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As the company’s 10th anniversary approaches, In-Reporter uncovers five stories of non-profit success that include everything from the appeal to a change in strategy to the patience to rediscover stories that connect with people

Eleven years ago, Army Sgt. Levi Ragan was sent to Baghdad, Iraq, as a medic to treat the wounded from the 2004-05 war. A member of the Multinational Infantry (Light) Brigade, he volunteered to be a sniper in a small unit to kill enemy fighters to deter them from coming back into town to fight. The mere idea of killing someone in cold blood on the battlefield of Iraq raised his blood pressure. But he carried on, taking his revenge on enemy soldiers. Two-and-a-half years later, he was gone, on his way home to Brooklyn on leave.

And that’s where his story ended, right there. Now Ragan, has returned to the United States, and that’s where his story begins.

In 2001, he was just about to begin his sophomore year at Brigham Young University, when the Sept. 11 attacks shook the world. Ragan wanted to pursue an honorable discharge but instead was sent to the war. He went to Iraq after the Air Force finished training him. He volunteered to be a sniper. When Ragan, a gunner on the radio, heard the first battle his unit was close to winning, he chose to sacrifice his life for his comrades. He was 19 years old, an idealistic young man serving in his nation’s military to give it peace.

Through his experience and conversations with both counselors and family, he found it crucial to share his experience in the best possible way, which is where In-Reporter comes in. The non-profit educates, empowers and encourages veterans and service members to understand their mind-set, resolve and inner strength to affect positive change for society.

For more than a decade, Ragan faced a dilemma. Working for a non-profit, money management was a challenge. He never had any experience in management – no experience as a full-time non-profit director. After leaving the military, he decided to break his life cycle and begin over. He enlisted in the Army Reserves for six years, participating in multiple deployments to Iraq. Then he went back to college to pursue a major in social work. But he found that despite working two jobs to pay his way through school, he was still not making enough money to feel satisfied. Through a mutual friend he met with a young woman who was looking for a veteran with management skills who could handle business-related situations. That was when he heard about In-Reporter and decided to step in as the non-profit’s first CEO.

The former Navy Combat medic continued to serve the veteran community, including the troubled Brooklyn community that he lived in for a few years. He was more than happy to help others while supporting his family’s income. Ragan’s hope was to impart some of the principles and tools he used when he left Iraq to those who needed it most.

He was just in the right place at the right time and quite a few things happened along the way. Ragan found that these five stories illustrate the importance of content marketing:

First, Ragan saw the three highest-producing nonprofits’ successful content marketing and reached out to them for coaching and assistance. Of the six organizations he reached out to, two were accepted to join their networks. The remaining two chose to partner with In-Reporter. The two nonprofits are selected due to its powerful shared purpose of helping veterans build a positive path through their civilian life.

Ragan was also able to collaborate with and learn from two other successful organizations, the AmeriCorps NEX program and the Burning Bridges Foundation, to develop his own Content Marketing and Management plan.

Ragan developed his initial Content Marketing plan in 2014, while still still fighting in Iraq. That same year, he enrolled at Utah Valley University to fulfill his military obligation by earning a Marketing Management degree.

Ragan went back to his home state of Texas and joined In-Reporter as the first and only national director. Although he had a multi-year commitment as a student, he was interested in changing the world through social media by becoming the original content driver. After spending the next seven years mentoring other nonprofits, he was open to the idea of becoming the head of a non-profit organization.

He is currently serving in a leadership role with the organization, which recently celebrates its 10th anniversary. Ragan is actively working with In-Reporter to grow the organization’s community and reach a wider audience.