The statement also said apreliminary financial audit found that some policies, procedures and controls at WWP have not kept pace with the organizations rapid growth in recent years and are in need of strengthening.. Charity Navigator, which rates thousands of charities, based on how . The organization has previously been criticized for touting a wide network of veteran members, many of whom were inactive and had received few or no services from Wounded Warrior Project. But, as it turned out, reports of the death of Wounded Warrior Project have been greatly exaggerated. I have met over 1,000 soldiers and their caregivers whose lives have been positively affected by the organization. While the organization keeps a rating of three out of four stars, the numerical score reflects marginal improvements in program expense growth, Magdalena Kurnyta, a Charity Navigator associate program analyst, told Military.com. Since 2009, the group raised nearly $1 billion. Employees say Mr. Nardizzi vanished from view, refusing to talk to the news media, stopping his weekly addresses to the staff, and even disappearing from the halls of the groups offices. The veterans' service organization called Wounded Warrior Project has just fired two top executives, CEO Steven Nardizzi and COO Al Giordano. The nonprofit sector provides social services that governments cant or wont, including providing food, shelter and free higher education to the poor. The Wounded Warrior Project is working to rebuild trust with its donors and veterans. The annual surveys of the wounded warriors the organization serves help direct its focus, Linnington says. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital He didnt want to leave, but it was obvious something was going to happen, Ms. Melia said. Eighteen former employees many of them wounded veterans themselves said they had been fired for seemingly minor missteps or perceived insubordination. He said that the organization regularly followed up with veterans who receive Wounded Warrior Project services and that the vast majority reported having good experiences. Can we corroborate the information? The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Mr. Odierno said the board took issue with cultural and policy findings as well as financial issues when deciding to replace the organizations top leaders. Army Staff Sergeant Erick Millette, who returned from Iraq in 2006 with a bronze star and a purple heart, told CBS News at the time he admired the charitys work and took a job with the group in 2014 but quit after two years. They wanted me to say W.W.P. The metrics were intended to improve efficiency and help fund-raising. We knew VVA had done pioneering work on Agent Orange, so we created a collaborative grant to pair them with TAPS to start gathering data on [toxic exposure] and to help ensure trans-generational knowledge transfer from the Vietnam-era generation of veterans to today's post-9/11 generation.". Besides devastating both donors and wounded veterans, this news could undercut public support for the nonprofit sector as a whole. 5. Who does Wounded Warrior Project serve? Another response would be for our candidates, who are battling about which countries to send troops to, to have a public conversation about the price our troops will pay and how they will be helped. Legal Statement. He merely notes that "a lot of what was reported was incorrect," and that, in particular, the reported costs of travel and amenities at all-hands events were far overblown. Anyone can read what you share. Mr. Nardizzi fought back. We put warriors on a pedestal and the nation wrapped its arms around that concept.. Two great sources to check are: The Better Business Bureau's Give.org charity guide (you can also access it through bbb.org ). About 40 percent of the organizations donations in 2014 were spent on its overhead, or about $124 million, according to the charity-rating group Charity Navigator. In an interview Friday, he said donations had fallen, but declined to say by how much. It was like he had been kidnapped, said one employee who did not want to speak publicly because she feared being fired. Re Helping Veterans Recover, Spending Lavishly on Itself (front page, Jan. 28): I was saddened to read of the wasteful spending at the Wounded Warrior Project. You do not reflect the sentiments of the more than 80,000 wounded soldiers we have helped, focusing instead on a few malcontents. All rights reserved. But he acknowledged that was likely a function of WWP's phenomenally rapid growth and expansion. Mr. Chick, who was fired in 2012 after a dispute with his supervisor, said he saw the Wounded Warrior Project help hundreds of veterans. Veterans organizations in the United States often reflect the era in which they were created: After World War I, they resembled fraternal orders. "We wrap our arms around those that want to help veterans now, versus looking to protect our brand at every inch and ounce of measure," he said. On Tuesday, CBS News ran a story about the Wounded Warrior Project, claiming to have interviewed over 40 former employees who stated that spending was out of control at the organization. John Melia founded the Wounded Warrior Project in 2003 but left in 2009. Linnington said the organization is also making a point to be part of conversations involving the "Big Six" -- the congressionally chartered veterans service organizations including American Legion and VFW -- and to be present for regular convenings with the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Grants to veterans'. But what of the veterans in need? Notably, at its lowest point following the whistleblower reports and leadership churn, WWP's funding still dwarfed that of virtually every other organization in the space. Since its inception in 2003 as a basement operation handing out backpacks to wounded veterans, the charity has evolved into a fund-raising giant, taking in more than $372 million in 2015 largely through small donations from people over 65. It operates as a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. Your article zoned in on some disgruntled former employees rather than the roughly 500 staff members who work tirelessly to honor and empower our wounded. A report on spending scandal exposed by News4Jax and national media outlets in January blames the Wounded Warrior Project's board, former employees who spoke about the charity's spending practices . With millions of good Samaritans regularly donating a portion of their paycheck to good causes, charities are booming unfortunately, not all of the money going into them is coming out the way we think. That's a pretty significant drop in a short period of time," he said. " Staying at a lavish hotel at the beach here in Jacksonville, and requiring staff that lives in the area to stay at the hotel is not team building," he told CBS News. He's come in on a Segway, he's come in on a horse, one employee told CBS News. And it did not appear to prioritize collaboration with other veterans' organizations, taking criticism for relatively small grants it made to support other groups and for passing up opportunities to join forces for advocacy and shared knowledge. As WWP has worked to become more collaborative with other organizations, Linnington indicated it has also pulled back from the aggressively protective posture regarding brand and logo that drew criticism in the past. Already, more than $6.9 million in grants has been awarded for this fiscal year. The departure of two top executives, CEO Steven Nardizzi and COO Al Giordano comes at a time when the wounded veteran-focused organization is awash in controversy amid news reports accusing the . "It's the best use of donor dollars to ensure we are providing programs and services to our warriors and families at the highest quality," he said. This claim is false. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. When the Wounded Warrior Project was hit in January with multiple accusations in the news media of lavish spending on travel, conferences and public relations, and a toxic corporate culture, Fred Kane, one of its major fund-raisers, was stunned by the organizations response. March 11, 2016 When the Wounded Warrior Project was hit in January with multiple accusations in the news media of lavish spending on travel, conferences and public relations, and a toxic. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. I would fly to New York for less than a day to report to my supervisor.. And sometimes those employees are veterans.. Also around that time, the group hired the global public relations firm Edelman, which has represented Starbucks, Walmart, Shell and Philip Morris, to improve public perception of the charity and its overhead spending. I wasnt speaking anywhere unless I was collecting a check, said Mr. Millette, who worked for the program for about two years, until he left in 2014. The real tragedy of this scandal is the impact it will have on donors willingness to give to the many worthwhile and more frugal organizations helping our veterans. The two top executives of the Wounded Warrior Project among the largest veterans charities in the country were fired Thursday after an investigation into accusations of lavish spending on parties, hotel and travel, according to a statement released on behalf of the embattled organization. The spending began to attract attention. But, he says, he doesn't regret what he did; he still believes his assessment of WWP at the time was accurate and his intervention necessary. The charity recently pledged to raise $500 million for a trust to fund lifetime supplemental health care for severely wounded veterans. That's because they include some promotional items, direct response advertising, and shipping and postage. just hours before the New York Times ran a story about the . The groups founder, a wounded Marine named John Melia, announced late Friday that he was interested in returning to the organization, which he left in 2009 after a dispute with Mr. Nardizzi and Mr. Giordano. It did not dispute findings reported by The Times, including that the organization had fired a number of wounded veterans with little cause. Wounded Warrior Project Spends Lavishly on Itself, Insiders Say 1244 William Chick, who was fired from the Wounded Warrior Project in 2012 after a dispute with his supervisor. Instead, meta-charities receive funding from donors who appreciate the services these organizations provide, allowing meta-charities to stay objective. Do the sources know the information? It is perfectly reasonable to hold Wounded Warrior or any other organization nonprofit, for-profit or governmental accountable for lavish spending or gaming its own metrics. His tweets and Facebook posts stopped. In 2007, the scandalous treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center shocked the nation. Mr. Longoria said after he was fired, he fell into depression but was also relieved. Wounded Warrior Project rocked by fundraising scandal Wounded Warrior Project probed for lavish spending while vets suffer The U.S. Attorney's Office in Indiana has brought charges. Today, after major reforms, what has changed for Americas injured soldiers? Jan 26, 2023. Mr. Millette said the charity encouraged him to highlight its role in helping him recover from PTSD and traumatic brain injury. It got under my skin, started eating at me, he said. The Wounded Warrior Project, WWP, is a not-for-profit charity that aims to assist wounded veterans with their needs. In an effort to narrow its focus, WWP has dropped some efforts in favor of supporting other organizations that specialize. 3. Suddenly, a spotlight focused on a 10-story bell tower where the chief executive, Steven Nardizzi, stepped off the edge and rappelled toward the cheering crowd. William Chick, a former supervisor, spent five years with the Wounded Warrior Project. "Four years ago, I would have told you to keep your money in your pocket and take it somewhere else," he said. Andy Newman/Florida Keys News Bureau, via Associated Press. Although detailed defenses of Wounded Warrior Project have been mounted -- including a lengthy independent report from nonprofit expert Doug White, published in September 2016 -- Linnington spends little time trying to relitigate the past.