United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO World Headquarters)
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May 22, 2012
I have been writing a presentation on the USO for over a month for a college course on Nonprofits. The USO is amazing! Just to comment: the salary paid to the CEO is way below what he would make at a for- profit organization. When leading such a giant organization with integrity while staying true to the mission, you want the best of the best. And the best of the best deserves to be paid what they are worth. As the daughter of a veteran, I can tell you my Dad thinks Mr. Gibson deserves every penny of his salary and is grateful for all he does for the USO.
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Will you volunteer or donate to this organization?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
February 29, 2012
I have a problem anymore of donating to a charity where the CEO makes close to a 1/2 mil in salary. I'm really for the troops, but there must be a better use of my dollars then going to such a highly paid individual.
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Was your donation impactful?
Unlikely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Unlikely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Unlikely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
February 7, 2012
The USO needs to be fully investigate on how they use/treat donor intended dollars....the keep the funds at Arlington/allow their centers to spend the expenses without crediting the local centers account. The ultimate is they then require their center managers to write up reports back to Arlington so Arlington can use that to show the donor how their funds were put to work. Arlington spends the funds on their bloated / highlypaidstaff.
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How would you describe the help you got from this organization?
None
How likely are you to recommend this organization to a friend?
No
How do you feel you were treated by this organization?
Badly
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
February 4, 2012
I'm former military, and a volunteer with USO's Dallas-Ft Worth Airport"Send Off" program, which works with troops returning to Afghanistan from R&R, every day. I'm one of seven volunteers on the Thursday shift, and we typically have about 100 - 200 outbound troops on a flight. The money donated to the USO enables us to have light snacks (chips, pretzels, candy bars, jerky, peanuts, gum etc.) and cold bottled water for the troops, and a cart of aspirin, bandaids, chapstick, eyedrops, shaving and cleanup supplies, etc. at the departure point. We also dispense donate books, magazines, and USO "Care Packages". Of our seven team members, the three men are all veterans, including a WW II infantryman (Battle of the Bulge), a Korean War veteran, and a Vietnam veteran. All four of the women are either married to veterans, or are widows of the veterans. We love our work as volunteers, and welcome the opportunity to work with these great troops and the families that come to see them off. We believe that the heart of the USO is with and for the troops; and that the number of volunteers far, far exceeds the paid staff. All of us, although not paid, actively financially support the USO because we are on the spot, and we see what is done for the troops and how much the USO is appreciated by them and their families. In short, it's a CALLING, and we believe our contributions help our soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen/women. We love the USO because we love the troops. God bless them, every one!
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
February 2, 2012
Like a previous reviewer, I am rather disappointed by the fact that their CEO makes nearly half a million dollars. I'm not well-versed in what an appropriate salary would be for a CEO, but since this is a non-profit organization, that figure seems ridiculously high. While I support the great work that the USO does, this fact about their CEO's salary makes it highly unlikely that I would recommend to others that they should give to this organization.
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Was your donation impactful?
Unsure
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Unlikely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Unlikely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
1 person found this review helpful
September 8, 2011
1 person found this review helpful
Sloan Gibson is the President of the charity USO and his salary of over $400,000 / year is too high !
The administrative expenses of USO, over 10%, are too high!
The USO was created by congress and it has a responsibility to correct these excesses.
Congress should take care of the problem, the USO is needed, and is losing donations because of this pig!
I have written email and snail mail to senators and congress men about this problem, no results yet!
I think they are pigs at the trough, to busy to get the work done.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
i am a donor.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Put Sloan and his buddies should be put to work in the field.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
No
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Unlikely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Unsure
What specific problem, purpose, priority, or project prompted your gift?
I believe that the USO serves an important purpose and Sloan and the other expensive pigs should get out of the picture!
Why did you make your donation at this time?
The need is there.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
March 15, 2011
I wanted to do something to support our troops and initially, sent care packages through another non-profit. Due to several reasons, I decided that wasn't the best use of my money or time. After hearing how the USO makes a difference in our troops lives - before deploying and once deployed - I knew I found my answer.
I have never received unsolicited mail from other organizations due to my contributing to the USO. I haven't seen where they sold my name/address. I agree they do send more mailings than I like, but having worked in a non-profit before, I also know they only do what is successful. So the mailings are making more money than it is spending. And it does remind me to get out my credit card and send in a donation.
I find this organization to be responsible to their donors and a wonderful asset to our military as they are away from home. Thanks for all you do, the many great programs you offer and the difference you are making in military families.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Having been involved with persons in the military, I have seen the difference their services make to our troops. Thank you.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Send a little less mail, but seriously - not an issue.
November 1, 2010
As with any organization, one person may have one experience and another have a very different experience. For me, Tide detergent doesn't work, but that doesn't color my entire view of PnG. Running into one ill-informaed volunteer should not color your experience with the entire organization. For me and my family, the USO has been a valuable resource for support, sometimes being the only people I could lean on in a difficult situation. The USO provides a quite place to rest in an airport, a place to find community and maybe a "senior wife" to lend perspective to a situation one might only face as a military spouse. USO volunteers have stood by me in remote locations where I never would have suspected they even had a presence, but they did. Every interaction I have had with the USO has been superior.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the support they provide informed by their intimate knowledge of the issues military families face.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
add more airport locations, like TPA, and move a few of them inside security like ATL or Dulles.
1 person found this review helpful
July 2, 2010
1 person found this review helpful
As the wife of a military member I have enjoyed the warmth of the USO at so many places around the world. While my husband was in Afghanistan the USO provided a service where he was able to read a book to my daughter...they taped it and sent it to us. My daughter watched that video every day until her dad made it home (safely :) ). We have used their centers in the airport when needing a place to rest with the kids while on our way to our next duty station. And, at Christmas time, when things were really very lonely, they held a special party for the kids. The kids got to make cards and presents for their parents who were deployed. And what was really incredible? The fact that while I was not looking they helped my daughter make a card and present for me too. They put it in the mail and it arrived on Christmas Eve. It's the little things that mean so much. Thanks USO!! You make it a little bit easier for all of us. You'll never know how much we appreciated it.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
our every day lives as a military family.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
ensure there were centers in more places throughout the world.
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
It truly made a difference in our lives. The little things that matter....nothing makes you feel more at home than a warm smile in an unfamiliar place.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Really great. They loved what they did and you could tell. They were just spectacular with our kids.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Serve all military families and members. They deserve it!
Ways to make it better...
my husband could have been there with us.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
More people need to know about them. More people need to donate and volunteer.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
2 people found this review helpful
February 12, 2010
2 people found this review helpful
While I think that the purpose of the USO and some of the support that it gives military families is highly commendable, as a donor I have to say I am very disappointed with their practices. I give to the USO in my name, and last year made a $5 donation in my daughter's name (she is now 2 years old) to send a valentine to a soldier overseas. Before I donated money, I wanted to donate goods to the USO at the Denver airport, as we lived in Colorado at the time. I had a lengthy conversation with a man there who seemed to be in charge. He basically told me not to bother with toiletries and other goods for soldiers at the airport office because the kids from the Air Force Academy in Colo Springs just come in and fill their bags with those items. HELLO? You guys are big boys, control that situation! Then he didnt want my stack of magazines because they weren't current. But they weren't current events magazines, either, they were Smithsonian, Outside, etc - rather timeless. SO he talked me into giving money. And I did. And now I am flooded with mail from the USO (and the emails...oh my!!). I wouldn't mind if the mail was free, but now the money I've given seems to have gone straight to their marketing dept instead of to soldiers overseas, as intended! The worst, though, is the result of my daughter's $5 donation. They have since spent that $5 ten times over on mailings addressed to her. She has a distinctive name, and her last name is different from mine, so I know she is on the USO list as a separate person. THE WORST PART?? They sold their mailing list. The USO is the only organization I've given a donation to in my daughter's name, and suddenly we are bombarded with mail for her from every organization there is, from Special Olympics to the World War II Museum. Very, very disappointed indeed.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
spend less on marketing, more on programs.
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
the idea that i am benefiting soldiers and their families - not sure if that's exactly been the case, though.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
not very helpful.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
If this organization had 10 million bucks and an administrative revamp, it could TRUKY help soldiers and their families.
Ways to make it better...
I felt the money I have donated was used as intended, and if they hadn't sold their mailing list.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
their own attitude.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
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