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Charities for veterans giving very little money to them

The names of the charities sound great, and the fundraising letters and websites are powerful, but 11 Investigates found some charities that claim to help veterans are only giving vets about a fourth of the donations.

Some charities are taking in millions of dollars in donations, but tax filings show they're only giving programs that support veterans pennies on the dollar.

Butch Kelly has a stack of fundraising letters on his kitchen table.  They are from Disabled Veterans National Foundation.  He sent a check after getting the first letter, although he is on a fixed income.

"You see disabled veterans and think, wow, these people are doing good work," Kelly said.

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But 11 Investigates looked at the organization's tax filings.  They show that for every dollar donated, less than a quarter goes to programs that support veterans. The majority of the $27 million. The Disabled Veterans National Foundation raised in 2016 went to fundraising.

One charity watchdog, Charity Navigator, gave the Disabled Veterans National Foundation a zero out of four stars.  Another watchdog, Charity Watch, gave it an F rating.

Disabled Veterans National Foundation is headquartered outside Washington, D.C.  11 Investigates made requests to the organization for weeks to talk about its finances, but a spokesperson repeatedly refused those requests.
    
Instead, the organization sent a letter that touts the military record of CEO Joseph Vanfonda, who is a Purple Heart recipient.  The letter states Vanfonda is committed to transparency and accountability and has been "working to revamp the organization's operations, programs, staff and fundraising practices."

11 Investigates found another charity, Veterans Support Foundation, that also gives less than a quarter of every dollar raised, to veterans.  It's president, Keith King, said his organization provides housing for veterans in need.

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"We're proud of what we do once we have the money in house," King stated. "How we take care of that money, what we do with that money, I think, is as important, if not more important, than what it costs me to raise that money in the first place."

King also told 11 Investigates that money problems nearly forced his organization to shut down.

Instead, it turned to telemarketers for fundraising.  The telemarketers now get half of every dollar he raises.

Daniel Borochoff, with Charity Watch, believes the organization made the wrong choice.

"They should go out of operation," Borochoff said.  "They're just siphoning money out of the giving pool."

11 Investigates found some charities that are using donations as they were intended.  For every dollar raised, the National Military Family Association gives 80 cents to programs that support veterans.

"It's important to ask the question, how much of my dollar is going to support the people you say you serve," said Joyce Raezer, with the association.

There also are ways online to check out a charity before giving a donation.  Charity Navigator, Charity Watch and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office have website to search for more information on particular charities.

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