In a period of little more than two days in January 2016, the outlook and public impression of the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), one of the nation’s most venerable charities, was transformed from substantially positive to substantially negative. During those two days – January 26 and 27, 2016 – CBS News and The New York Times aired and published reports that heavily criticized the way WWP conducted itself. …CBS News and The New York Times did the public no favors with [their] inadequate and unnecessarily damaging journalism.—Doug White “The First Casualty: A Report Addressing the Allegations Made Against the Wounded Warrior Project”
CFP: “Great Job, Poor Optics” would be a good descriptive title for an article on the fall from grace of the veteran’s charity “Wounded Warrior Project” (WWP). By which I mean that WWP as run by its former Chief Executive Officer Steve Nardizzi and Chief Operations Officer Al Giordano, was wonderfully successful at helping many vets, but Nardizzi’s management style, while undeniably successful, left WWP open to charges of playing fast and loose with donor’s money.
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As charity specialist Doug White puts it: “While Nardizzi led WWP as a modern, national charity, he overlooked a crucial, if cosmetic, aspect of any modern-day organization: how things look have a bearing on how things are.”
Which is to say that it behooves a charity organization to look like a charity organization, and not a glamorous and financially flush NGO. The thing is, under Nardizzi and Giordano’s leadership WWP was flush with funds, and if it was not a glamorous NGO, it was certainly one of the country’s most recognizable and successful charity brands. And then came tag-team exposés by the “The New York Times” and “CBS News” in early 2016.
As a result of the two exposés WWP’s board at the time put out a report denying any wrongdoing on the part of WWP – and then cut their own throat by firing Nardizzi and Giordano (if WWP was innocent of any wrongdoing why fire their CEO and COO?). It was after the firing of Nardizzi and Giordano that the real damage to WWP occurred, and contributions plummeted. MORE
I wonder why appearances have never been important to the prog public or the investigatory bureaucrats when it comes to The Clinton Foundation’s loosey goosey hundreds of millions of pay-to-play dollars? …..Lady in Red
I’m guilty for falling for the lies about WW.
Great story, and and an eye opener.
Wounded Warrior Project and Semper Fi Fund. I recommend them both.
I may be wrong, but I believe that the America hate published bythe MSM the last 75 years is the #1 reason so many Americans have stopped loving America the last20 years.
Of course there are other reasons. The 2 bad Presidents starting this century are good reasons to not love America. But I contend that If most Americans had loved America 20 years ago the UIPARTY would never have been in 1600.
As I recall the prez of WWP was anti-gun. I’d never donate after that. There are other better places to give, such as Gary Sinese.