Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a veteran service and charity organization that offers support, assistance, services, and programs for wounded military veterans. The organization was formed after the September 11, 2001 attacks and has been operating as a nonprofit organization. The organization has been able to serve thousands of registered members and alumni. It has partnered with several other charities such as Resounding Joy and the American Red Cross in order to help facilitate the provision of its services. As a nonprofit organization, it is expected that the company should engage in proper money management practices. The organization came under backlash and experienced negative public relations when it emerged that the top company leaders were overspending their donation money. This paper considers Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), its negative public relations, and how the organization could have acted to manage the negative public relations.
Mission and Purpose
The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is stated as to honor and empower Wounded Warriors. The organization has a vision of striving to foster a successful and a well-adjusted generation of wounded service members. The organization understands the challenges that veterans face when transitioning to civilian life. It strives to make the transitional journey for the family member, caregiver, and the veterans become smooth and easy. The organization strives to build a community with other warriors that understand and can share specific challenges. As a nonprofit organization that depends on funding from donors, the services offered to the warriors are available for free.
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Events That Generated Negative Publicity
The event that triggered a negative publicity for Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) took place after CBS News investigation found that Wounded Warrior Project had spent its money extravagantly on luxurious settings. The organization operates mainly from public donations and it is expected that it should use the donations to facilitate the services it offers. The news by the CBS was released in the year 2016 and allegations were made that instead of the organization spending its funds on their programs, most of the money went to the staff. Allegations were made against the company by the Charity Navigator, an investigation team that the organization had only spent only 60% of its donations on veterans with the remaining 40% being unaccounted for. The investigation established that the spending on meetings and conferences by the organization had gone up from $1.7 million in the year 2010 to a staggering $26 million in the year 2014. The amount that was spent was similar to that which was spent on its top program called combat stress recovery.
Why the Event Could Generate Negative Publicity
The allegations made against the company could generate negative publicity as it would create an image of an organization that is poorly managed. Wounded Warrior Project appeals to American public generosity and the organization had received more than $300 million in donations for the year 2014. The public expects that the company should uphold proper standards when managing its funds. Any poor management of donor funds would directly alarm the public and this may affect the flow of money for future donors. For the given mishandling of funds, the public was not happy after learning that some donation money was spent lavishly by company executives. The news was circulated widely and the general public showed that the organization had violated a code of conduct and code of ethics expected in a nonprofit organization.
Specific Goals to Manage the Negative Publicity
The main goal of the public relations campaign would be to rebuild the public reputation and perception of Wounded Warrior Project’s management. The negative publicity relations mainly targeted the company’s top management and there was a need to make the public start trusting the management again. The next goal would be to repair the tarnished public perception of the organization. There was news and reports circulating throughout various media outlets and this constantly created a public perception. It was important to repair the public perception to a positive one to create a good company brand image.
Another goal that could be used to manage the negative publicity would be to ensure that strong relationships are maintained with the critical stakeholders of the organization. This goal is important because critical stakeholders such as key donors fund the organization and without their funding, the organization would simply collapse. Maintaining a strong communication would involve adequate communication regarding the findings from the investigation and what WWP is doing to ensure that such a scenario does not recur any time in the future. The next goal would be to establish a measure of control regarding the information available to the public. The organization had to ensure that it managed any information going to the public so as to prevent any further negative reports that could tarnish the public image of the company.
Steps Taken to Achieve Goals.
The series of steps that should be undertaken to achieve the company goals would include releasing a company report detailing its mission, vision, and significant accomplishments, holding a meeting with stakeholders to discuss issues raised in the recent scandal, and to create a clear chain of command for publishing any news or information to the media. The first step of releasing a company report that shows the mission, vision, and significant accomplishments of the organization would assist in rebuilding the reputation of the management and the image of the organization. Additionally, the organization can take to social media and run a creative advertisement campaign that details its accomplishments. The public would be able to see that the organization has undertaken several programs and projects that supports the mission and vision of the organization. If possible, report would involve details from the finance department dealing with various expenditure undertaken by the organization.
The next step would involve having a meeting with the various stakeholders to discuss the details of the scandal. The meeting would ensure that the stakeholders understand that the information released was not true. A detailed financial report regarding various expenditure undertaken by the company over the past few years and a rationale for the spending would be provided. In case the stakeholders see it fit, they could ask for some of the executives that were at the center of the scandal to step down. This would involve an entire restructuring of the organization by also ensuring that it is only the company executives with first-hand information about the company that speaks to the public and media. This would prevent any further publishing of negative information.
Evaluation Plan
After undertaking all the necessary steps to rebuild the company’s image, communicate with stakeholders, and control information flowing to the media, an evaluation plan would be important to ensure that the strategy was a success. The plan would involve receiving feedback from the public regarding the perception of the organization. The feedback could be undertaken by a survey of various donors, veterans, and stakeholders a month after taking all the necessary steps. Perception of the company on various social media platforms would also be monitored from time to time. The plan would also involve monitoring of the progressive public awareness of the company’s programs and monitoring of information that goes to the public. After receiving feedback from the monitoring the organization could adjust its plan to ensure further management of the public relations.
In conclusion, the scandal of Wounded Warrior Project over mismanagement of its funds created a negative public image which could be corrected through a proper public relations plan and campaign. The organization should strive to rebuild its public image by controlling information going to various media outlets, communicating with stakeholders, and having a newsletter released to the public regarding various initiatives by the company. The use of social media advertising can be used to recreate the company’s brand and image.
