A Message from Our Volunteers

Imagine you learned that a charity you regularly support has been deceiving you for years. Your heart was in the right place, but theirs wasn’t. You would probably be angry — and you would probably wish you had known years ago. We’re angry too. That’s why the RAM Foundation’s Charities For Vets campaign exists, and we need your help to keep our work going.

Many organizations with compassionate-sounding names waste or misuse their slice of the $2 billion that generous Americans donate to charities focused on military veterans. Instead of “Thank you for your service,” they offer a slap in the face. Most donors like you have no idea how tiny an impact their contributions ultimately have.

The goal of the RAM Foundation’s Charities For Vets campaign is to help Americans make smarter decisions about which of these charities deserve gold stars, and which deserve red flags. Our mission is unique. We’re running a steady information campaign that will steer billions of dollars to our recommended veterans charities by redirecting donations away from those that we can be proud of.

Veterans don’t need more giving. They need more informed giving.

Our rating system is transparent and our data come from publicly available tax returns and charities’ reports to state attorneys general. We track spending on salaries and “overhead” costs, along with fundraising expenses and massive investment portfolios that drive money away from veterans who need help the most.

We are also helping Americans find worthwhile charities that provide the specific kinds of veterans services you want to support. If a charity we recommend spends 30% or more of its program budget on one particular service, our “Priority Programs” index can show you what it is.

When you make a tax-deductible contribution to the Charities For Vets campaign, you are helping to educate millions of Americans about where their charitable dollars will do the most good.

Unlike the charities we don’t recommend, We work on a volunteer basis. Our board of directors, military advisers and professional executive staff are all volunteers making a difference.

And we use our own income mainly to advertise our rating system and keep our data current. We’re grateful for one-time donations and monthly recurring contributions. You will receive an annual update on our progress and spending, and a receipt for your tax records.