Wounded Warrior Project Reviews

The media reports are true in regards to huge financial waste and a very prominent culture of fear. If you are not liked by the "key" players within the organization (who remain the same people even now that there is a new CEO), you will be treated poorly, your opinion and ideas will be blatantly disregarded, and it will be made clear to you that at any moment they can terminate you due to "not being a cultural fit"--whatever that means (obviously it is subjective). However, if you are part of the "in crowd", you are golden and will not be messed with at all. Matter fact, you can do no wrong. They waste a lot of money on programs which do not impact long-term change in the life of a warrior and/or their caregiver or family. They are useless events and they will try to sell the idea by saying that if this event gets at least one veteran out of their home and engaged, then it was all worth it. That sounds fantastic in theory, but they waste MILLIONS of dollars on things like parties, renting out movie theaters, tickets to football and baseball games, etc. and maybe 1 out of every 500 veterans will be that one "special" story of someone who engaged because they went to this event. Additionally, there are MILLIONS wasted on SWAG (WWP branded t-shirts, umbrellas, snow pants, beanies, hats, gym bags, blankets, towels, stress balls, pens, pins, stickers, magnets, yoga pants, basketball shorts, jackets, sunglasses, backpacks, portfolios, water bottles, teddy bears, bracelets, etc. etc.). You tell me...does spending millions on SWAG make sense when there are veterans who are jobless, homeless, in need of financial assistance, isolating in their home due to mental health concerns, etc.? While I was there they spent $25,000 on a street party for veterans; they had 3-5 day Project Odysseys run by staff who are not trained in mental health, thus putting vulnerable veterans at serious risk; they had a Warrior Ball and spent more than $50,000 and only half of the guests showed up; they would rent out movie theaters to watch the latest Hollywood release; they would take veterans to events like football/baseball/hockey games, shows, theme parks, etc. Every single employee also gets a credit card, and receipts do not have to be submitted to show what you purchased. There are no policies (literally, there is no policy manual) relating to anything done within the company or how one uses their credit card. At the lowest level, the spending limit per month is $5,000, and at the highest it is well over $50,000. When traveling for work, there is no meal stipend, so one can eat wherever they want and spend whatever they want.

The financial officers closed ranks around an employee who brought to their attention almost $100,000 of waste. After her sudden termination on a Friday afternoon, the remaining accounting staff was subjected to a mandatory meeting, in which the CEO, CFO, and 2 executive VPs made several contrived and libelous accusations. This effectively delivered the message that any employee who discovers mismanagement had better keep it to themselves, or be subject to the most unprofessional display of self-righteous character assassination imaginable. These hoods employee a media machine along with a fleet of lawyers (the CEO is a lawyer) to ensure the donor dollars don't stop. Meanwhile, their programs consist mostly of a mix of existing government assistance and highly visible and well advertised social events. No vets before 911 are given any assistance - their care would be prohibitively expensive. As the years roll on, the execs will exit with salaries and compensation well in excess of 7 figures. Every decision supports keeping employee cost down (most jobs would be hourly with overtime anywhere else, and you will work 60 to 80 hours a week) and keeping board and thus donor perception up (ask the accountant ants about reallocaton.) Unless you will be an EVP, keep looking.