Posted on 05/04/2015 4:12:12 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
What happens when a non-profit that was started to help veterans becomes the neighborhood bully?
For a charity supposedly devoted to helping veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project spends an enormous amount of time suing or threatening to sue small non-profits—spending resources on litigation that could otherwise be spent on the vets they profess to serve.
At issue is the Wounded Warrior Project’s brand: the charity has become particularly litigious over the use of the phrase ‘wounded warrior’ or logos that involve silhouetted soldiers. At least seven such charities have discussed their legal problems with The Daily Beast.
The Wounded Warrior Project has become, in the words of those they’ve targeted for legal action, a “bully,” more concerned about their image and increasing the size of the organization than actually providing services to wounded warriors.
“They do try to bully smaller organizations like ourselves... They get really territorial about fundraising,” said the president of one charity with the name “wounded warrior” in their title.
He asked to remain anonymous out of fear that the Wounded Warrior Project would launch legal action against his group if he spoke out. His group hasn’t been sued, but he said individuals from the WWP had pressured him to change their name. “They’re so huge. We don’t have the staying power if they come after us—you just can’t fight them.”
The Wounded Warrior Project’s latest target is the Keystone Wounded Warriors, a small, all-volunteer charity based in Pennsylvania.
How small? Keystone Wounded Warriors had a total annual revenue of just over $200,000 as recently as 2013. That’s less than the $375,000 that Wounded Warrior Project executive director Steven Nardizzi was personally paid in 2013.
Try calling your dating website “Match” anything and see what happens.
less than the $375,000 that Wounded Warrior Project executive director Steven Nardizzi was personally paid in 2013///
wt#!!!! why isn’t a veteran with financial experience in this position. One that wouldn’t steal almost 400k!! unless he’s doing that great of a job!!
I don’t think Match poses as a charity....
Where did I say that it did?
Have you seen some of the girls on there?!
Isn’t this the group that Tom Gresham had that fight with last year?
you didn’t say that - but you did imply it was a valid comparison.....
HAH....no, just the commercials on TV....
Perhaps in your mind. I was speaking to companies protecting their brands. That’s it.
Thanks.
I understand that - but the “Wounded Warriors” are supposed to be about wounded warriors, not their brand. That’s the major difference between a charity and a free market business.
Match does not pretend to be anything other than a for profit entity. WW does.
It’s still a brand. I don’t like that they’re going after other veterans groups, of course, but that is what it’s about, IMO. Any spare change I have goes to the Salvation Army, which I know from experience is a real charity.
The way to fight this tactic is to pool resources to hire the best pit bull defense lawyer that money can buy. This, of course, would require cooperation for the mutual good — something that we on the right sometimes have trouble doing.
Wounded Warrior Project...’not for profit’ profiteers.
They use pity to fill their coffers.
I was on there 7 months and I almost didn’t see any.
We’ll have to disagree on it being a brand per se then - in the sense of a private company being a brand.
And if you took the wording from their TV ads - read over them - and then contemplated that they are suing other groups? It’s despicable. When Match sues other companies, it may be bullying a little bit, but it’s not despicable.
And yes, I think Salvation Army is a pretty clean charity.
Jest you do, me thinks, in regards to the charity status of the Salvation Army. We were recently treated to a expose unveiling that the “owner” pulls in 17-million in 2012 and has never be charitable to anyone other than his self.
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