Home » Wounded Warrior Project Responded to My Exposing Their Profits and so did I
Wounded Warrior Project® was “made aware” of my ‘blog post’ and apparently wanted me to go to their site for information.
Furthermore, they seemed somewhat perturbed that other websites containing “offensive content” that they “questioned their credibility as news sources” had picked up my ‘blog post’.
You will find a complete copy of the comment they left for me and my response below. It amazes me that they will leave a Vice-Presidential Candidate abandoned in their lobby, but will respond to an unknown blogger.
I would love to know the name of the lawyer who was assigned to write this response, apparently, everyone there is just “Wounded Warrior Project®”.
“Brandi,
We have been made aware of your blog post regarding some of our financials and we wanted to take a moment to respond. Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is proud of our organization, and as you point out, we are transparent in all of our accounting. Compensation for our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer are set following IRS rules and are determined by an independent compensation committee of the Board of Directors. They look at comparison data from other nonprofits that are of like size and scope, industry wide surveys, and our annual performance to determine appropriate salary levels. Our salaries are consistent with industry standards.
Wounded Warrior Project leads the industry in reporting publicly on the effectiveness of our programs. The “Mission” section on our website includes easy to read program metrics and statistics. This is a great visual resource showcasing the impact our programs and services have on the wounded veterans and families we serve. To see the impact we are making please visit: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission/who-we-serve.aspx.
Recently, we announced a commitment of $100 million to our Warrior Care Network™, a new and innovative initiative that partners WWP with some of the best academic medical centers in the nation and ensures that injured veterans receive the best mental health care at no cost, and a commitment of over $90 million to our Long-Term Support Programs, to cover both immediate and long-term care needs of this generation’s most seriously injured veterans, who without this funding are most at risk for institutionalization.
Unfortunately your blog post has been picked up by other websites that contain offensive content and we question their credibility as news sources. We strongly encourage everyone to research the source of “information” they find on the internet. We seek to provide those who request facts with the facts–all of which can be found on our website:http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/mission/financials.aspx.
(my emphasis added)Thank you for your time.
Wounded Warrior Project”
My very simple and direct reply is as follows:
To Whom It May Concern:
#1- I ONLY used your financial statements in my article and once it is out on the internet, it is free to be picked up by whomever wants to use it, regardless of their credibility in your eyes. That is beyond my control, therefore, I do not worry about it.
#2- What about the lawsuits against other Veterans’ Charities? I notice you failed to mention that.
#3- I do my research, which is why I went straight for your IRS reports. Moreover, I had an experienced Non-Profit accountant review my article before publishing.
#4- So PROFITS are par for the course with industry standards?
#5- I also checked your ratings on Charity Watch and Charity Navigator, there are better, more efficient Veterans’ charities to donate to, in my humble opinion.
#6- I am glad you launched your Warrior Care Network on June 2, 2015 and will reserve judgement on the project until after I see next year’s tax filings and can compare your profit margin to your success rates of helping these Veterans.
#7- Do you always abandon Vice-Presidential Candidates in your lobby or just third party candidates? The next time a Veterans’ Party of America member graces your lobby, have the common courtesy of leaving your “all day long meetings” and do the ‘meet, greet and tour.’ You were disrespecting a disabled Veteran.
Sincerely,
Brandi N. Kay
P.S. Next time you address me, it is Miss Kay.
#IAMSOMEONE
