Tim Mak on Wounded Warrior Project
I’ve stayed out of the controversy over that charity called the Wounded Warrior Project – mostly because it takes too much time to do the research and to verify all of the claims that they make and folks make about them. So I just sat on the side lines and waited for someone like Tim Mak to come along and do the heavy lifting so I can ride his coat tails. Tim has been on WWP like Oprah on a ham for over a year. This week at the Daily Beast he takes them on again for outspending other charities that have the temerity to use the phrase “wounded warrior” in their titles. The most egregious story, to me, anyway is this one;
Retired Col. John Folsom formed “Wounded Warriors” in 2003 while he was stationed in Landstuhl, Germany, and is a 30-year veteran of the Marine Corps. He has argued that his group, which currently receives four stars on Charity Navigator, was granted non-profit status before WWP was.
Their organization has spent, in Folsom’s estimation, over $300,000 in legal fees to defend themselves from the Wounded Warrior Project over a protracted, five year process. Folsom’s organization eventually lost the lawsuit and were forced to change their name to “Wounded Warrior Family Support,” on the grounds that they were benefitting from the Wounded Warrior Project’s national advertising. The smaller group had to pay $1.7 million to WWP.
“It was very derogatory… [the Wounded Warrior Project’s lawyers] argued that John’s program was a scheme, that it was fraudulent, that he had benefitted from the wonderful advertisements of the Wounded Warrior Projects, to scam the public,” said Woody Bradford, a former “Wounded Warriors” board member who represented the group in court.
Folsom didn’t even want to talk about the lawsuit, saying that he would lose his temper if he spoke about it on the record.
I’ve heard that executives of WWP pay themselves astronomical salaries and that less and less of their “take” goes towards the veterans that they purport to serve. One of the reasons that I haven’t piled on to WWP is because of the work they did for veterans, but that seems to be lacking these days, too.
Mak points out that “wounded warrior” isn’t the sole domain of WWP;
The Army has a Wounded Warrior Program. A band at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is called the MusiCorps Wounded Warrior Band.
And the Marine Corps’ own battalion…their unit for service members who have been wounded is called the Wounded Warrior Regiment
I’ve had some experience with bullies lately and I don’t like them.
“They’ve tried to go after every organization with ‘wounded warrior’ and bully them,” said the head of one veterans charity, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he didn’t want his group to be targeted.
If Mak’s work is true, I don’t think I like WWP. But you should read the whole thing.
Category: Dumbass Bullshit
If ever there was a case outcome that deserves to be overturned!?!?! If WWP wasn’t “first” then I believe they should have lost. Hope and pray Col. John Folsom wins on appeal.
WWP’s performance metricts on Charity Navigator are quite revealing. Only 57.7% of expenses incurred are for programs and services it delivers. Fundraising and administrative expenses are at 36.5% and 5.7%, respectively.
It depends on how you interpret the definition of administrative expenses. They roll a lot of administrative type costs into “program expenses” and make it look like they spent that much directly on the warriors. It is a numbers game on paper. I have read their 990 and it is crap how they come up with that percentage. The amount they actually spend on the warriors is minuscule compared to what they are bringing in.
I quit going to their “outings” when I realized that I was the only one there with a Purple Heart. THere were 20 of us and the way they advertise I figured I’d be amongst other combat wounded vets who could relate to me. I was wrong. I was simply a number they could use to add to their numbers.
I also found it sad that every outing I went on, everything was donated and they asked for more donations. They really didn’t pay for much, if anything, yet they were asking for more money. Why? I figured so they could advertise more, pay their head people, and continue hanging out in the luxury boxes at big games rubbing elbows with peeps.
I think WWP started with the best intentions, but the dude who started it let it get to his head. It doesn’t help he is not a Veteran himself. He doesn’t understand the sacrifice.
Yep.
Its getting hard to find any wounded service members at their events; everyone has the PTSD or was hurt in an accident unrelated to deployment. And a lot of those guys, like Jon Roberts, try to pass themselves off as combat Vets.
Then the ones that are extremely disfigured are usually paraded around and exploited.
Generally, its post 9/11 service (discharge irrelevant)that qualifies you. I even met one guy (who was a nice guy) who had a bike accident while stateside and he qualified for WWP. Really? I even busted a poser at an event several years back and I brought it their immediate attention. They did not care. From that point on I haven’t had anything to do with them.
Better yet call them up and ask them if your donation of $20 a month to help a vet, your vet, goes to a PH recipient. Then ask them why not?
It gets funny at that point, or sad depending on your point of view. They state that all deployed service members are WOUNDED. No shit. And I mean all. The only PH recipients I have seen in a long time associated w/ WWP are the ones on the commercials, the guys that got really fucked up. Hell, even their adds on Brawny paper towels don’t have PH recipients.
That’s actually not much of an overstatement by GT. From the WWP website:
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission/who-we-serve.aspx
That page indicates that WWP considers some 772,000+ individuals to be “wounded warriors” of the GWOT. Of that, it appears that only about 52,312 qualified for a PH.
7% rounded up.
Wow.
In the beginning, most if not all were PH recipients.
But not anymore. They went for the numbers and went for the PTSD card.
I’ve never been to a single WWP event. They send me e-mails about events in my area, but nothing is relevant to my situation. It’s always about the PTSD or some touchy-feely thing. Nothing ever concrete or truly helpful to wounded warriors. If I’m going to be involved with a charity, it has to give a tangible benefit to the veteran like those who obtain Action Track chairs and specially adapted homes for the troops. Don’t get me wrong, I think the therapy thing helps, but that seems to be all that the WWP does, and it appears that they usually use an outside group to actually hold the function.
They do seem to pay their top leadership quite well. See page 8.
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/media/579212/wwp_2012-2013_form_990.pdf
~$400K/yr for a guy who manages to pull in ~$235M/yr for the organization. Not bad on either end.
No, it isn’t. But a charity spending roughly 40% of the take on fundraising and admin expenses – as I’ve read elsewhere – does seem . . . well, perhaps a bit much.
That’s why I will have nothing to do with United Way. They gobble up a lot of donated money for “administrative costs” vs. how much, as a percentage, goes to programs.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4629#.VUl-vFL3bCQ
Old Trooper:
Regarding United Way, Charity Navigator indicates that around 7% goes to admin costs and more than 90% to programs. Not bad.
That’s because they partnered with other organizations like the Boy Scouts of America to do their fund raising for them. With little to no benefit for the organizations raising the money like BSA. People donate to BSA fundraisers thinking the money is going to the boys and the BSA, when the majority goes straight to the UW. That partnership from what I saw way back as a Boy Scout and then a Scout Master has been destroying the BSA slowly for quite some time.
their Admin Cost are less than 6%, and that is according to Charity Navigator.
I said “admin and fundraising” costs, rb325th.
Per the comment above by JohnS, 5.7% of their take goes to admin expenses – and 36.5% goes to fundraising expenses. Last time I checked, that adds to 42.2%.
For a charity, fundraising is an overhead expense, as are admin expenses. When a charity is spending almost 3 out of every 7 dollars (3/7 = 42.86%) it gets on overhead expenses, you have to wonder if they’re really interested in doing charity work – or in self-perpetuation.
Looks like they follow the ARC’s business “model”… get donations, pay the brass well, not do much in the way of helping those that need it…
I’ve always avoided their stuff…chalk it up to wanting to be different, I guess. WWP products are everywhere on military installations. Want a new Camelbak water bottle? Pay a little extra and show your support! How about a t-shirt? Head on over to the PX and you’ll find a few of those along with numerous other goods with WWP logos.
The charity receives a lot of money from Soldiers who are ignorant of their business practices. You can virtually guarantee that you’ll see a WWP logo or two everytime you step outside. Window stickers, apparel, and more! They are definitely the most visible military-related charity.
I think their assumption that the term “Wounded Warriors” should be used only by them is wrong. Preying on smaller charities is the mark of an entity that is more concerned with lining the pockets of its employees than those wounded or injured while in the military.
I think that EdUSMCLeg has it right – good intentions that at some time turned into greed. And, from what I’ve seen looking at their financial info online, they are looking a lot like the American Red Cross in how well they pay their “leadership”.
Does anyone know if a former WWP employee has come out and questioned where the money really goes to?
A few have, actually.
But they are generally made to sign NDA’s when initially hired.
I know one guy who was walked out of the office by a VP that flew down to fire him. They did not let him take anything (numbers, documents, coffee cup with WWP logo, etc.) w/ him. My understanding was they had security do it. And this guy had a moderate TBI when they hired him.
Classy.
Real classy… like APL classy.
It is getting hard to determine which charities are legit. I’m down to Soldiers Angels and Fisher House. Paws for Purple Hearts out of Colorado Springs sounds good, but you can’t get a pie chart from them.
Salvation Army. Overhead practically zero. When the hood gets hit by hurricanes, the Salvation Army is first to arrive and last to leave. Red Cross does a photo op drive-by.
Word.
My best friends wife is an RN who volunteers for the Red Cross. She spent a lot of time in a lot of beat-up places in the states setting up and running refugee centers and distributing food and water and credit cards. I didn’t go with her but I know that she spent months in disaster areas in the central and southeastern US – she lives about 10 miles from Ft Bragg. Her expenses are covered up to a limit but she doesn’t get paid anything.
Just look at how they pay their top echelon. The Red Cross has a Board of Directors, all of which enjoy a six digit salary. Last I heard The Commanding General of the Salvation Army drew a whopping $33,000 a year salary. I donate to the SA without a second thought, I’ve heard one account after another about how they’re already on the ground up and running in a disaster area before the Red Cross even arrives!
Word.
http://www.give.org/charity-reviews/national/religious/salvation-army-national-corporation-in-alexandria-va-1221
The National Commander of the Salvation Army makes a little over $130K yearly. They do great work. Interestingly, they spend 82 cents per dollar on programs, while ARC and United Way spend around 90. Also of note is that United Way gives the Salvation Army around $72 million per year according to the SA financial report.
Remember the CFC – and the brochure they published, listing the charities to whom you could allocate your contributions?
They still do that. And the brochure still also lists the percentage of funds that the various charities spend on overhead and admin expenses.
The brochures are now generally available in PDF via the internet, and anyone can download them. They’re a pretty good tool for anyone who wants a “quick and dirty” check on a charity to which they’re thinking about giving some $$$.
Might be a good thing get each fall, during CFC season. Won’t be perfect, but it can’t hurt.
A couple of guys from my unit started a charity called Operation Climb On (shameless plug http://www.operationclimbon.org/). Right now, all the operating expenses come from the founding members, is a labor of love working it’s way to becoming a nonprofit. They are legit, and trying to get into the CFC.
WWP is like the Komen foundation of veterans support groups. The brand is everyplace and it’s on things that make you question how much is actually going to the organization or was it a branding decision to look good to consumers
Poignant article. I went to my HR last week about being more proactive in hiring Vets after I had a follow up meeting with Veterans charity that I have been involved with.
Also, here are the articles that spurred me into taking action: http://enr.construction.com/people/awards/2015/0420-Industry-Firms-Seeking-Vets.asp and http://enr.construction.com/people/awards/2015/0420-enr-2015-award-of-excellence-ht-tran-is-an-inspired-ceo.asp
I’d also like to create a direct channel into getting employment info to Vets who are transitioning.
I’ve been giving $19 a month for umpteen years but am beginning to think it’s time for a change. PVA, DAV, MOPH,(except I’m just a little pissed at them right now to say the least.), even Shriners Children’s hospital are now all in my sights. They are so self sufficient now, it’s time for a change. I understand you have to have someone who really knows what they are doing to run an organization of this size and to make it what it is today. You’re not going to generally find someone to do that for free, but, not knowing exactly what the truth is, I’ll just pick someone new to get the money. Just a few too many stories going around and to find the most severely wounded aren’t the norm is a bit upsetting. But then…there are those damn commercials and how we were treated in the 60’s and 70’s, and my heart breaks.
Pissed at MOPH?
Green Thumb, I received an email/letter from them stating our position on The Purple Heart for military killed by McVeigh and company. They are against it as they were Ft. Hood wounded and killed. My whole chapter which includes a real POW from Vietnam has fired back at them. I sent the info to Jonn who may post it. He’s contacting the National Adjutant, whom he knows.
Roger that.
One would think that WWP would be happy that legitimate charities which help Veterans use what WWP’s legal beagles regard as similar-sounding names and similar-looking logos. After all, if they are legitimate, they’re helping Veterans too! But one would be very wrong, according to the linked article. And that’s sad.
I don’t even know what all of the WWP help consists of for Veterans. I visited the website and it’s full of what I see as garbage–quotes from grateful Veterans, for instance, who are not identified by name. What do they do, aside from distribute backpacks to servicemen in trauma centers? Do they provide medical equipment that the VA doesn’t? What is it that they do, aside from raising money? Anyone?
Not much anymore. They used have hunting and fishing outings and stuff like that to get guys out of the hospital and enjoy a day away. They started with good intentions but basically morphed into a corporation and nothing else. They’ve taken the term “wounded warrior” and basically used it to encompass any swinging dick that put on a uniform. They’re a for-profit non-profit. Do not give them your hard earned dollars. These guys are just as bad as shitbag Paul Rieckhoff.
Thanks. That “non-profit” label is misunderstood by many people. It’s merely a tax status and has nothing whatsoever to do with what corporate officers and employees are paid. That’s always been a pet peeve of mine, that so many charities use that knowing damn well many people mistakenly think that non-profit is inherently good or that it’s a Good Housekeeping seal of approval or some such thing.
I felt they had a credibility challenge after the firearms kerfuffle.
http://www.examiner.com/article/wounded-warrior-project-faces-fallout-after-snubbing-gun-talk
Looks like WWP is based on the AER (Army Emergency Relief). Its takes in a lot more than it gives out and sits on it.
WHO SAY”S THAT CHARITY STARTS AT HOME. I sometime wonder if we don’t give out each month more then we take in. Being on a fixed income make it kinda hard to say yes to everyone that comes knocking at your door for a donation, so here in our home we’ve learned to draw the line. Myself I have given to both the Purple Heart Association, and the DAV, and nothing eles. Until such time as someone can prove to me that the WWP is all it claims to be I will stay with my choice, lets not leav’e out the Cookies from our Girl Scouts.
Sam
None of this is surprising to me. For my master’s thesis- I did some pro bono communications work for a Washington DC-based VSO, one of the longer-established and recognized organizations out there. They were guilty of a lot of things- inefficiency, compartmentalization of divisions so that the left hand wasn’t talking to the right, outmoded, stale thinking and marketing…and much more. But what the VSO *did* have was infrastructure and programs to help their veteran members and constituents and they had a good system for providing that healthcare and support to the people who needed it. It wasn’t perfect, but based on polling, fewer than 2 in 10 at 1 military installation near D.C. had even heard of them, whereas WWP was more than 9 out 10. From my research into WWP- I was not only astounded at the effectiveness of their branding and marketing strategy, but at the absolute dearth of programs they had to back up their national message. Based on what I found, they outsourced a lot of their “help” to other VSOs, clinics and facilities- then claimed credit for providing services to wounded warriors and veterans in need. Based on my analysis (now nearly 4 years old and outdated) WWP showed no real impetus to build the infrastructure and programs to become a self-sustaining outfit capable of handling the needs of its members in house. And why should they? When you can refer folks elsewhere, pay a minimum of expenses in the process, and then claim victory with a marketing machine (it’s hella impressive) on steroids to write the best narrative, you can claim victory and high-five on the O-B-J all the way to the bank. Charity Navigator and Guidestar had the same issues in terms of income versus money paid out to veterans/programs with them back then and not much has changed, so what does that tell you? They’re not building a self-sustaining VSO, but are an effective marketing outfit that can claim a lot of success through the use of their notable brand, but essentially lets others do the heavy lifting by their own… Read more »
The business model which includes: If you want to do a fundraiser for them, you have to pay them a registration fee upfront. I had heard a couple years ago it was $150. But I looked at their website now and it is $25. Whether they lowered it, or whether that $150 I heard included extra WWP materials being purchased, I don’t know.
I avoid supporting them and have ever since the scandals revolving around them started a few years ago. The ONLH charitable organization I still support is the USO. I don’t think there is any organization that does more to support ALL servicemen and women out there. Every CFC I renew my allotment to them and every time I have an occassion to visit one while traveling, I always donate there as well.
I can’t be the only vet that can’t stand their victim tv ads that seemingly run non stop on cable am I? They exploit the Fuck out of veterans and heaven Fucking forbid you don’t know a veteran you’d think they are broken husks left to rot in the street unless you donate money every month to this charity business.
These people are in the charity business and that business exploded on the backs of veterans over the decade. Shit makes me want to flip tables.
Thankfully there are a lot of good charities out there working with vets that do some great work and on a voluntary basis. I have done a lot of work with SUDS (Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba) and they have done some great work and always highly rewarding to see them hit the water. All things are equal underwater.
WWP is also the organisation that refused to be associated with hunting and shooting projects for injured vets. Tom Gresham of ‘Gun Talk Radio’ had them on last year to explain themselves and they came across as complete assholes.
Oops, 2 1/2 years ago. Time flies….
Email exchange trying to set up the interview:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/gun-talk/wounded-warrior-project-email-exchange/10151354082553313
Announcement of the aranged interview:
http://www.guntalk.com/site.php?pageID=15&newsID=464
The podcasts of the interview and follow-on discussions with other people (list starts chronologically from the bottom):
http://guntalk.libsyn.com/webpage?search=Wounded+Warrior&Submit=Search
Additional analysis/commentary:
http://www.professionaloutdoormedia.org/node/7384
http://www.ammoland.com/2012/11/wounded-warrior-project-is-anti-gun/#axzz3ZQxheFCa
http://www.examiner.com/article/wounded-warrior-project-stirs-debate-controversy-with-anti-gun-stance
With a court ruling like this, its an example of what’s wrong with the court system.
If he truly had the moniker Wounded Warrior first, then that just makes me wonder how many millions of dollars WWP spent on lawyers to fight this one in court.
“Court isn’t about who tells the truth anymore, its about who tells the best lies.”