Wounded Warrior Project a Scam?

I have a hard time understanding how people don't understand what it takes to run an operation of this size. I have personally benefited a few times from WWP. I have a gym membership and have been on events here in the County courtesy of the WWP. If you think that there is no overhead in growing these organizations your sadly mistaken. I have served on the board of a few Not for Profit organizations and I prepare 990's for a a few more. The 57% split is not too bad for a organization with growth goals.
The real issue from this article is the WWP brand. If someone has anything related to the image portrayed by the brand of the WWP then people think it is that organization. So if WWP is spending $100,000 on advertising in that one area and a similar organization has a logo that is close to or a name that is close then people give to them vice WWP who spent the advertising. Therefore lowering the amount of money going toward the veterans because the other non profits also have overhead and effecting WWP's overhead to donation percentage. I see nothing wrong with WWP protecting the brand, the lawyer sending out a cease and desist letter or making a call fits the bill. If you want to complain then take it to the organizations that are using similar logos then fighting about it hence causing everyone more grief, kind of reminds me of my ex-wife.

Sounds like it...

SPC Jan Allbright, M.Sc., R.S. this is really sad to read. It looks like Walgreens taking out of business the small community pharmacies.

Troubling!

Wounded Warrior' Charity Unleashes Hell-On Other Veteran Groups

Are they here to help our wounded warriors or themselves. I haven't attended any of their events or programs. I know they have helped some of our warriors, the articles I see state that they are spending more on the organization members than the wounded warriors. This article seems like they are lawsuit happy and pushing smaller groups out that want to help wounded warriors also.

Isn't there enough room for many groups to assist our veterans across the nation? Maybe the Armed Forces should sue them for using "Wounded Warrior" since it started there and long before WWP was around?

My decision is based on nothing more than personal interaction. At one time i was considering donating and I contacted the organization to get some info. The individual asked me for my name etc., which I provided. Imagine my surprise, when several weeks later, while doing some further checking and I found my name on their site listing me (name and I think town) as a satisfied customer and donor. It took a direct threat from my attorney to get that removed. Turns out I wasn't the only one with that issue.

Let's just say this: WWP is no longer on my radar.

'Nuff said.

I have found the Wounded Warrior Project very helpful. WWP has helped my family and I in many situations that I could find no help elsewhere. They might be under attack, but I know they have helped many soldiers, me being one of them. The problem I can see is the WWP has grown too big with no sound leadership to grow with it. The NPO's are making a big mistake in my opinion by spending so much on merchandise. If a charity is doing their job, their actions will speak louder than words, or merchandise for that matter. I would also like to mention that I only see the negative reviews. What about the positive reviews? I know the title says it all, but when people post things like this I would like to see unbiased reporting that includes both sides of the argument in totality. This allows the readers to look at the issue from a more logical perspective, and make a more informed decision. That is my take on this.

David Shaffer

It's a sad situation. They have done so much good for so many Veterans. At best they have some procedural issues n finance and accounting if not out right misuse of monies. I am the founding Director of a 501 (c) (3) providing training to Veterans, First Responders and Victims of Violent Crimes service dog teams. Ethics is everything when asking groups to donate. It's very difficult and we spend a lot of time making sure that we handle finances properly. It is my hope that WWP will come out of this and be able to continue their mission with proper controls in place.

I've heard so much controversy about WWP. I don't know which end is up on this subject. I've heard it began as a serious charity project which supported wounded warriors in various ways. I've heard it keeps most of the donations to pay salaries, expenses, and advertisements. So, what's the real skinny on this charity's?


I Got This from Wikipedia

Charity ratings
The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance has accredited WWP as meeting the 20 standards for charity accountability.[24] According to Charity Navigator, WWP allocates 55 percent of its revenue to program expenses and 44.8 percent to fundraising and administrative expenses.[25] WWP received a “D” rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy, C+ by Charity Watch, and "three out of four stars" from Charity Navigator.[26] Although WWP received a “D” rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy, partly due to the small amount of donations that go to wounded veterans, and the fact that the majority of money donated goes to fundraising, salaries, consulting and outside services, meetings and events, and travel. "Depending on the rater, the Wounded Warriors Project seems to have scored low (Charity Watch), high (BBB Wise Giving Alliance) or somewhere in the middle (Charity Navigator)."[26]

I prefer the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. It's good to compare charities.
WWP
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12842#.VRCOMNLF_8k
SFF
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=11708#.VRCOb9LF_8k