'Wounded Warrior’ Charity Unleashes Hell—On Other Veteran Groups

The Daily Beast ^ | 5-4-15 | Tim Mak

[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.

[Unruly Human]

Yes

[Jumper]

You are correct and I stand corrected:)

[Prince of Space]

Let’s just Say a Prayer for Peace and hopefully everyone can get along. Most.Annoying.Song.Ever.

[C. Edmund Wright]

I think you’re right...I checked into Salvation Army, and what he said was not accurate.

[C. Edmund Wright]

yes, I checked after Jumper’s post, and I found out it cannot be SA he’s talking about. Goodwill might be the one.

[antidisestablishment]

Yep. WW is a farce. There are many good veterans' charities:

Charity Navigator

[onedoug]

I donated about 15,000 air miles I’d accumulated to WWP - which may not seem like a lot, but it was to me - and never heard word one from them.

[trebb]

Not enough data to really decide anything. There are a lot of "charities/fundraisers" that play off wording and which have not much to do with what they call themselves. Down in S. MS, there was a long-running organization that sent stickers with a sheriff's star on them and which asked for donations to support the local sheriffs - it turns out they were a sham and donated a minimal amount of their take to the sheriffs so they could keep on a facade of legitimacy.

If the other folks are actually supporting the wounded warriors, I would be happy that someone else is helping - if they are scams, then it is right to sue them.