| COMMENT By Bob Weaver
This week I received at least three phone calls requesting donations to help veterans.
Having donated to Wounded Warriors, it was disheartening to learn about their operation.
The New York Times released a damning report on the renowned Wounded Warrior Project, accusing the organization of lavish overspending.
The charity was founded a little over a decade ago to give back to veterans and has seen tremendous growth in its finances and personnel.
The Times reports that much of the financial growth has gone to fund "travel, dinners, hotels and conferences that often seemed more lavish than appropriate" to the tune of "millions a year."
40% of the charity's 2014 donations were spent on overhead.
That 40% equals $124 million.
Reporter Dave Philipps stated, "The organization has also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years on public relations and lobbying campaigns to deflect criticism of its spending."
CBS News reports the Wounded Warrior Project is facing criticism from more than 40 former employees about how it spends the more than $800 million it's raised in the past four years.
CBS News asked Marc Owens, a former director of tax exempt organizations at the IRS, to review the Wounded Warrior Project's tax documents.
"I couldn't tell the number of people that were assisted. I thought that was truly unusual," he said.
With hundreds of scams, some with a TV ad presence like Wounded Warrior, received by phone, mail and Internet, caution is the key word.
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