PTSD Advocates or Mercenaries?

by Chaplain Kathie

In all the years I've been doing this work, I've been amazed by the people stepping up to help veterans from coast to coast. Their reward for endless hours of heart tugging, often heartbreaking work, has not been financial or fame, but a deep spiritual reward they receive knowing that today, they made a difference in someone's life. This is what has kept me going. Often I'm asked if I get burnt out. I can't remember how many times this has happened, but God seems to have an endless supply of matches to light the fire over and over again. Most of the people in this do it quietly instead of blogging endlessly screaming at the top of their fingers on the keyboard. I get to blast my "mouth" off as often as my blood pressure rises to the point of exploding.

Most of the others amaze me because I wonder how they relieve their pressure because they stay so calm in this tsunami of pain. The percentage of advocates doing it out of the goodness of their hearts far outweighs the people who see dollar signs instead. With the media focused on PTSD finally it's a good time to offer a warning to anyone with some spare funds in their pockets and everyone trying to get whatever they can out of you.

I get Google Alerts on many topics. What I've noticed is a lot of groups popping up I've never seen before. Some of them are very worthy of support (without mentioning any by name) but some seem to have their own finances top of the agenda. Here's what you need to watch out for.

Read what they write, how often they write and if they offer email contacts. If they do, then they are open to request for help by the people they appear to be helping. If no email is available, think twice before donating any money at all. You have to wonder how they are supposed to be helping anyone if no one can contact them directly. Even if they supply a phone number, you need to call it to make sure someone is there or calls you back. Some use phone numbers and answering machinery but never bother to return any calls. This is a clear sign the "advocate" is only advocating for their own bank account.

If the advocate posts when it seems they feel like it instead of dedicated to it, again, think twice because more often than not, they are also helping when they feel like it and not when someone is in dire need.

If the advocate boasts about what they do too much, publish emails they receive except in rare circumstances, think twice. Emails should always be private especially when the topic is PTSD. The rare circumstance is when the author of the email is seeking media attention on certain cases. (One of them is coming later today on this blog)

If they say they are a 501c3, make sure they are before you donate a dime and see how much they donate to the causes they say they are supporting. Do not avoid sites that are not 501c3 because more often than not, they are simply not tax deductible but are doing great work. You'll find people so dedicated to this work they are doing it full time and their only income is what you donate to keep them going. In this case, use PayPal or checks so that there is a paper trail forcing them to claim the income on their taxes.

There are going to be more and more people with their hands out as the economy gets worse, which experts say will happen for a long time. They see an easy way to make some money without really doing the work they claim to be doing. A bad economy and heartbreaking stories will always soften the hearts of charitable people. When you trust someone enough to make a donation and you find out later on they were using the cause you care about to make a fast buck, it ends up hurting the chance you'll donate to legitimate advocates.

Real advocates are not in this for glory but usually because they have "skin in the game" and a real reason to be doing this. This is why it's very important to read what they write so you'll know where their heart really is.

On the side bar of this blog are some great places to donate to. Keep checking to see more sites added in the future.