During this Veterans and Holiday Season, please let me make

Nov 10, 2015, 7:56 AM

a suggestion:

DO NOT donate to the Wounded Warrior Project.

I've seen countless cases of this organization NOT supporting injured veterans, but instead sending out apparel with their logo for self advertisement. They've even gone as far as sending a double amputee (both legs) socks with their well-known WWP logo on it. They are so concentrated on advertising and fundraising, that they forget what they're fundraising for!

Note:
-They only spend 58% of their donations ON wounded veterans programs. Some of which are athletic events with their logos plastered all over apparel, signs, and equipment (See Nike and Under Armour).

-The charity has been criticized for its salaries, with 10 employees earning $150,000 or more. Chief executive Steve Nardizzi, whose total compensation was about $330,000 last year, said salaries are in line with similarly sized organizations.

-Charity Watch gave Wounded Warrior a "C+" grade, up from a "D" two years ago, based on the amounts spent on programs and fundraising.

-On Charity Navigator, they've received only 3 out of 4 stars (including a financial score of only 78.49), as opposed to many veterans' charities receiving 4 stars (ie. Semper Fi Fund, Fisher House Foundation, Homes for Our Troops, Honor Flight Network, Hope for the Warriors, Mercy Medical Angels, etc.) and higher financial scores (the Semper Fi Fund has a financial score of 96.77).

-I've worked directly with the Semper Fi Fund many times. If you remember last year for Military Appreciation Day, we had 3 wounded Marines honored during the game (1 single-leg amputee, 1 double-leg amputee, and 1 who was shot in the face while serving in Helmand Province, Afghanistan). The Semper Fi Fund paid for their flights/gas to Clemson (from Boston, St. Louis, and Gainesville, GA), their hotel accommodations in downtown Greenville, their food while they were here, and their caretakers' trip as well.

Resources outlining the Wounded Warrior Project's inefficiencies and lack of focus on their stated mission:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/wounded-warrior-project-spends-58-of-donations-on-veterans-programs/2132493

http://bulletsfirst.net/2014/12/30/stop-donating-wounded-warrior-project-theyre-fraud/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/26/wounded-warriors-project-under-fire.html

Also, here's a direct story with a run-in with their company:
Courtney Leigh Schumacher
November 3 at 2:06am · Instagram ·

Dear Wounded Warrior Project,
Please stop sending us merchandise. We do not want the hats, stickers, magnets, clothing and backpacks you send us throughout the year. I don't understand how you have the funds for these items, yet you can't help the countless Veterans who need it. You can show us your programs and have a few Veterans testify for you, but it means nothing. I'm not a person who read a negative article about you and is now deciding to speak out. I am a caregiver who approached you in my time of need and I was told no. I was 3 weeks away from delivering our second son when my husband was injured. I flew from California to Bethesda to be by his side. I asked for baby items and assistance with travel for our immediate family so I could recover. I was told no. These were two of my dozen of requests that were all denied. I asked then what can help us with and you said "whatever you need." Merchandise was the only thing we have ever received from you. Fortunately for us, an organization did support us and fulfilled our needs. They gave us a swing and a pack n play for my husbands hospital room so I could continue his care. They flew our family out in time for the birth and flew out our oldest son,who was 4, across the country to spend Christmas with us. This organization was the Semper Fi Fund. I will be sending an email today to be removed from your mailing list. I hate to see anymore of your donor's funds wasted. Sincerly, the caregiver of a triple amputee. @wwp @semperfifund ?#?wwpgear? ?#?woundedwarriorproject? ?#?semperfifund

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

During this Veterans and Holiday Season, please let me make

ThX & You Sir "are" #1 as is our Clemson Team! ??

Thanks for the info. One of my favorites is

Thanks! I'm going to check into them.***

Sir, Amen to that. 3/5 thanks you, trust me

TigerBoard POTD