right resources. Or as complicated as spotting when a warrior might be in crisis and escalating it to WWP for intervention.

The Mods also field benefit-related questions regarding VA administration, WWP itself, or other outside organizations they work with. Mods then escalate those things to WWP so they can reach out to veterans.

The right team is the key to success

Members of a community often make the best moderators for that community. For the WWP Discord project, that meant assembling a team primarily composed of veterans and family members of veterans. Even Danielle, the Project Manager, is herself a wounded veteran.

WWP’s Green can see the value. “Knowing that the Mods are either veterans or family members of veterans gives the community a greater sense of trust. The warriors know the Mods are people who respect the service, walk to the walk, and understand their needs. That sets the foundation for personal connection,” says Green.

Results

Knowing that the safety and security of warrior members is in good hands allows WWP to rest easy.

“You’re dealing with a lot of people with mental health, physical, and financial needs,” explains Daniel Ruppert, WWP’s Gaming and Engagement Specialist “You never know what’s going to happen. So it’s great to have the Mods there. They provide a net for when things happen.”

WWP’s Green concurs. “It is truly about saving lives.”

“Wounded Warrior Project provides vital support for veterans, across several areas including mental health and access to benefits and services,” says ModSquad CXO Rich Weil. “We are very proud to be able to help with that mission.”