Meet Britnee Kinard | Founder, CEO, Military Wife & Caregiver

We had the good fortune of connecting with Britnee Kinard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Britnee, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Honesty and Transparency. I am extremely honest….probably to a fault. I have learned over the years that being extremely honest and transparent not only builds trust with others but also gains their respect. I am upfront about what we can provide for someone and I absolutely do not promise anything I cannot back up. I would expect the same from someone I am doing business with. I am aware of what my strengths and weaknesses are, and I will always admit when i’m wrong or when i’ve missed the mark. There are so many questions around nonprofits on how they spend their funds and what they actually do. This is where transparency comes into play. Being transparent with your donors, vendors, and clients makes it easier for them to connect with you on a deeper level. There are no curtains here. What you see is exactly what you get and I’m proud of that. 100% of my donors know me personally. How many can say that? I know every single recipient of our nonprofit and have a personal relationships with them and their family. Again, how many can say that? Allowing our donors and vendors to see that side of our organization….to see how things are run and how much hard work goes in to it and our clients…allows them to truly get behind us and believe in us and our brand. 100% of our donors are small businesses and individuals. They’ve worked hard for their money and they want to make sure it’s going exactly where they want it to go. That is where openness ( a stem from honesty) comes in. I’m going to show them….in person… where those funds went. They are going to meet that family, that child, that veteran, that first responder or that dog. They are going to come to our trainings and see those dogs working. They will be fully immersed into our program and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

What should our readers know about your business?
I founded and run a nonprofit called the SD Gunner Fund. We are primarily known for training Service Dogs for Veterans, First Responders, and Special Needs Children. We also train Therapy Dogs for facility and school usage. But wait….there’s more! We provide grants to school teachers to help cover field trips for their self-contained classrooms, and cover much needed supplies for their rooms. We provide caregiver support and resources for those caring for our wounded veterans. We pay for meals and lodging for our homeless veterans. We also provide mental health resources for veterans, first responders, and special needs families. Every Christmas, we partner with a pediatric therapy facility and we go in and pay off their past due and critical accounts. That way, the families aren’t worried about paying that bill and can put those funds towards buying gifts for their children. We do so much! I think what sets us apart from others is that we are able to be flexible in our assistance. If theres a will, theres a way…and I will find it. I don’t like the word “no” and I definitely love a challenge. I am known for being feisty, and I will spend every breath I have standing up for those who can’t. They will never be alone. I will always be here for them. I think what makes me the proudest about our organization is regardless of how small we are, we are consistently recognized for our efforts. I truly believe that by sticking to our honest and transparent practices, those who are around us recognize the huge impact our small but mighty organization makes. Below is a list of awards we have been so fortunate to be apart of: *2015 Lincoln Award Winner *2015 MTSU Distinguished Alumni Award Winner *2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 Hero Dog of the Year Nominee (SD Gunner) *2016 Voted one the Best Charities to Donate to by SouthernMamas.com *2017 AKC ACE Award Winner *2017 Savannah Magazine’s – Generation NEXT: Savannah’s Rising Stars of Business *2017 South Magazine’s – South’s Greatest Moms *2017 South Magazine’s – South’s Greatest Dads *2017 Jefferson Award Winner *2018 Great Pyrenees Club of America : Service Dog of the Year Award *2019 Bryan County Favorites Nonprofit Runner-up *2019 Rosalynn Carter Volunteer Caregiver of the Year (Southeast Georgia) Award *2020 Bryan County Favorites “Best Fundraiser – Carnaval” *2020 George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award Business is hard. Nonprofit business is even harder! There are a lot of requirements when starting and maintaining a nonprofit. It was not easy. In fact, there were many times I wanted to quit. I took several years before I found a team of people that I could truly click with and trust. Once we found our rhythm, our organization really took off. I have been blessed to have very supportive and influential people in my life to help guide me but not control me. I think that is really important. It’s similar to parenting, depending on your parenting style. You want your children to succeed but you’ve also got to let them fall every now and then. Then you pick them up, talk about it, develop a plan, and move forward. If there is one thing i’ve learned during this adventure, it is to never back down. Never let people tell you that you aren’t ready, you don’t have the skill set, you have too much on your plate, or any other reason they can come up with. Just do it! I am a married military wife and caregiver. My husband is a catastrophically injured purple heart veteran. He suffers from a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) along with many other issues. He also suffers from Cortical Blindness because of his TBI. We have two children. Our eldest son is 10 years old and is Autistic. We also have a fun loving 8 year old son. There are so many people who told me I couldn’t start a nonprofit, my plate was too full, or I was neglecting my “duties”. I’m here to tell you that YES YOU CAN! I work with some strong-willed women and if it weren’t for them, I don’t know where i’d be. Find yourself a tribe that supports you, encourages you, challenges you, and lifts you up. When you accomplish that…nothing can stop you. I am proud to have a 100% female ran organization. We love hard and we work hard. We advocate for those who need it the most, we fight for disability inclusion, and share our hearts with those who are returned home broken and no where to go. If there is anything i’d want someone to know about our organization / brand…it would be that we are moving mountains and changing lives. We need your support now more than ever. We are a brand that honors honesty and transparency. We are a brand where 100% of your funds stay local to your community / state.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Girls Trip to Atlanta….. I would highly recommend staying at Hotel Indigo. It is an amazing hotel and is close to everything. I always love to have drinks at the Polaris or the Foxtrot. The view from the Polaris is breath-taking, and Foxtrot has the BEST upscale snack foods. However, I also love Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint. You definitely need to try their fried chicken. Plus they usually have music going and vibe is always great. I would encourage you to try Bliss Spa. I have had multiple services there before and every single one has been out of this world! I would also suggest going to Barcelona Vinoteca. It is an amazing wine store and the staff is extremely knowledgeable. They do a very good job at walking you through the tastings, especially if you aren’t very familiar with wine (like me). I also have to note that I am HUGE animal fan so an obvious trip to the Georgia Aquarium is definitely a must. I could sit and watch the Whale Sharks all day. It’s been a few years since I’ve been there but pre-kids, Havana Club ATL was always a fun place to go. There are so many amazing choices in Midtown Atlanta. I love them all!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would not be where I am today without the love and support of SO MANY people. I would first want to thank Doug & Jennifer Roth with Playground Hospitality. They have believed in us from the first time we met, and Doug serves as a mentor to me and our nonprofit. They love us so much that they even adopted one of our service dogs that was aging out and needed a permanent home after his veteran handler passed away. I would also like to mention the U.S. Military Veterans Motorcycle Club – Surrency Chapter #514. They were the very first organization to support and fundraise for our organization and they have been with us now for over 7 years! They are led by Jeff Logan, who is also currently the Georgia National Guard Command Sargent Major. They do a fundraiser for us every year and without their support, our organization never would have gotten off the ground. Of course, I don’t want to leave out Jessica Belfry. She heads up our Advisory Committee and hosts our largest fundraiser….Carnaval! It is a Brazilian themed Carnaval held in Savannah, Georgia and it is absolutely amazing! I would also like to thank two businesses, Teresa Cowart Realestate and Chatterbox Pediatric Therapy. Teresa Cowart also sits on our advisory committee but she is the main driving force behind all of our events throughout the year. She is our lead sponsor and supports everything we do! She has such a positive spirit and is an amazing role model. Chatterbox is also a business that has been with us for many years and they support all of our kiddos that come through the program. They have personally funded over 5 dogs through our organization for children in need. That alone is amazing. Beth Flemming is the owner and she is truly a beautiful person that I am so proud to be affiliated with. There are so many more i’d love to mention but there’s just to many!

Website: www.sdgunner.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sd_gunner_fund
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britneekinard
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sdgunnerfund
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sdgunner

Image Credits
Photos (all) : Britnee Kinard