NATIONAL COMMANDER RESPONDS

The following “Letter to the editor” is in response to a recent Washington Post article that rated veterans organizations fundraising efforts.

Dear Editor:
The Washington Post’s Dec. 13 article, entitled “Studies Fault Charities for Veterans,” helped to reinforce one very important point: charitable organizations who abuse donor generosity should be held accountable. However, it is an unfortunate error to paint all veterans' groups with the same broad brush, because the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and many other recognized veterans' service organizations are reliable, ethical and effectively serving America’s heroes in a time when the need has never been greater.

In 2005-2006, VFW program expenditures exceeded donor contributions. Most Americans would be surprised at the wide range of support the VFW provides to veterans and their families, including financial assistance for families of deployed troops, dedicated VFW service officers to aid veterans in filing benefits claims, and a free phone card program for deployed personnel and recovering wounded to connect with their families. In addition to troop support, the VFW sponsors scholarship programs, educational outreach, youth activities and community service. In addition, almost 90 percent of funds raised by our VFW Foundation go directly to programs, as reported by CharityNavigator.org. VFW also gives generously to other charitable causes such as Fisher House and the Intrepid Heroes Fund, both rated exceptionally well by the American Institute of Philanthropy report.

About 22 percent of the VFW budget goes to fundraising and 8 percent to administrative costs. VFW donors are our investors; they invest in VFW programs and services and are stakeholders in our success. In addition, no charity is able to operate effectively without allocating at least a portion of their resources towards generating new funds and supporting the infrastructure that makes their activities possible. For example, the VFW has hundreds of experienced and dedicated service officers in the field, on military installations, and in veterans' hospitals. Over the past year, these full-time service officers helped nearly 100,000 veterans to recoup $1 billion in earned compensation and pension benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is a free service the VFW provides to all veterans, regardless of whether they are members.

As the nation’s most respected and oldest major veterans' service organization, the VFW stands ready to support America’s 24 million veterans, her 2.2 million servicemen and women, and their families. We’re proud to honor the commitment of so many veterans who served our country, and we hope Americans will continue to help us meet the growing demand for our services.

Sincerely,

George Lisicki
National Commander
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States
Washington, DC