wounded warrior scandal new york times

The organization has also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years on public relations and lobbying campaigns to deflect criticism of its spending and to fight legislative efforts to restrict how much nonprofits spend on overhead. 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. Its founder, John Melia, was a Marine veteran who had been injured in a helicopter crash off the coast of Somalia in 1992. As he told Retro Report: It just missed the bridge of my nose and exited over my left ear. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! (Linnington said more than 72% of WWP spending currently goes toward programs.). 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. There are fresh concerns that public support for ongoing military assistance may be waning. Kaine, in the recent interview, also questioned Nardizzis apparent public absence while his organization has been under scrutiny. Besides devastating both donors and wounded veterans, this news could undercut public support for the nonprofit sector as a whole. The organization fired Mr. Chick later the same day for insubordination. Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. January 27, 2016 / 8:32 PM / CBS News. The charity came under fire after an earlier CBS News investigation in January revealed large amounts of spending on administration, meetings, and travel. It said that 94 percent of the travel spending was associated with program services delivered to Wounded Warriors and their families. It noted that the retreat at the Broadmoor cost about $1 million, not $3 million as CBS News had reported. His tweets and Facebook posts stopped. The New York Times' recent investigation into the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) has sent rumbles throughout through the philanthropy community. For Linnington, the mission when he arrived at Wounded Warrior Project was not about exoneration; it was about regaining the lost trust of the veterans the organization was founded to serve. He said you better do this or you are going to look disloyal to the organization, Mr. Chick said. 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. "That report also made clear that the Wounded Warrior Project had made some positive steps to regain the public's trust. 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. In news media accounts and at a Congressional hearing, the No. Do the sources know the information? 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. The writer is head of investments and partnerships for the Forest Stewardship Council. "He rappelled down the side of a building at one of the all hands events. The most recent financial report on Wounded Warrior's web site shows $372 million in donations for the 2014-15 fiscal year. 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. More than 6 out of 10 (64.2%) WWP-registered Alumni say they. After Jesse Longoria recovered from a roadside bomb blast that nearly killed him in Iraq, he got a job with the organization training veterans to help other veterans. "The report I issued on spending at the Wounded Warrior Project highlighted a number of concerns that needed to be addressed," he said in a statement. The veterans' service organization called Wounded Warrior Project has just fired two top executives, CEO Steven Nardizzi and COO Al Giordano. According to data provided by Plenzler, a 2018 study on the organization's reputation within the veterans service organization community found that 83% of participants considered WWP a respected part of the military and veterans nonprofit space, up from just 13% in 2017. As a result, some philanthropic watchdog groups have criticized the Wounded Warrior Project for spending too heavily on itself. He said he was now interested in returning. IN JANUARY, when I wrote about a publisher's creative team-up involving Wounded Warrior . These organizations have always been known to spend very little on anything but the veterans and their families, and the general public will now be terribly suspicious and wary. But along with the money came charges of excess. I would push back and they would get very frustrated and yell. But people close to the organization also say that, as WWP expanded from a tiny organization distributing free backpacks to wounded veterans in the early 2000s to become one of the most well resourced and influential veterans organizations within a decade, it generated more than its share of ill will. Several Effective Altruist organizations, including The Life You Can Save and GiveWell, provide information to donors about the impact of various charities addressing global poverty. 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In fact, they are one of the largest programs out there for wounded veterans. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, The Wounded Warrior Project Scandal Should Encourage More Philanthropy. We must also pressure nonprofits to be transparent about their activities and finances and measure the impact of their work. "Wounded Warrior Project helped me reclaim my life," one reads, over a photo of single-amputee wounded veteran Sean Karpf, smiling proudly. Former employees said they questioned the charitys focus on money and marketing techniques. Two former employees, who were so fearful of retaliation they asked that CBS News not show their faces on camera, said spending has skyrocketed since Steven Nardizzi took over as CEO in 2009, pointing to the 2014 annual meeting at a luxury resort in Colorado Springs. Former staff members said they had less time to develop therapeutic programs and so relied on giving veterans tickets to concerts and sporting events. In an effort to narrow its focus, WWP has dropped some efforts in favor of supporting other organizations that specialize. 4. They were celebrating their biggest year yet: $225 million raised and a work force that had nearly doubled. Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, an outspoken accountability advocate who oversaw a Senate probe into WWP released in 2017, struck a hopeful note in a statement to Military.com. Many Americans gave their trust and donated their money to this nonprofitto the tune of more than $372 million in 2015. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. But after recent tax forms reflected questionable spending by the veterans charity on staff expenditures, including $26 million on conferences and meetings at luxury hotels in 2014 alone, Fred Kane called for Nardizzi to be fired.The expenditure on conferences and travel was up from just $1.7 million in 2010, according to reports. But once they became outpatients, thousands of service members entered a system that had not kept up with the times, that was understaffed, poorly organized and generally second rate. The ousted Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Wounded Warrior Project are finding relief in a new independent report on the allegations against the military charity . He was not in the room at the time but was held responsible for the fight, his boss at the time, Mr. Chick, said in an interview. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. By the time I left, we were just throwing guys in jobs to check off a box and hit the numbers.. After Public Crisis and Fall from Grace, Wounded . On the ratings service Charity Navigator, the Wounded Warriors Project earns an overall score of 84.5 out of 100, good for three stars. See a recent article in the New York Times and a blog post from GuideStar CEO Jacob Herald. Linnington said the 2015-16 fiscal year will get posted in the spring . Several cases of patient neglect and shoddy living conditions were reported as early as 2004. The saddest part is that it endeavors to hurt an organization that does so much to help our wounded soldiers. In 2007, the scandalous treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center shocked the nation. Have they proved reliable in the past? 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. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), a fast growing and media-savvy charity serving veterans, has recently been in the news and not in a good way. After Mr. Kanes email to other donors, he said he got a call from Mr. Giordano. The group did lose points on its fundraising score, with roughly 22 cents spent to make a dollar, per the most recent available data. 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. "They were using the smallest percentage of wounded veterans to suck money out of hard-working Americans," he said. 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. Veterans organizations in the United States often reflect the era in which they were created: After World War I, they resembled fraternal orders. From so much bad came some good, as the military medical health care system was reorganized. The 270 Wounded Warriors competing in a variety of sports from June 19-28 at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia, come from every branch of military service. The veterans collected donations at those events. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. They gave me a Xeroxed map of the hospital grounds and it was not very well photocopied, he explains on the video. He noted approvingly that the organization has hired more mental health professionals to do follow-up with wounded warriors, and invested dynamically in meeting the needs of female veterans. Linnington also said the organization supports the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in caregiver work, Veterans of Foreign Wars in assisting veterans with VA disability claims, and the National Military Family Association in caring for veterans' families, among many others. In fiscal year 2013, the Wounded Warriors Foundation took in $234 million in donations and dedicated 80 percent of that amount to programs for wounded veterans, according to tax records. Do the sources know the information? Other former employees said they had signed such forms, and could not speak. 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. Doing so is vital for our society today to address the various societal needs that our governments do not address, and thus helping our society flourish. ', Her reply, he said, was, We can see in the computer that you went to all of your appointments, but nobody knows where you are.. 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. 76% OF WARRIORS EXPERIENCED FEWER PTSD SYMPTOMS after receiving treatment through Warrior Care Network 2 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. Since Wounded Warrior Project chief executive Steven Nardizzi and chief operating officer Al Giordano were fired by the board on Thursday, donations to the group have fallen, The New York Times reports. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Whats their motivation for telling us? Charity Navigator also assessed that Wounded Warriors total revenue for 2014 was well over $340 million. He started by handing out backpacks of comfort items to wounded troops. On the opening night, before three days of strategy sessions and team-building field trips, the staff gathered in the hotel courtyard. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Chief Financial Officer . About 500 staff members attended the four-day conference in Colorado, which CBS News reported cost about $3 million. A major donor to the Wounded Warrior Project veterans' charity called Thursday for the nonprofit's CEO's to resign in light of allegations of lavish spending on staff meetings, according to . 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. He didnt want to leave, but it was obvious something was going to happen, Ms. Melia said. As this weeks Retro Report video explains, the biggest scandal in recent times involving the care of wounded American troops was actually worsened because medicine on the battlefront had made such remarkable advances. Trace Adkins has been an advocate for Wounded Warrior, an organization that advocates for veterans. Jan 26, 2023. The Kanes also initiated an online petition calling for a public audit of the Wounded Warrior Project in addition to canceling the next golf tournament Tee-off for a Cause was to hold to benefit the Project. John Melia founded the Wounded Warrior Project in 2003 but left in 2009. The development was confirmed by Abernathy MacGregor, a public relations firm hired to represent the veterans charity. It wasn't just about lavish all-hands gatherings, although those quickly became a thing of the past. The councils mission includes defending charity spending on overhead and executive salaries, its website says. I read with disgust your slanted article on the Wounded Warrior Project. At the end of 2015, there were 96,695 individuals in WWP's database; by the end of 2018, there were 155,302, with growth staying fairly consistent year-over-year. The Pentagon has not provided any public updates or said when the formal policy will be issued. "When the negative media event hit in January-February-March of 2016, public support dropped 50%," he said. "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. Steven Nardizzi and Al Giordano were fired from their posts as chief executive and chief operating officer, respectively, for the Wounded Warrior Project on Thursday. Charity Navigator's rating for WWP has fluctuated over the years: It dipped down to two stars in 2010 as the organization grew, then briefly rose to a full four stars in 2017, reflecting the delayed arrival of 2015 data. Board members called a few former employees this week to thank them for coming forward. He was impressed, he said, that so many of those nighttime arrival flights would be greeted by WWP staff members, and that he'd also see WWP teammates visiting veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. But while Millette, who spoke with Military.com earlier this year, said he still thinks the organization tends to lean too hard on showcasing veterans with dramatic visible wounds in its publicity materials and public events, he also said he has observed a remarkable overall turnaround in the organization. series about Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Name recognition that went beyond the military community, thanks in large part to tightly produced and memorable TV ads. He is a 1998 Elgin High School graduate who served in the Marine Corp. for eight years and . The organization paid Mr. Melia at least $230,000 after he stepped down, according to tax forms. "Going to a nice fancy restaurant is not team building. Other respected charities . In the wake of the charity's scandal, Wounded Warrior Project not only ousted its two top executive officers but also slimmed its executive staff by 50 percent overall. WWP offers wounded warriors and their families lifesaving programs that help them manage PTSD, traumatic brain injury (TBI), combat stress, and other conditions and help them thrive in their next mission. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. But Mr. Melias ex-wife, Julie Melia, who worked at the charity at the time, said in an interview that her former husband felt like the organization was stolen from him.. Wounded Warrior Project's Board Fires Top Two Executives Give this article By Dave Philipps March 10, 2016 The Wounded Warrior Project ousted its top two executives Thursday after. The metrics were intended to improve efficiency and help fund-raising. There were charges of spending too much on expenses (e.g., fund-raising, travel, and [] Skip to content Log In The organization has yet to recover fully from a hemorrhage that saw fundraising drop from a peak of $373 million in 2015 to just $211 million in 2017. Soon after the amputation, he said, he was racked by haunting emotions from Iraq and checked himself into suicide watch at a psychiatric ward. But in its swift rise, it has also embraced aggressive styles of fund-raising, marketing and personnel management that have many current and former employees questioning whether it has drifted from its mission. One thing the Wounded Warrior Project can immediately do is travel economy class or by train and use the savings to make home visits to veterans to see that they are getting what is needed. Donations plummeted. Magazines, Digital But Linnington maintains it's not just about the bottom line for him. "Four years ago, I would have told you to keep your money in your pocket and take it somewhere else," he said. During WWP's nadir and through its turnaround, its roster of wounded warriors and "family support members" has only grown -- a fact that speaks as much to the persistent and growing need as it does to the organization's success in the space. He also told CBS News that the charity did not spend money on alcohol or engages in any other kind of excessive spending. The Wounded Warrior Project program provides adapted equipment for injured veterans to cycle together. According to The Times, former employees claim the organization spent millions every year on travel, dinners, hotels and conferencesall of which were over-the-top and . In 2015, Wounded Warrior Project seemed, in the world of veterans' support organizations, to have it all: a compelling mission. In recent years, that dated thinking has been torn apart, appropriately replaced by the expectation that this sector should be judged on how effectively organizations solve social and environmental problems. just hours before the New York Times ran a story about the . Tracy Keil worries that will leave her. The videos are typically 10 to 12 minutes long. It has spent millions a year on travel, dinners, hotels and conferences that often seemed more lavish than appropriate, more than four dozen current and former employees said in interviews. The organization will still take action in cases of suspected fraud, he said. This helps prevent another common thinking error called scope neglect, in which our brains fail to ensure that our emotions correspond to the actual impact made by our donations. To fill seats, they often invited the same veterans. Can we corroborate the information? To do this, we must give numbers priority over emotionally compelling stories. Ask anyone with a personal stake in the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), the organization founded in 2003 to provide programs and services for injured U.S. military personnel. Instead, meta-charities receive funding from donors who appreciate the services these organizations provide, allowing meta-charities to stay objective. Im right here. Steve Nardizzi, the chief executive of the Wounded Warrior Project, speaking at the 2010 Soldier Ride at Macys in Herald Square, Manhattan. In January, Charity Navigator, a group that oversees nonprofit organizations, placed Wounded Warrior Project on its watch list, Fox News reported, citing a separate CBS report. In 2013, according to tax forms, the Wounded Warrior Project gave $150,000 to a nonprofit called the Charity Defense Council and Mr. Nardizzi joined its advisory board. Graphite 80/20 Poly/Cotton Left Chest/Sleeve Design Screenprint In an interview at the organizations four-story headquarters in a palm-lined office park in Jacksonville, Fla., Mr. Nardizzi, 45, said spending on fund-raising and other expenses not directly related to veterans programs has enabled the Wounded Warrior Project to grow faster and serve more people. That's because they include some promotional items, direct response advertising, and shipping and postage. Wounded Warrior Project's Top Execs Fired After Spending Scandal Wounded Warrior Project Denies Claims of Waste, Lavish Spending Wounded Warrior Project Accused of Wasting Donor Money. The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) has been helping injured veterans since its inception in 2003, 2 years after the deadly terror attacks that rocked the nation on 9-11. Over the past few years, WWP staff members have treated themselves to nights at five-star hotels, booked first class cross-country flights to attend minor meetings in-person, attended lavish conferences, and spent nearly 40 percent of their donations . It operates as a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization. But Linnington said the organization is closely tracking engagement, and estimated that 30% of members were actively engaged in WWP community events or taking advantage of free programs. As the backpack project grew, Mr. Melia hired a few employees, including Mr. Nardizzi, a lawyer who had never served in the military but was an executive for a small nonprofit, the United Spinal Association, which served disabled veterans. How many others are not scaling up to cure cancer, to help the environment, because there is a belief we shouldnt invest in those things? said Mr. Nardizzi, who was given $473,000 in compensation in 2014. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. In 2014, after 10 years of rapid growth, the Wounded Warrior Project flew its roughly 500 employees to Colorado Springs for an all hands meeting at the five-star Broadmoor hotel. The Walter Reed Army Medical Center neglect scandal refers to a series of allegations of unsatisfactory conditions, treatment of patients, and management at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C. culminating in two articles published by The Washington Post in February 2007. In early January of 2016, both The New York Times and CBS Evening News ran stories exposing the unethical spending habits of WWP. "TAPS believed these cancers were due to [toxic exposure]. "Before, you'd have a retreat and, after that, it was nothing. Mr. Nardizzi fired Ms. Chapman, an Iraq veteran with PTSD, in 2012 as part of a management restructuring, she said. And though critics argue that the standards used by watchdog organizations to assess nonprofits are overly subjective and sometimes unfairly punitive, staff with two accountability groups who spoke with Military.com were generally bullish about Wounded Warrior Project's practices and outlook. But executives quadrupled the number of job placements the program was expected to make each year, reducing the amount of time specialists had to find good ones, said Dan Lessard, who ran the program for about two years. The Wounded Warrior Project is in hot water. There was no one there to tell us what was going on or how we were going to get through this.. A three-judge panel has denied an appeal and upheld the original verdict in a battle between two charities that support returning American veterans and were using similar names. But some employees assert that the productivity goals were set so high that they eroded program quality. "I have zero regrets, and I would do it again," he said. Many Americans gave their trust and. "And secondly, with the American people who support our warriors.". "Donors would be unhappy that so much of their money wasn't being used given the plight of veterans," he said. The Wounded Warrior Project spent more than $34 million on fund-raising in 2014, according to tax records. It is a nonprofit video news organization that aims to provide a thoughtful counterweight to todays 24/7 news cycle. Dan Shannon of the Army, a father of three, who had served in Iraq, and, on Nov. 13, 2004, took a direct hit from an AK-47. By 2014, the group was spending $7.5 million per year on travel, according to tax forms. 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.".