Wounded Warrior Project Controversy

Some extremely troubling news has come out recently exposing the spending habits of the people in charge of the Wounded Warrior Project. CBS news published a three part story, where numerous numbers of former employees contended that WWP spending was very wasteful. Appalling stories of lavish parties, 5 star hotel stays, and first class travels were revealed. In response, Ryan Kules who is the WWP Director of Alumni denied that excessive spending was happening and any accommodations such as dinner parties were a tool used to team bonding and building unity across his members.

However, the most troubling issue that's been brought up is how much money does the foundation actually donate to its veterans. Since its introduction, the Wounded Warriors Project has been the top foundation for veteran help. It also has the backing of huge corporate sponsors such as the NFL, Bank of America, and Under Armor amongst others. In 2014 alone they raised over 300 million dollars in donations. In the CBS report, it was stated that only 60% of their accumulated donations were actually given back to veteran service. However, it is fair to state that the WWP has vehemently denied this number, stating that it is actually around 80 percent. Whether it is 60 or 80 percent, that number is still the lowest out of the other top veterans foundations in the country. The Injured Marine Semper Fi fund donates 92 percent, The Fisher House Foundation donates 91 percent, and Disabled American Veterans donates 96.5 percent.

I know that there are many people in our class that are interested or have donated funds to charities in the past. I think its vital to do background research on said charities and whether they are actually accomplishing their stated goals. A couple of great tools to use that I've learned about are give.org and charitynavigator.org that rate and review numerous charities and highlight their spending expenses.

What is your initial reaction to this story? Have any of you ever donated to the Wounded Warriors Project and if so, would you again? On a broader note, when asked about this during last nights Republican debate, Jeb Bush said that the federal government should be involved in policing these types of charities. What do you think the Federal government's role should be in regulating these issues?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/28/wounded-warrior-project-is-under-fire-for-its-spending-unlike-these-highly-rated-alternatives/
http://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/wounded-warrior-scandal-how-to-check-a-charity
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/28/us/wounded-warrior-project-spends-lavishly-on-itself-ex-employees-say.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wounded-warrior-project-accused-of-wasting-donation-money/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/28/7th-republican-debate-transcript-annotated-who-said-what-and-what-it-meant/