Veterans Need our $upport

We all receive messages from the social media, direct mail and phone calls encouraging and soliciting donations to Veterans groups. Who cannot be supportive of our Veterans many of whom need help with medical needs, adjusting to society, living expenses and finding employment?

Regrettably many of the Veterans groups seeking your monetary support could be viewed as being close to scams as they spend too large a bulk of the donations on administrative costs including professional fund raisers and large compensation for themselves.

Charity Navigator is an American independent charity watchdog organization that evaluates charitable organizations in the United States. Its stated goal is “to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace in which givers and the charities they support work in tandem to overcome our nation’s and the world’s most persistent challenges”.

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

The following are just a few of the groups helping Veterans that are rated by Charity Navigator.

Four Stars (highest rating)

AMVETS National Service Foundation

Armed Services YMCA

Homes for Our Troops

Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society

Operation Homefront

ZERO or one Star (lowest rating)

Adopt/Platoon Soldier Support Effort

Cell Phones for Soldiers

Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes

Help Hospitalized Veterans

National Vietnam Veterans Foundation

Paralyzed Veterans of America    (spent $63 million on fundraising to collect $101 million)

The Retired Enlisted Association Memorial Foundation

Veterans Support Foundation

Note

3 Star Wounded Warrior Project spent $84 million on fundraising to collect $307 million, CEO made $473,015.

I suggest before donating to any organization you go to Charity Navigator and review their rating and performance metrics.