Wounded Warrior Project Spends Lavishly on Itself, Ex-Employees Say

[MADem]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/us/wounded-warrior-project-spends-lavishly-on-itself-ex-employees-say.html?_r=0

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In early 2014, after 10 years of rapid growth, the charity Wounded Warrior Project flew its roughly 500 employees to Colorado Springs for an “all hands” meeting at the five-star Broadmoor hotel.

They were celebrating their biggest year yet: $225 million raised and a work force that had nearly doubled in just a year. On the opening night, before three days of strategy sessions and team-building field trips, the staff gathered in the hotel courtyard. Suddenly, a spotlight focused on a 10-story bell tower where the chief executive, Steven Nardizzi, stepped off the edge and rappelled down toward the cheering crowd.

That evening is emblematic of the polished and well-financed image cultivated by the Wounded Warrior Project, the country’s largest and fastest-growing veterans charity.

Since its inception in 2003 as a basement operation handing out backpacks to wounded war veterans, the charity has evolved into a fund-raising giant, taking in more than $372 million in 2015 alone — largely through small donations from people over 65.....It has spent millions a year on travel, dinners, hotels and conferences that often seemed more lavish than appropriate, more than four dozen current and former employees said in interviews. Former workers recounted buying business-class seats and regularly jetting around the country for minor meetings, or staying in $500-per-night hotel rooms....

[Initech]

1. So how much did they actually spend on real wounded warriors?

This is fraud on so many levels.

[MADem]

4. I've known for a long time that these guys are hucksters. AVOID.

You can't always tell by looking at Charity Navigator, either, unless you dig down deep and see where the money goes. They'll give them "stars" for transparency even if they are busy transparently admitting that they spend most of their money on themselves and lobbying to keep their money for themselves. It's sickening.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=531#.VqkjWyorIhc

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/us/wounded-warrior-project-spends-lavishly-on-itself-ex-employees-say.html?_r=0

The organization has also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years on public relations and lobbying campaigns to deflect criticism of its spending and to fight legislative efforts to restrict how much nonprofits spend on overhead.

About 40 percent of the organization’s donations in 2014 were spent on its overhead, or about $124 million, according to the charity-rating group Charity Navigator. While that percentage, which includes administrative expenses and marketing costs, is not as much as for some groups, it is far more than for many veterans charities, including the Semper Fi Fund, a wounded-veterans group that spent about 8 percent of donations on overhead. As a result, some philanthropic watchdog groups have criticized the Wounded Warrior Project for spending too heavily on itself.

Some of its own employees have criticized it, too. During five years with the Wounded Warrior Project, William Chick, a former supervisor, said of the charity, “It slowly had less focus on veterans and more on raising money and protecting the organization.”....

[KamaAina]

2. How very Republican of them.

[MH1]

7. This is why Republicans don't want the government to take care of vets. (or anyone)

Because charitable organizations can be turned into their very own cash cows.

Not all charities exist primarily to enrich their own executives. But there are a fair number that do. And if the government was taking care of those problems we couldn't market our cash cow charity very well, now, could we?

[yewberry]

3. 59.9% of their money is spent on program expenses.

There are better charities that support vets.

Always, always check out Charity Navigator before donating to any group.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12842#.VqkjcYXfKHl

[MADem]

5. They spend a bundle on lobbying legislators to prevent them from spending the cash on themselves. nt

[TipTok]

6. We caught onto their shenanigans years ago after being regular contributors...

Even after requesting, multiple times, to be removed from their lists we get request after request after mailer to give again.


what a load...

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Tha Dude Was on Washington Journal Some Time Back

A couple callers specifically tried to grill him about how much he makes personally and how much actually goes to the vets.

He answered the question about his salary pretty directly (of course, a 401c3 has to declare that and it's available on the internet), but he stated a number for admin costs.

A third caller called in and challenged the number saying it was much higher and he tap danced around that until the moderator moved on to the next caller.

His obfuscation then made me pretty suspicious.

[MADem]

13. This is not the first time they've had stink on 'em.

They are a bunch of tearjerking grifters, if you ask me.

Habitat does more for vets on a personal level, and doesn't make a big thing out of it, either.

[progressoid]

9. Reminds me of Hannity's Freedom Concert scam.

Assholes.

[Initech]

10. I've heard a lot of military appearances at sporting events are paid scams.

Can't remember where I heard it exactly but I will see if I can find a source. Wouldn't surprise me if it were true.

[spanone]

11. republicans are very keen when it comes to exploiting our wounded veterans.

they love war but hate to pay for it's consequences

[Mendocino]

12. They also spend quite a bit of capital

suing other vet organizations that use the terms wounded and/or warrior. They also sue for graphics that portray silhouettes of soldiers. Wouldn't those funds be better used in direct support of vets?

[MADem]

14. I have a funny feeling no one will want to be associated with their name or logo before too long.

They've turned the term "Wounded Warrior" into "Rip - Off Artists."