Wounded Twice: Some Charities Send Returning Vets the Wrong Message

In an era when yellow “Support the Troops” ribbons are plastered on countless cars, in which a politician’s criticism of a war is immediately and reflexively followed by praise for the soldiers fighting it, it is not simply morally wrong for a veterans’ charity to spend most of its donations on fundraising instead of wounded troops. It is also damned stupid. Yet a handful of nonprofits appear to have done just that, and are now getting their asses kicked by a U.S. House committee as a result:

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform found that three charities whose mission is to raise money to help wounded troops spent between 78 and 91 percent of donations on fundraising activities, enriching private telemarketing and direct-mail consultants, according to committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.).

A fourth charity, Help Hospitalized Veterans, faced sharp criticism from Waxman and lawmakers, who said the group has concealed millions of dollars in payments to fundraisers.

The charities on the hot seat are spending about 80 to 90 percent on fundraising, way above the recommended standard of a third. They told the committee they needed to hire pricey consultants in order to secure donations, but legislators and watchdog groups aren’t buying that. If those organizations thought they had trouble raising money before, they ain’t seen nothin’ yet. | 501(c)