Wounded Warrios Project = SCAM?

[Hawkmoon]

I'm posting this in Politics because I expect any discussion will tend in that direction. And we don't have a discussion area for "Can You Believe this [Bleep]?"

I knew most of this, but I just received an e-mail from a Vietnam Seabee friend that reminded me about the whole sordid mess. Bottom line is: If you want to help wounded veterans, DON'T give your money to the WWP.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/12/08/wounded-warriors-project-a-legal-scam/

[bedlamite]

Yep they turned into a professional fundraising company several years ago. More on their stance on guns:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/gun-talk/wounded-warrior-project-email-exchange/10151354082553313

[French G.]

People here have experience with IAVA don't they? Fisher House? Where else would people recommend to donate?

[Andiron]

But they have the trendy fireman's carry logo and cool name 

[Scout26]

The guy that started WWP had a really cool idea, about going directly to vets while they were still in the hospital and get them started on "what to do when I get out (of the hospital and military)"

Then the money started flowing in by the tanker-truck-load.   It grew to big for a couple of vets to run so they outsource a lot and hired "professional" non-profit staffers^*.  It became a fundraising and marketing machine.   Which like many charities became more focused on keeping the money rolling in, and less on actually doing stuff with the money as was the original intent.   That's why it pays to check the 990's and look them up on Charity Navigator.

Fisher House^%, Homes for Heroes^# are ones to whom I donate $$$.  Purple Heart and Vietnam Veterans of America get the castoffs to re-sell.

I'm sure there are others, someone mention IAVA, but I have seen or heard what they do.  Perhaps someone can provide info what they do and how they do it.




^*-  Many professional Non-profit types are very anti-2A.  Simply because professional Non-profit types are the epitome of liberal do-gooder types.  Since they work for "non-profits" they are better then everyone else because they are focused on Charity and Good Works, not that evil profit motive like the rest of the untermenshen.

^%- Fisher House is like a Ronald McDonald house for the families of wounded servicemembers, but with out the hamburger selling clown.   They provide free airfare and lodging to get the family to the military hospital near the facility the wounded servicemember is being treated for as long as he/she is there.  If the servicemember is transferred to a different facility, then the family is moved to a Fisher House there.   They number I saw showed that roughly $0.96 of every $1.00 goes to that end.   

^#- Homes for Heroes builds or modifies homes for Wounded Warriors and their families to make them functional and accessible for them.  From what I have seen, $.95 to $.99 of every $1.00 goes to providing that, often with contractors donating or substantially reducing the cost of materials and/or labor.

[zxcvbob]

Know anything about the VFW Children's Home?  (http://www.vfwnationalhome.org/)  That's the one I give a little to every month.

[birdman]

http://www.unitscholarshipfund.org/

99% goes to the scholarships, and the chairman is a personal friend.

[Scout26]

Know anything about the VFW Children's Home?  (http://www.vfwnationalhome.org/)  That's the one I give a little to every month.

That's not a bad one.  They seem to spend about 75% of every dollar on supporting the widows and orphans of servicemembers.  14% admin fees (which yeah, if your taking care of 42 homes on 472 acres, there might be above average expenses.)



http://www.vfwnationalhome.org/page.aspx?pid=410

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6974#.VMWfGC7nU74

[wmenorr67]

Folds Of Honor gives scholarships to dependents of wounded or killed service members.  Based in Tulsa, OK by a Air National Guard Major.

[Scout26]

Folds Of Honor gives scholarships to dependents of wounded or killed service members.  Based in Tulsa, OK by a Air National Guard Major.

There are lots of good, small local charities where 90+% of the money raised^* goes to the cause.


^*-  And CharityNavigator.com has good info on most.  Most file 990's, but if not, they should have their financials either on-line or available for review.  Check to make sure.


Getting back to the OP; WWP is a fundraising machine, whose founders saw dollar signs and got greedy.  Like I said, it was a great idea, but they have poorly executed the concept. And then they handed  it over to "professionals" who skim as much as they can get away with.  And yes, $150k for a parade is NOT helping Wounded Warriors.

[Fitz]

I like IAVA, and donated a bunch to them after throwing a benefit concert.

That said, they're not a "charity" in the traditional sense. They've been crucial in pushing for various bits of legislation (SAV act, ), as well as providing things like free suits for vets with job interviews, career advice/resume writing, etc.

They have employment and mental health programs... they have regional communities that are VERY active with various projects.

I don't think of them as a "charity" but more of a veteran's service organization / lobbying group.

[freakazoid]

So here I was sitting in an IHOP in Dubai,

[TechMan]

So here I was sitting in an IHOP in Dubai,

Wasn't Kerry wounded?

[Scout26]

IIRC, Kerry got three boo-boo owies in Vietnam. At least one of which he did to himself.

 

[TechMan]

IIRC, Kerry got three boo-boo owies in Vietnam. At least one of which he did to himself.

 

I like the irony of the picture that freakazoid posted.

[Strings]

I have a friend that donates a lot to WWP. Will pass this info on to him

[230RN]

After a media go-round exposing charity administrative skims in the '70s, I decided all my charity should be local and under my direct control.  I'd hear about a needy situation, do some research, and contact the treasurer of my church to give my contribution directly to the affected party.  (This, in addition to my regular contributions when they passed the plate on Sundays, of course.)

That way, the entirety of my contribution, except maybe for the church's postage or the Deacon's gas to deliver it, went to where I wanted it to go.

I hated to be hardnosed about it, but the only bigcharity.org contributions I made were at work during the usual United Way campaigns, where they "needed" 100% contributions to "win" a back-patting mention and certificate.

I usually contributed a whole $1.00 and designated one of the NRA programs as a recipient --just so our division could win the 100% award*.  (United Way allows you to designate the destination charity. But you have to press on them a little to find this out and get a listing of the organization codes to "route" your contribution.)

Terry, 230RN

*Sometimes we did and sometimes we didn't, so I guess there were other skinflints in the Division as well as li'l ole me.