About us
Who we are
We connect everyone who served with discounts and resources that have been checked by a real person, in one place, for free. We’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Austin, Texas.
No ads, and no one can pay to rank higher. Every decision is guided by mission, not margin. See our programs.
Our founder
I’m a combat infantry disabled veteran. When I got out of the Army, I went looking for the discounts people kept telling me veterans had earned. What I found was a mess.
The lists were years out of date, and many of the offers had quietly ended. Some sites charged a membership fee to unlock “exclusive” deals, then switched the offer once I got there. Others wanted my DD-214 and a stack of personal information, and I had no way of knowing who was on the other end or what they’d do with it. Nearly every one was a for-profit company making money off the people it claimed to serve.
The discounts that did hold up came almost entirely from big-box chains. None came from the coffee shop down the street, the mechanic who keeps your truck running, or the family restaurant where the owner knows your name.
That gap stuck with me. Local business owners are our neighbors, and some of them served too. Plenty of them want to say thank you. They just didn’t have a trusted way to do it, and we didn’t have a way to find them.
So I built one. VetDiscounts.org is a free nonprofit platform that verifies both sides: the people who served and the businesses that want to honor them. There’s no paid placement, no ads, and we never sell your data. Every offer is real and comes from a real place, many of them right in your own community.
Leadership
Our directors govern the organization and lead its programs.
Founder & Executive Director
After leaving the Army, Jacob found veteran discount sites full of expired offers, paywalls, and bait-and-switch deals. He also found none he trusted with his DD-214. The real discounts came almost entirely from big chains, never from the local businesses that wanted to say thanks. He founded VetDiscounts.org to verify both sides and connect veterans with the neighbors who want to honor them.
Director
EZ is a service-disabled veteran with more than 30 years of web development experience. He knows firsthand how hard it can be to find benefits you can trust, and he joined VetDiscounts.org to give back to the community he served with. A natural collaborator, EZ leads operations and programs, working with partners and the team to keep verification standards high and launches running smoothly.
Director
Jess has spent more than 25 years in social services and childhood trauma work, and she currently works with students and families in public education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and criminal justice and a master’s in human services. At VetDiscounts.org, she directs strategy and communications, helping sponsors, donors, and community partners understand how the organization is funded and the real impact of verified savings on the people who serve.
Yes. VetDiscounts.org is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization, EIN 42-3705643, headquartered at 5900 Balcones Drive, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78731.
Founder and Executive Director Jacob McDaniel, a combat infantry disabled veteran, leads the organization with Directors Ezequiel “EZ” Cabrera and Jess Reling.
Most discount sites are for-profit and earn money from the businesses they list. As a nonprofit we have no paid placement, no advertiser influence, and no selling of member data, and we verify both members and businesses.
We would love the help. Join the newsletter as a Volunteer, or contact us with your city, skills, and availability.
