National Vietnam Veterans Foundation
by Joe
Do you have a rating for this charity -- National Vietnam Veterans Foundation?
Joe, we started our research on the web site for the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation. We found NO financial information listed there, and we found that some of the items listed that should be links are not links.
So we sent them a request for specific financial information, and will update this page when we receive their response.
In the meantime, we checked GuideStar, which lists the following as programs of National Vietnam Veterans Foundation:
"1. Support of events to raise awareness on veterans issues, including but not limited to, health programs, POW/MIA book project, etc.
2. Assistance on veterans issues and programs, including but not limited to, medical research, homeless veterans employment and rehabilitation programs, maintenance of a veterans hotline, etc.
3. Contributions to various veterans organizations, charities and educational programs."
GuideStar also reports that for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2007, NVVF received
contributions of $2,392,834.
From those contributions, it paid these
expenses:
Program Services: $269,641 (11%)Administration: $78,003 (3%)
"Other:" $2,037,909 (85%)
That adds up to just 99%, so the other 1% must be split among those three categories.
There is no further breakdown of "other," but our guess is that a large portion of it is fundraising expenses. (That guess is borne out by the report from the Washington Secretary of State, below.)
Next, we went to Charity Navigator, which reports that "National Vietnam Veterans Foundation is in our queue to be evaluated."
The Better Business
Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (BBB) reported: "Despite written BBB Wise Giving Alliance requests in the past year, this organization either has not responded to Alliance requests for information or has declined to be evaluated in relation to the Alliance's Standards for Charity Accountability."
The Secretary of State for the State of Washington reports that for the organization's fiscal year ending December 31,
2006, National Vietnam Veterans Foundation reported
revenue of $1,249,154 and
program expenses of $97,548 (8%).
So apparently, despite a 92% increase in contributions from 2006 to 2007, the amount actually going to program expenses increased by just 3%.
So we're sad to say that National Vietnam Veterans Foundation rates a big fat "F" from us.The Washington Secretary of State also publishes reports on commercial fundraisers registered in their state. For Community Support, Inc. (CSI), the fundraiser listed for National Vietnam Veterans Foundation, it reports that
for 2008, CSI returned only 12% of the funds it raised to the charities for which it solicited. Another big fat "
F."
The report shows that CSI solicits in the State of Washington for the following veterans charities:
AMVETs (American Veterans)
National Vietnam Veterans Foundation
Veterans Assistance Foundation
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of Washington
Vietnam Veterans of Washington State
Washington Chapter of the United States Navy Veterans Association
So, our advice, if you live in the State of Washington, is not to donate to any of the charities for which CSI is the solicitor.
When we receive the requested information from National Vietnam Veterans Foundation, we will update this page.
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