VETSPAC
MISSION
STATEMENT
The
Mission of Vetspac is to assess and measure the value
provided by Veteran Service
Organizations and Military Associations so that Veterans and Donors can
make informed choices as to which, if any, Veterans organization to join or
contribute.
Hundreds
of millions of dollars flow annually to largely-unaccountable Veteran
Organizations and Associations with the expectation that needy Veterans will benefit.
To encourage growth, these organizations often obtain non-profit status under
the US Tax Code; and some are Chartered by Congress and/or Recognized by the Department of
Veterans Affairs for Claim Representation.
Unfortunately,
in recent years it has become clear that many Associations are of little
benefit to Veterans; funds are spent inefficiently and few dollars are
available to either address Veteran needs or provide real assistance. Bloated
staffs, inefficient practices, high over-head, and out-sized salaries of often-ineffective
management are some of the reasons few benefits flow through to Veterans. To
add insult to injury, the IRS non-profit
status of these organizations shields them from state and federal taxes which
means taxpayers across the 50 states subsidize their existence by paying higher
taxes to offset those foregone from these ‘non-profits.’
This
unfortunate state of affairs is well-documented and been the subject of recent
Congressional inquiry although little has changed as a result.
Vetspac believes reform of this self-serving sector
is long overdue.
PURPOSE
of VETSPAC
To
this end, Vetspac believes placing sunshine on the
management and financial structure, fund-raising costs, overhead, payroll, and
other expenses of these organizations will act as a break on these excesses, encourage
the setting of high standards through the adoption of ‘best practices,’ provide
a reference point for legislative reform, and – establish “value to the Veteran” as a primary focus across the industry.
ASSESSMENT
METHODOLOGY
Veterans organization file annual reports with
the US Internal Revenue Service. Since these documents are in the public domain,
Vetspac plans to obtain reports on each organizations,
conduct a series of assessments using standard analytic techniques, and rate Veteran Service
Organizations and Military Associations across a six dimension metric:
·
Financial Management
·
Fund Raising
·
Use of Funds
·
Accountability & Transparency
·
Strength of Management
·
Mapping Goals to Outcomes
BENCHMARKING
This Vetspac rating system will set benchmarks
of performance and efficiency across the industry and allow Veterans and Donors,
for the first time, to see how much assistance actually gets to the Veteran.
This will provide a much-needed basis for Veterans and Donors to determine which,
if any, Veteran organization and/or association to join and support.
The Vetspac methodology also benchmarks Veteran
Service Organizations and Military Associations providing a mechanism to measure
their performance relative to others and forming a basis for internal reform.
References
American
Institute of Philanthropy Report
Association
Spending Article