Beware:This Group Is Not The Disabled American Veterans

First, this is the Disabled American Veterans (DAV.org)

A Legacy of Service, Hope for the Future
DAV (Disabled American Veterans) is the most long-lasting veterans advocacy and assistance group in this country. We’ve watched this country change and grow, and we’ve grown along with it. However, DAV has never wavered in its core mission to fulfill our country’s promises to the men and women who served. We invite everyone, veterans and civilian, men and women, young and old, to join us as we stand up for those veterans who risked it all when they stood up for us, our country, and our ideals.

The hard facts of history brought about DAV’s creation. But compassion and service have been the tools that made our organization what it is today.

A great deal has changed since DAV was founded, but this much has remained the same: those who return from war must have men and women waiting for them at home who will stand with them as they work to take back their lives. Through DAV, veterans and civilians alike can fully express their appreciation and concern for those who have risked so much for our country.

The historical account of DAV in Wars and Scars on the pages that follow tells the story of that journey, from the days after World War I to the men and women of today returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and beyond. It tells the story of the veterans, families and civilians who made the commitment that none of America’s heroes should ever go it alone.

In one way (child of a Disabled veteran) or another (wife of a Disabled veteran) I have been involved with the DAV all my life.

Sure, the DAV does fundraisers but they don't dress up in costumes with buckets on the street. There is a group with a name similar to the DAV and they have confused even our own members. We'll be out at a location certain times of the year and one of our own members says they just donated on some street to a "guy in uniform" believing they were donating to the DAV. Needless to say they were not happy when they found out.

Right here and now I want to remind folks when it comes to Wounded Times, I speak only for myself and no one else. Understand that when I bluntly say, this stuff really ticks me off! I got it in my email as an alert from a member of the DAV. Too many folks get all confused and time to remind folks again that the following group has nothing to do with the DAV!

If you want to donate to them, be my guest but first know who you are giving your money to. This is from Charity Navigator

On June 30, 2014, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that "the New York attorney general’s office announced... that it had won a $25-million settlement in its investigation into fundraising abuses by a veterans charity [ Disabled Veterans National Foundation] and its direct-mail vendors, Quadriga Art and Convergence Direct Marketing." It goes on to report that the charity "...must create a committee to reexamine its business model, refrain from using Quadriga or Convergence for three years, and discontinue misleading fundraising appeals. It must also terminate its relationship with Charity Services International, a group that it paid to obtain donated goods for veterans that in some cases, the attorney general’s office said, did 'not have any useful purpose.'" The article also noted "Joseph VanFonda, chief executive of the Disabled Veterans National Foundation since late 2013, said in a statement he welcomed the settlement, which will 'enable us to improve the services we deliver and increase transparency with our loyal donors.' He said the group had hired an experienced fundraiser for a new position of development director." To read the full article and review the settlement, please see the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

This is from CBS News

July 1, 2014, 2:05 PM Fundraisers made millions from donations to disabled vets

Fundraisers hired by a national charity to raise money for disabled U.S. veterans duped the organization, soliciting contributions with tall tales that enriched the firms but did little to help former service members, an investigation by New York state prosecutors has found.

The Washington-based Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) became entangled with the fundraising firms Quadriga Art and Convergence Direct Marketing, according to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, whose office investigated the charity's tactics. The fundraising firms ultimately netted more than $100 million from donations to the charity, while the DVNF ended up close to $14 million in debt. More than 90 cents of every dollar donated by consumers went to the for-profit fundraisers, the probe revealed.

The tactics Quadriga and Convergence used to raise that money were shady. The direct mail campaigns that solicited money from consumers used a moving -- but fake -- story about a veteran who had purportedly been wounded and helped by the charity. The firms also made claims about services DVNF provided around the country that didn't exist.

In a nutshell, they end up making folks tie the two groups together so when the DAV does something good, folks think they did it and when they do something bad, folks think the DAV did it. Please beware of who is who doing what to who!