Wounded Warrior Project Reportedly Refused to Take Church’s ‘Religious in Nature’ Don

[Forever_frost]

They did this a few months ago from several gun companies and shooting enthusiasts.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/01/we-were-heartbroken-wounded-warrior-project-reportedly-refused-to-take-churchs-religious-in-nature-donation/

Wounded Warrior Project is refusing to accept a Florida Christian church’s money because it is “religious in nature,” Fox News’ Todd Starnes reports. Liberty Baptist Church and Academy, located in Fort Pierce, Fla., is also a K-12 school.

“We were heartbroken,” Pastor Wallace Cooley told Fox News.

It wasn’t until after Liberty Baptist Church and Academy had already paid a $100 registration fee to raise funds for Wounded Warrior Project that the they received an email from the non-profit organization.

“We must decline the opportunity to be the beneficiary of your event due to our fundraising event criteria, which doesn’t allow community events to be religious in nature,” WWP’s community events team wrote in an email. “Please note your registration fee will be refunded within the next 7-10 business days.”

Because Wounded Warrior Project considers itself to be a nonpartisan organization, the group says it can’t accept fundraising from companies “in which the product or message is religious in nature.”

The church was reportedly planning to accept a special offering on the last Sunday in February and students were collecting money from family and friends to give to WWP.

“We had to tell our children and parents we can’t give to the Wounded Warrior Project…We are second-class citizens now because we are people of faith,” Cooley told Fox News.

The pastor said the church anticipated bringing in roughly $50,000 for military veterans.
Wounded Warrior Project Reportedly Refused to Take Churchs Money

The email the church received from Wounded Warrior (Source: Fox News)

Fox News has more details:

A Wounded Warrior told Fox News they would look into the matter. The organization did not respond to subsequent telephone calls.

The fundraising project was a joint effort by the 400-member church and the 460 students who attend the academy. The pastor said he first learned about WWP by watching Fox News Channel.

“We appreciate the freedoms we enjoy in this country and the fact that our soldiers have fought for freedom of religion,” he said. “We teach patriotism in our school.”

Kindergarten teacher Tanya Sue Albritton posted a message on the Wounded Warrior Project Facebook page, explaining that her students were devastated.

“They were very sad,” she wrote. “One little girl wanted to know, ‘Why can’t we share with the soldiers?’”

“I was at a loss as to what I should tell her because I don’t understand it myself…Well, WWP, why can’t we share with the soldiers,” she added.

In delivering the news to his congregation, Pastor Cooley penned what he described as “one of the saddest letters I have ever had to write”:

“We are very disappointed that we, as a religious organization, are being discriminated against. But they are a private organization and have and should have the freedom to make their own rules.”

Cooley said the donations that were made have been returned and the church is currently looking for another veterans group to help — one that will accept their generous donation.

TheBlaze has reached out to Wounded Warrior Project and will update this story as additional information becomes available.

[Trip McNeely]

I have heard not so good things about that charity like the percentage that actually goes to the vets, etc.

[DallasSleeper]

The director is bring in over half a million in salary of donated money. What started out as a great idea has become corrupt as everything else.

[Forever_frost]

I had always assumed the WWP was a highly efficient organization based on its highly visible advocates. When I read that they gave 82 cents per dollar I was satisfied enough.

Last night I stumbled upon this website and was appalled at the comments. I decided to do my own research and was equally sickened by their claims of giving 82% back to the soldiers. Let's take a look at how they get this number. I will refer to this "Audited Financial Statement."


On page 3 you can see that they spent $54.9M on Program Services expenses out of a total of $66.96M total expenses. Simple division and you get 82%. That is how they claim that number.

But take a look at the next two pages to see exactly where that $54M goes.

To start, over $25M goes to "Media Ad Value." While it is certainly hopeful that $25M in ads will bring MORE than $25M in donations... that money does not count as going to the soldiers in MY book.

As you look down the list, the benefit that gets to the individual soldier is hard to account for.

How much of the nearly $2M spent on travel is for the executives and the board vs. a wounded warrior? How much of the $5M spent on postage is spent on getting items to the warriors? How much of the $317K spent on Telephone is spent talking to warriors?

I also found out that the top executive received $200K as well as an additional $190K that he received as a "consultant." $400K for a year for overseeing 100 employees? The whole "You need to pay to find good executives" argument is PURE hogwash.

There are millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and soldiers that give their entire lives away for $50K a year. Are you telling me that those people don't exist in the business world? Business is just people talking to people. The skills needed are no different than being a principal or police chief.

The more that I looked at the statement, the more "smoke" I saw. My organization has decided to forgo the WWP as the recipient of our funds and to focus on a charity that offers more than inflated advertising budgets, excessive executive pay and empty promises to our warriors.
read more here


Example of what they report under Benefits Service

Media ad value $ 2,307,198
Salaries 696,683
Advertising 649,750
Consulting and outside services 176,994
Direct mail 265,480
Postage and shipping 247,931
Travel 161,183
Payroll tax and benefits 148,070
Meetings and events 14,111
Promotional items 23,629
Grants -
Depreciation 51,166
Occupancy 36,088
Telephone 23,334
Miscellaneous 1,227
Professional fees - Office equipment rental and services 15,820
Supplies 6,360
Printing 1,985
Insurance 6,096
Utilities 3,167
Staff education 896
Books and Subscriptions 1,825
Bank service charges -
Organizational membership fees and dues -
$4,838,993


All this money goes to doing this according to their own site

http://woundedtimes.blogspot.com/2012/03/is-wounded-warrior-project-country.html

[Geor!]

Letter that I just wrote to them. Short and to the point:

Due to the fact that WWP is too good to accept donations from faith-based contributors, that also means that you're too good to accept donations from me. While I am not the religious type, I do find it appalling that an organization supposedly dedicated to bettering the lives of our veterans can turn down donations raised by a church. Not only does that spit in the face of everybody associated with that church, it spits in the face of all Christians, and most of all, spits in the face of the veterans your "charity" purportedly serves. I will now give to an organization more apt to care for our veterans.

Please let me know if you need any additional information aside from my name to complete this cancellation request.

[BERNIE MOSFET]

It's not that they won't accept donations from a faith based organization, it's that WWP won't issue a grant to support any religious organization's fundraiser for WWP.

[Forever_frost]

Only way to fix this is to remind the organization that they serve the vets and should be helping anyone who wants to give to the vets to do exactly that. The pool of money isn't so great that they can be picky about donors

[Geor!]

It's not that they won't accept donations from a faith based organization, it's that WWP won't issue a grant to support any religious organization's fundraiser for WWP.

Tomato/tomato?

[BERNIE MOSFET]

Only way to fix this is to remind the organization that they serve the vets and should be helping anyone who wants to give to the vets to do exactly that. The pool of money isn't so great that they can be picky about donors

Right, but, if the church wants, they can surely raise the money and donate it anyway; absorbing the costs of such a fundraiser themselves. Nobody is stopping them from doing that.

[BERNIE MOSFET]

Tomato/tomato?

Maybe so. It's obvious they'd just be subsidizing a fundraising campaign for themselves. On paper, however, it may be construed as something else. I don't know why they have their policy.

[stang]

Everything in this country is about "MONEY". I don't donate shit to any organization not a single one. I just find someone that is in need and give them the money.

[Geor!]

Everything in this country is about "MONEY". I don't donate shit to any organization not a single one. I just find someone that is in need and give them the money.

I give to the local food bank and WWP. Guess the local food bank will get doubled up now.

[Forever_frost]

Right, but, if the church wants, they can surely raise the money and donate it anyway; absorbing the costs of such a fundraiser themselves. Nobody is stopping them from doing that.

Actually they are. The WWP logo is used in fund raising and you have to have their permission to use it. They told a group of gun owners and I'm sure these people were told the same "Send us your cash but don't use our logo."

Screw a bunch of that

[Forever_frost]

http://fishgame.com/webnews.php?p=14570

In a development that shocked veteran talk show host Tom Gresham of the nationally-syndicated Gun Talk Radio program, the Wounded Warrior Project “declined an interview request on Gun Talk Radio because it's a firearms-related show,” the program reported yesterday on its Facebook page.

“I'm stunned at your email saying that the WWP doesn't participate in an interview or activity related to firearms,” Gresham emailed the charity’s public relations director, Leslie A. Coleman. “Inasmuch as there are 90 million gun owners and most of them support wounded veterans, I think they would be shocked to hear that they are, by way of their hobbies, somehow not worthy of helping with the Wounded Warriors Project.”
“WWP does not co-brand, create cause marketing campaigns or receive a percentage or a portion of proceeds from companies in which the product or message is sexual, political or religious in nature, or from alcohol or firearms companies,” Coleman replied.
Interviews at Charity Event at Playboy Manson for Wounded Warrior Project

“WWP does not co-brand, create cause marketing campaigns or receive a percentage or a portion of proceeds from companies in which the product or message is sexual, political or religious in nature, or from alcohol or firearms companies,” Coleman replied. “Our position regarding firearms and alcohol is in response to the struggles that many injured service members face with substance abuse and suicide and the roles those items often play in those issues.”

“Your policy does, in fact, brand firearms and the companies which make them as undesirables, and by association, you are saying that those who own and use firearms for recreation, hunting, self protection, and other safe and legal uses are to be avoided,” Gresham responded. “I cannot fully express how much I feel you are doing a disservice to our wounded veterans, and how disappointed I am to discover this bias at the Wounded Warriors Project.”

He’s not the only one. Critical comments on the WWP Facebook page as previously-supportive gun owners discover its anti-gun policy are growing, and the negative sentiment will endanger the good work their organization does if that continues.

“I am distancing myself from WWP due to their stand on firearms,” supporter Rick Bandy wrote. “The magnet you sent me has been removed from my car!”

“Why all of a sudden do you distance yourself from gun owners?” wrote Frank Newingham, formerly of the United States Air Force. “You had no problem from taking money from the Playboy mansion, Ranger Proof and GPI Custom Gunworks, and several hundred thousand from other various major gun manufacturers. If you are running from our rights then you are running from America! I will never give your organization another dime! Everything you get pays your CEO his $300k annual salary anyways. This message is sent by a veteran!!”

“I see your canned response doesn't bother explaining why having an event at the Playboy mansion is exempt from your endorsement/affiliation guidelines, but an interview with a firearms-related radio show is not,” potential donor Zach Bauman weighed in. “I'm glad I found this out about WWP before I made the memorial donation I was planning to make.”

“I am a wounded warrior being medically retired in December,” veteran Marc Toomey told the organization. “It was brought to my attention from associates and friends that your organization pretty much told ‘Gun Talk Radio’ to take a flying leap (tactfully) when they offered the WWP the opportunity for public exposure. I listen to the program and the biggest thing promote is gun safety and core family values. Many veterans have contributed to the contents broadcasted or published. They also promote veterans who are in need of help to seek it out and provide points of contact to do so.”

Such sentiments continue to be posted, with several more added while this article was being written, and that’s essentially through people learning through the grapevine. If and when more gun owners become aware of the sentiments of some in the WWP leadership, it could end up damaging the organization and hurting those who deserve our help.

No one is expecting to hijack the mission of the Wounded Warriors Project by demanding statements of fealty. But some misguided politically correct managers in the organization are making a grave mistake if they think ostracizing people naturally inclined to be their staunchest friends, including those from among the ranks of current and former military, will best serve those they are trying to help.

Hopefully an amicable solution of mutual respect will be reached, and soon, before things get out of hand. After all, if all their spokesperson did was talk about the organization and the work they do without getting into endorsing non-core mission issues dear to the host, WWP ought to be able to appear on any program without controversy or objection, even a nationally-syndicated broadcast revolving around “gun control” -- except there evidently isn’t any market demand for one.

[BMCSean]

Looks like I will also stop supporting WWP and move my contributions elsewhere. I'm not too fond of the breakdown of spending.