Tis the Season Support Our Troop groups compete with all other Charities

Way back in May 2006, the editor of VT posted this concern about the growing number of Support Our Troop and Veterans organizations that crawled out of the woodwork to benefit and viewed as a need to well, “Support Our Troops,” given that the vast majority of Americans were (and are) either apathetic or did not really care about something they could not relate to – Our Troops.

Charities’ costs sap aid for vets

I did a review of local media surrounding Dayton, Ohio to see what Support Our Troops or Veterans benefits or fund raisers were on-going and surprisingly found very few going into the Christmas Season. That said, I did find links to various How to Support Our Troops This Season links but none for Veterans per se.

What I found was commendable but partisan politically biased. In other words only troops and military families that endorsed an organization’s political views (blindly supported President Bush) warranted support – plain and simple. Most advice was being filtered through America Supports You.mil which is the "official" Pentagon sponsored propaganda apparatus that screens troop related charities and fund raising efforts based solely on political ideology. America Supports You.mil is a brain child of former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and a carry over to the Bush and Obama’s Secretary of Defense Gates that will most likely continue for part of the Obama administration. It remains to be seen if leaders of America Supports You.mil have as close a relationship including meetings with President Obama as they had with President Bush.

Point is that AmericaSupportsBush.mil IS NOT constitutionally regulated nor monitored by Congress (it is an arm of the Executive Branch), and AmericaSupportsBush.mil IS NOT a watch dog philantropic organizaton or group. In essense who is the Watch Dog over America Supports You.mil when it screens troop and military fund raisers????

Anyway, I posted this comment and concern on our local media network and a Letter to the Editor of several Dayton, Ohio area newspapers. "Being a veteran who served during both Vietnam and the Gulf War, and having a child who served in Bosnia and Iraq, I’m all for these various efforts to Support Our Troops that have climbed out of the woodwork since 911 and escalated since 2003. However, I also have some concern about the potential for scam artists and charlatans that either pocket more than goes to their stated Support Our Troops Mission or just as bad pay out more in administrative costs and overhead (advertisement and recruitment) than goes to our veterans and troops. That said, those of us in the Veteran and Military Family community have heard the many nightmare stories of Fake Veterans who claim military service but have none, or have served but elaborate their combat experience. Great efforts go to exposing Fake Vets; books have been written on how to expose fake veterans, websites are dedicated to exposing fake veterans, should not the same extent of effort go to exposing potential scams or incompetent management of Support Our Troop fund raising. I suggest that umbrella organizations like America Supports You.mil post guidance and advice on how donators can avoid being scammed or ensured they are donating to an organization or group that the bulk of funds raised goes to our troops and veterans. America Supports You.mil as an OFFICIAL Pentagon sponsored organization is not a fund raising watch dog organization. Are there watch dog organizations that monitor the growth of Support Our Troops efforts, including the Pentagon’s America Supports You.mil to ensure unscrupulous scam artists are not taking advantage of America’s patriotic spirit to sincerely Support Our Troops?"

Scam artist and conmen and women who steal from our Veterans and Troops should face the same punishments at a minimum that a Fake Veteran faces – public humiliation and pay back what he/she stole. The photo at left shows what one judge found as appropriate punishment for this so-called patriot who "used patriotism" to scam Veterans. He was sentenced to public service wearing a T-Shirt that read, "I stole from Veterans."

The point is not about this one man nor what other things he may have been sentenced by the judge to do like paying back what he stole to some genuine Veterans support group.

If I had been that judge, I would have ordered him to perform public service in a Veterans Hospital wearing that T-Shirt or similar sign as a plea bargain or go to jail/prison for the number of days equal to what he stole. If he stole thousands of dollars that could mean Life Imprisonment – so be it!

Frankly, I just want to leave readers thinking about cautiously giving, so I decided to do a follow-up of Charities’ costs sap aid for vets to see where we are on just how effective Veteran and Troop related humanitarian efforts have been.

I personally prefer the term humanitarian to charity when talking about anything referring to our Veterans and Troops. When I was on active duty as both an enlisted man and officer, I never quite felt like a charity case. Heck, even when I was a Veteran in between active duty tours (Army and Air Force), I never felt like a charity case, especially when I attended college at American tax payer expense in return for defending tax payers. Call me arrogant, but screw the American tax payer, I earned my humanitarian aid (we call them benefits) by volunteering to do something that most of my fellow citizens prefer not to do or look down upon.

I’m not going to cut open old sores by rehashing just how much fund raising is mismanaged in some of our most prominent Veteran Service Organizations, that only serves to make them defensive and attack the messenger instead of the message. If my Support the Troop benefit is paying out more for me to advertise it, and recruit other Support My Troop advocates than I am spending on well, supporting our troops. The answer is simple, find ways to ensure that more money raised goes towards our troops and veterans than administrative overhead.

Robert L. Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired
Writing Staff, VT

Have a GREAT VT Day.

One of the first things I learned in communications classes in both college, the Army, and Air Force (NCO and Officer leadership courses), is that the first words to come out of your mouth can either be an attention getter or turn off most people you are communicating with.

This may have been the case when a few fund raising and charitable giving watch dog organizations were called before Congress during 2006, 2007, and 2008 to provide testimony on just how inefficient fund raising to support Veterans and troops had been. This was a Congressional response to the rapid proliferation of unregulated troop and family support charities, benefits, and fund raising efforts since the invasion of Iraq. In fact, even today there are banks and corporations getting onto the Support Our Troops angle (bandwagon) to raise funds during an economic meltdown that are questionable at best as to how much really goes to our troops and these corporate and banking efforts have nothing to do with established or evolving veteran, troops and family support groups.

This campaign by the telecommunications industry to tap into patriotism because it sells is a prime example of why watch dog organizations are needed to control scams or commercial excesses that in no way benefit our veterans or troops in the long run. Phones for Good.com were a vague and restrictive business deal between major phone companies working with Operation Gratitude to provide up to $50 bucks for their Support Our Troops cause. http://www.opgratitude.com/

I realize that any money raised for Operation Gratitude (regardless how competent it is or isn’t at fund raising management) is tax exempt, however the amount profited by the telecommunicaitons industry should be taxed.

This alliance between big business and any humanitarian cause is questionable at best. Nowhere on the Operation Gratitude website is there a disclaimer informing the public how much funds raised by Operation Gratitude goes to interaction with business interests and how much actually goes to troops. The photos on-site actually show good things being done for our troops but how does that really compare to the money being raised by such operations.

Put another way does Operation Gratitude compete with long established Department of Defense troop and family support organizations, and long established VSOs that provide similar or the same services without political motivation or orientation. I’m not saying that all such efforts are bad or even incompetent. Take for example Operation Homecoming. http://www.operationhomecoming.com/

Frankly, I don’t care if Operation Homecoming is politically biased or not, because at least it is rated four stars by Charity Navigators and earns high ratings from other watch dog organizations, so I would be comfortable donating to them. Why? I’m ensured that Operation Homecoming puts more emphasis on supporting our troops than self-recruitment, advertising, or related administrative overhead that takes $$$ away from Veterans and Troops.

How come Operation Homecoming has been rated as a four star charity and humanitarian organization supporting our troops while many others don’t rate at all? One reason given by the watch dog organization Charity Navigator is that most watch dog organizations only monitor and rate fund raising groups that are over four to five years old with IRS tax exempt status forms submitted for that timeframe. Given the longevity of a Support Our Troop operation sooner or later they will be rated or exposed. Another way, they are rated is by someone bringing an organization to the attention of watch dog groups for future monitoring.

At right is a extreme example of just how well patritism sells. I have no problem with either a military member or boy scouts posing for an ad to support our troops, what I have a problem with is any commercial venture USING our military members and the boy scouts to make a profit.

In this case, as in many others, the IRS and watch dog charity groups need to be looking closly at companies like Trail’s End to monitor and see just how much is going in the companies pocket, how much is going to the Boy Scouts of America, and how much to Support Out Troops.org (DAH).
Why?

The amount going to our troops and even the boy scouts may be tax exempt, but the profit being made by Trail’s End certainly should be taxed. This is the fairest way to determine if a commercial venture really has our troops (and the boy scouts at heart) or is more interested in the bottom line – PROFITS. If Trail’s End is making no profit on this joint venture then the company should be praised, however if Trial’s End is makiing a profit and not claiming taxes on it or claiming it as a tax exempt humanitarian effort – Time Out!!!

The response from the Veterans and Military Family fund raising community has been one of shock and awe, defensive in nature, and to attack the credibility of those watch dog organizations that gave them a low rating IF they either get a low raring or no rating at all. Frankly, that response was natural, but it did not answer questions about mismanagement nor deal with the question of how come any Veterans organization that touts over a million members (more or less) cannot find in house expertise to do their own volunteer related advertising, recruiting, and fund raising to ensure more $$$, products, benefits, and care packages got to our Veterans and Troops than was costing them to gather it.

Taking a closer look at this issue, and intentionally not mentioning any names in my article unless a VSO or Support Our Vets/Troops organization has a recognized rating from a fund raising watch dog (BTW: the Combined Federal Campaign is a fusion center for fund raising efforts of various groups and organizations, it is not a watch dog organizations that monitors, well itself anymore than AmericaSupportsBush.mil is a watch dog organization that polices itself.)

However, I also found out that some watch dog organizations tend to be more confrontational and belligerent in their approach to sifting out charlatans among troop and veteran fund raising activities than they are in being, well, helpful by providing constructive criticism. A VSO getting into a pissing contest with a charity watch dog organization or a philanthropy watch dog organization getting into a pissing contest with any Support Our Troops and Vets organization that “means well,” in no way fixes the problem of mismanagement of fund raising, and denying it with cries of patriotism and flag waving in no way leads to effective fund raising.

One thing that I kept in mind is that the media plays and has played a major role in INSTIGATION (well you name it) but in this case between the watch dogs and charitable organizations. In the article from way back in 2006, the media throws out tidbits like this.

“From daybreak on the East Coast to nightfall in the West, young men with telephone headsets line the cubicles of professional call centers, pleading with a patriotic nation (telemarketers) to donate money for our veterans troops at a minimum of $75 and they are reading from a script. If anyone has done phone banking for a political campaign then you know the ropes. However, this extensive telemarketing approach to scam patriotic Americans has been the worst case scenario and used as such by both watch dog organizations and the media. Again, I’m not going to rehash old news.

Only to say that during this economic meltdown where patriotic Americans care more about their economy than how a minority of Veterans, troops, and families fare. This is the time for fund raising groups that support our veterans and troops to do some soul searching, get educated, and think of ways to cut down on admin overhead to accomplish their stated mission. Why?

Obviously, the incentive to give combined with the ability to give will be down to a level that can not only create cut throat competition between fund raising efforts but have watch dog organizations and Congress paying closer attention than ever before.

With Christmas giving season quickly approaching during an economic recession or the feeling of being in one, and the war still raging in Iraq, plus plans to escalate it in Afghanistan, the days when Americans opened their wallets to support homeless vets, paralyzed vets, jobless vets, or send Care packages to our troops {that the Department of Defense prefers folks not do for security reasons), will be even harder to come by.

It has been pointed out since 2006 that while helping veterans is a well-established and popular cause, investigative reporters have done computer analysis of hundreds of veterans’ charities across the nation showing that, as a group, they lag far behind other nonprofits in the efficiency of their fundraising and the amount of money devoted to charitable services.

However, in the same breath, media notes that only a handful of veterans’ groups spend almost nothing on veterans’ causes, diverting 90 percent or more of their money to administrative and fundraising costs. Scores of others claim hefty spending on charitable programs, but only by including a large portion of the cost of their fundraising drives as charitable expenses.

To me there seems to be a tendency to damn the entire veteran and troop support fund raising community for the mismanagement of a few. When watch dog organizations combine this with fighting words such as, “It’s disgusting. You can’t respect your donors if you think that people who write you a check are entitled to have 2 or 3 cents of every dollar reach veterans."(see source link)

Then there’s this, "We actually get a lot of calls from people looking for a good veterans charity," but we just do not have an answer for them said the president of one watch dog organization. Of 13 veterans’ groups rated by this watch dog, one received a grade of C-plus and the rest earned D’s and F’s. The culprit in many cases: excessive fundraising costs.

To me, the watch dog organizations need to spend a lot more time on helping and advising on ways to cut excessive fundraising cost that are constructive instead of using the media (intentionally or not) to send out fighting words that lay down the gauntlet to groups and organizations that genuinely want to help and support veterans and troops. For every charlatan involved in mismanagement, a scam, or downright war profiteering, there are at least 10 that mean well but just don’t have a clue about management of funds. The culprit to me is not only excessive fundraising costs but also OUTSOURCING what needs to be and should be in-house paid or volunteer work.

There is one thing that the most effective and highly rated fund raising groups have in common; Fisher House and the Disabled American Veterans come to mind. These effective fund raising managers use in-house expertise and resources to divert more funds raised to their mission. If I had a fund raising effort that was not delivering to vets and troops what I said it would, I would accept responsibility and instead of attacking the watch dog ask the dog what I could do better. Heck, I wouldn’t even have to do that if I’m pissed. I would go to those rated the most successful and seek advice and guidance on how they managed to keep overhead costs down, but that’s my leadership style. I’m arrogant, but not when it comes to things I’m clueless about or unintentionally making mistakes because I lack expertise.

It remains to be seen if the House and Senate Finance Committees of Congress continues considering ways to improve oversight of nonprofits, where abuses cost the U.S. Treasury billions annually in unwarranted tax deductions. Rick Cohen, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, said charities should be re-evaluated periodically by the government to weed out those that aren’t performing.

"I think for some veterans’ organizations, and probably for others as well, maybe at one point they performed a valued mission, but you can’t tell anymore, from their expenditures," Cohen said. "And that’s probably a rationale for why some entity on a regular basis, maybe every five years or every 10 years, ought to be looking at whether a nonprofit is still delivering a valued mission warranting their tax-exempt status."

On a brighter note, one thing I’ve noticed since the last time Congress was briefed by nonprofit watchdogs. In fact, it is something that when communicating with the media and especially when communicating with veteran and troop fund raising entities.

Most fund raising watchdog organizations admit that “they don’t believe fraud is the primary reason small veterans’ charities are often inefficient. Instead, they say, many are simply naive about financial issues, making them easy targets for opportunistic fundraisers.

Well folks as a former manager in middle management responsible for budget submissions at the Pentagon, I say that being naïve about financial issues is not excuse for not leaning what to do to become more efficient, and watch dog organizations can provide more support for fund raising efforts, our veterans, and troops by assisting in the learning process instead of being adversarial and that is a two way street – Support Our Vet and Troop efforts.

The Veteran and Troops fund raising bonanza has been "sectors rife with amateurs, a lot of people enter this sector with good intentions. It’s an emotional cause. People have seen their loved ones come back – or not come back – and want to do something to help." That leads to a lot of look-alike charities that discover they don’t have the means to raise money on their own. (see SOURCE link).

What has implication during an economic meltdown is that, "If your [patriotic] organization does and sounds exactly like every other [patriotic] organization, then you rely on a professional fundraiser, It’s a short-term, scorched-earth policy where you don’t really care about the sector as a whole and you just want to get yours now." (see SOURCE link).

I’m neither in the business nor hobby of rating or berating the fund raising efforts of those who sincerely mean well and want to support our troops, Soldier’s Angels come to mind, especially when the vast majority of the nation remains apathetic. Apathy will be even worse during a time when America’s voters are focused naturally on our economy. This however should also provide Congress and the administration the incentive to crack down on the inefficiency of those charlatans who arrogantly refuse to change as if they really have something to hide.

For tips on how to navigate through or check out a veterans/troops fund raising effort or charity, my next post will be tips from Charity Navigator. I recommend cross checking both Charity Navigator and some other watch dog organization like the American Institute of Philanthropy. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=310

The top rated four star veterans and troop-family support efforts for 2008 are both long established DOD in-house military service efforts that existed long before 911, plus fund raising efforts that began after 911:

Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust (Score: 69.58) which is associated with the Disabled American Veterans VSO and not to be confused with another inefficient effort using the Disabled Veterans name in Ohio that has a zero rating.

Army Emergency Relief (Score: 66.82)

Operation Homefront (Score: 66.25)

National Military Family Association (Score: 65.65)

Special Operations Warrior Foundation (Score: 65.26)

Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (Score: 63.51)

Air Force Enlisted Village (Score: 63.11)

In contrast, Disabled Veterans Associations (Score: 12.50 – zero star rating)

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm

(Note there are various reasons your humanitarian effort may not be listed nor rated by a watch dog organization including duration of your effort or it doesn’t have to file tax exemption with the IRS. Others are rated from one to three stars which means you progressively meet the criteria for providing more to your stated mission than overhead, and that’s a good thing. No one is suggesting that people donate according to how many stars a fund raiser does or doesn’t have, but I would surely avoid any with none or who fail even be named. I strongly recommend that if your organization does not appear on a watch dog rating list thus earning it a certification to place on documentation and websites that you not get defensive (or offensive) but learn what it takes to be management efficient and savvy instead of blindly paying more for outsourcing of advertising and recruitment efforts that do not benefit either our troops our veterans but your organization or group. Is that really your stated mission – to benefit yourself? Only you can answer that question regardless how some watch dog organization rates you. )

Robert L. Hanafin, Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired

VT Staff Writer

Have a GREAT Veteran Today Day!

Robert L. Hanafin

Readers are more than welcome to use the articles I’ve posted on Veterans Today, I’ve had to take a break from VT as Veterans Issues and Peace Activism Editor and staff writer due to personal medical reasons in our military family that take away too much time needed to properly express future stories or respond to readers in a timely manner.

My association with VT since its founding in 2004 has been a very rewarding experience for me.

Retired from both the Air Force and Civil Service. Went in the regular Army at 17 during Vietnam (1968), stayed in the Army Reserve to complete my eight year commitment in 1976. Served in Air Defense Artillery, and a Mechanized Infantry Division (4MID) at Fort Carson, Co. Used the GI Bill to go to college, worked full time at the VA, and non-scholarship Air Force 2-Year ROTC program for prior service military. Commissioned in the Air Force in 1977. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer from 1977 to 1994. Upon retirement I entered retail drugstore management training with Safeway Drugs Stores in California. Retail Sales Management was not my cup of tea, so I applied my former U.S. Civil Service status with the VA to get my foot in the door at the Justice Department, and later Department of the Navy retiring with disability from the Civil Service in 2000.

I’ve been with Veterans Today since the site originated. I’m now on the Editorial Board. I was also on the Editorial Board of Our Troops News Ladder another progressive leaning Veterans and Military Family news clearing house.

I remain married for over 45 years. I am both a Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veteran. I served on Okinawa and Fort Carson, Colorado during Vietnam and in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General at Norton AFB, CA during Desert Storm. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 having worked on the Air Staff and Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.