the nonprofit Wreaths Across America is a front operation for for-profit wreath company

[Anonymous]

The nonprofit Wreaths Across America is a front operation for for-profit wreath company.

The for-profit company promotes charity to drive revenue and profit back to the company.

It's a vegetative version of dogs rescues that front breeders and vets.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2023/12/13/30m-military-wreath-charity-buys-solely-from-its-founders-farm/

[Anonymous]

Nonprofits tend to be a big grift more so than not (obviously there are strong exceptions but overall). Look at all the nonprofits helping stand up charter schools if you want a real hoot. Also you can convert a non profit to for profit so you’ll see people do that to scam the tax code until revenue gets cooking.

[Anonymous]

wow

[Anonymous]

Yuck. They also kick back to nonprofit organizations that get members to "sponsor" multiple wreaths. I was in one such organization.

[Anonymous]

Non profits are slimy as hell. I’m convinced they’re all tax dodging schemes. Take hospitals for instance. Their ceos still make millions and I see no difference in care for patients or lowered costs.

[Anonymous]

I kinda don’t care. I love seeing that our military isn’t forgotten. Let them rip us off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I kinda don’t care. I love seeing that our military isn’t forgotten. Let them rip us off.

That's your choice to make, but most people would probably like to know that's what they're doing

[Anonymous]

I could take or leave wreaths on headstones, but I don't see the problem here. The product (wreaths) costs money - materials, staff, transport. Then on top of that, they are priced higher because some of the price is fundraising for other groups. No sane donor thinks the $22 cost of a wreath is its wholesale cost.

If you want to go out of pocket to source and assemble thousands of wreaths, go for it. But there's a reason an existing wreath company is able to do it and you can't/won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could take or leave wreaths on headstones, but I don't see the problem here. The product (wreaths) costs money - materials, staff, transport. Then on top of that, they are priced higher because some of the price is fundraising for other groups. No sane donor thinks the $22 cost of a wreath is its wholesale cost.

If you want to go out of pocket to source and assemble thousands of wreaths, go for it. But there's a reason an existing wreath company is able to do it and you can't/won't.

I kind of agree with you...but in theory, the non-profit has a fiduciary obligation to procure wreaths at the best possible price, regardless of the vendor. The article basically addresses the conflict:

“If it is the case that the for-profit vendor would collapse or need to significantly downsize were it to lose the business of the charity, it is a glaring conflict of interest to have owners of that vendor on the charity’s board or in key staff positions,” said Laurie Styron, CEO and executive director of CharityWatch, an independent charity watchdog group.

“The owners and their close relatives should either sell off their financial interests in the for-profit vendor, or the interested parties should resign from the charity and allow an independent board to recruit leaders in whom the public can have confidence in their capacity to act independently.”

Let's face it, the for-profit wreath business would never have become as large as it is without the NPO buying the wreaths.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I could take or leave wreaths on headstones, but I don't see the problem here. The product (wreaths) costs money - materials, staff, transport. Then on top of that, they are priced higher because some of the price is fundraising for other groups. No sane donor thinks the $22 cost of a wreath is its wholesale cost.

If you want to go out of pocket to source and assemble thousands of wreaths, go for it. But there's a reason an existing wreath company is able to do it and you can't/won't.

I kind of agree with you...but in theory, the non-profit has a fiduciary obligation to procure wreaths at the best possible price, regardless of the vendor. The article basically addresses the conflict:

“If it is the case that the for-profit vendor would collapse or need to significantly downsize were it to lose the business of the charity, it is a glaring conflict of interest to have owners of that vendor on the charity’s board or in key staff positions,” said Laurie Styron, CEO and executive director of CharityWatch, an independent charity watchdog group.

“The owners and their close relatives should either sell off their financial interests in the for-profit vendor, or the interested parties should resign from the charity and allow an independent board to recruit leaders in whom the public can have confidence in their capacity to act independently.”

Let's face it, the for-profit wreath business would never have become as large as it is without the NPO buying the wreaths.

Sure, but the wreaths would not be on headstones at all without the for-profit business starting the charity.

I don't know the wreath people - they could be terrible humans, no idea. But I volunteer with other nonprofits that have paid staff, and it's frustrating how many people think that if the mission is to do something nice, everyone involved should be doing it for free or at cost, or working harder to include interests that non-volunteers think should be included.
Especially when the activity (which people seem to warmly support) literally would not exist if not for the people who make a living from doing it.

Here, the interested parties said they recused themselves from vendor selection. And there's no scam: wreaths are getting placed. And tens of thousands of volunteers seem to care that it happens, since they show up. So ... we're just mad that the nonprofit doesn't work harder to find other businesses who can make money on this, instead of the one business that's been doing it for years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nonprofits tend to be a big grift more so than not (obviously there are strong exceptions but overall). Look at all the nonprofits helping stand up charter schools if you want a real hoot. Also you can convert a non profit to for profit so you’ll see people do that to scam the tax code until revenue gets cooking.

Disagree completely.

[Anonymous]

I'm aware but still participate, because I think the cause outweighs the issue. I also appreciate the uniformity of wreaths provided from a single source.