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The Wounded Warrior Project, probably the best-known charity of the Global War on Terror generation, has fired nearly half of its executives and taken steps to overhaul its entire organization."This is a case where the negative publicity have caused us to take an internal look at how to do things better," said Mike Linnington, the retired Army Lieutenant General who took over as CEO of Wounded Warrior Project earlier this year."Where Wounded Warrior Project came from to where we are now is a success story. We have 90,000 post-9/11 vets we're helping," he added.The organization was accused of spending lavishly on its own staff and executives, including huge salaries, luxury corporate retreats, and all kinds of reckless spending.The organization reportedly only spent around 60 percent of its money on services. WWP says it was closer to 80, however.Fundraising at the organization rose from $100 million five years ago to over $300 million last year.
Wounded Warrior Project Slashes Expenses, Becomes Efficient
Moves taken to correct past mistakes include firing half of WWP's executives, closing nine offices and redirecting millions of dollars in spending toward mental health programs and other partnerships.The offices being closed are non-essential offices in areas where employees work from home or have alternative working arrangements. They will not constitute a reduction in Wounded Warrior Project's services, but rather a re-allocation of resources toward a better goal.In 2015, Wounded Warrior Project handed out over $11 million in grants to other organizations. They do not plan to reduce that amount any, but will be reducing overall size of staff while adding mental health professionals.“We’re still a very healthy organization,” Mike Linnington said. “We have been talking to our members throughout this process and making it clear that we aren’t changing who we are. We’re increasing investment in our most important programs, and still committed to helping veterans.”
