Vietnam Veterans Of America Inc

They send a truck for pick up. It arrives as scheduled. The truck and person picking up are extremely quiet, you don't even know they are there. This is a very convenient way of donating to a good charity organization.

I have donated for the past several years with no issues. But this time has been horrible and full of lies and excuses from Vietnam veterans of America. I scheduled a month in advance of pickup as I would be having a very large donation from our community garage sale. I had approximately 50 boxes and 50 bags of donations. I even called a week before to tell them I would be having a large donation and to make sure the driver knew this. Pickup day came I had all my items out on my driveway by 730 am and I was working out in my garage to watch for truck and to help them. I checked their website where I confirmed donation pickup and it said driver was there and no.items were on driveway. So I called to reschedule for Friday of same week. Same thing no pickup and when I called they first said no items were on driveway. I said they could not have missed the pile. The operator on phone kept asking me questions such as did you have items on driveway by 730? Me: yes, can it be seen on road? Me:, yes I live on a cul de sac, are the items labeled? Yes. They just kept asking questions and making excuses and not admitting that the driver was too lazy to pick up my.large donation load. So now I'm wondering if this organization is so in efficient and dysfunctional how much of the money they make are actually going to the veterans. DO NOT USE THEM!! very unreliable

Used them for a few years and everything was fine. Pick up as promised. Now pick up issues. Truck problems.Tuesday was a pick up day. 9 bags in the drive by 8AM. Cancel email recd at 11:30.
They tried to reschedule for 4/22 declined that and was 5he. Set up,for today 4/10. 9 bags again set out by 8 AM. Headed out for appointments. Bags still in drive and it’s raining.calked.cancelled pickup. Truck again.no email,this time. Was rescheduled to the 22 again without my knowledge. So 9 bags of perfectly good items are ruined. Try to support an organization but they have become unreliable. And no way to,pivot and problem solve. Drive to a Goodwill. At least they have a building to accept donations.

I received a pamphlet to donate to VVOA today, and have donated to Wounded Warriors in the past, which is great and well rated, so I looked up Vietnam Vets of America at their site and a few reputatbel charity review sites. Vietnam Vets of America is not a charity, but instead is an incorporated company, so donations are not tax deductible, and they do not have to meet charity ethical and reporting standards. They also appear to apply only 41 % of the money they collect in donations from people to their programs, which is very low compared to other similar Vet nonprofits. They likely do good work with the money they do use for programs as far as I can tell, but I want my donations to go to a nonprofit charity where a large percentage of the money goes to helping Vets, like my dad, who served in Vietnam, and his buddies and their families.

Thank you to Vietnam Veterans for America for being a great donation place! They came to my home and picked up my donations in Oregon! I appreciated their great attitude!! They deserve 5 stars!! Great service! God bless our Vets!!

I gave a donation on 11/19/24 , to the location in Las Vegas, NV. I gave abundance of items, the driver did not leave a receipt as required. Can you imagine how they are getting over on the general public by not doing this. I have written emails, called left messages to no avail. Please do not donate to this scam of a charity.

Called a week ahead .They confirmed pickup day before.Problem is, they never came.This is the second time they have done that.Called to ask why they didn’t come.Person on phone so rude!Said they had already come.When i said no they didn’t, man on phone replied that they probably didn’t want any of our stuff.Wanted to help the vets-forget about it.They do things on their own time and don’t care that you wanted to help and worked for days go get things out in driveway and labeled! Don’t waste your time.

If I could give 0 stars I would. EVERY time I call to have items picked up, the driver NEVER shows up. And yes, I confirm the appointment. And yes, my items are labeled. I call to talk to a customer service rep and they are no help at all. They say they register a complaint but that solves nothing. They say they put in a request to have a manager call, but they never call. I suppose they dont really need donated items after all because you would think they would come get them. If you can avoid using this company save yourself the frustration.

I don't recall the actual date this happened. It was sometime in the past 2 years. I had only donated a couple of times because my girlfriend said it was a good charity and it helped Veterans. I had scheduled a pick-up, but had to cancel it the day before due to an illness. I had specifically written in the instructions box to only pick up items on my front step landing and not to go onto my enclosed porch. I did have some of the stuff already on my enclosed porch that had been marked VVA. I also had a few items that I had planned to give to family members on the enclosed porch. When I arrived home after my doctors appointment and entered my porch, I noticed the items marked VVA were gone along with the items I had placed in a separate area of my porch. I called the number for VVA and the person I spoke with informed me, that since i had nothing on my landing, the driver went onto my porch and took what he thought I was donating. She also said since my pickup was early in the day the items were probably way in the back of the truck and the drivers didn't have time to look for them. This was very unprofessional since I had: 1. Had instructions not to go on my porch. and 2. Had cancelled the pickup the day before. The woman I spoke to informed me that when the truck was emptied she would have the people look for my items and give me a call to come pick them up. I told her not to bother because it was not my fault the driver took it upon himself to go on my porch and take items he shouldn't have. The woman said there were some boxes marked. I agreed yes there were but they were not on the landing, but inside my porch which I had requested they not go into.

I worked at VVA. The population we serve is a special one, especially because of the treatment they received when they returned “home”.

Personnel are treated very poorly; yes, even the veteran staff members. I worked directly with the Vietnam vets and during our last staff meeting, we were told, “if you don’t like it, you can leave”. The Vietnam vets I worked for were very saddened to see me leave, as they lost a genuine advocate and friend.

Please do not donate to this organization. As it likely just goes to fund the pockets of ego-driven people that are currently drunk on power.

They’ve been great with pickups in Virginia. I’ve donated to them several times for the past 3 years. Highly recommend donating for a great cause!

Do not use this organization in the Los Angeles Area. I explained I was handicapped and could not place my items on the front porch. The customer service people had no compassion and had a poor attitude. Then when they came to pick up my items they only took 1/4 of it. The driver also had a poor attitude as well and did not care about my situation as well.

I will never donate to this organization again.

Tampa FL. No complaints here. I’ve made four donations in the past two years and VVA always picked up as scheduled, took everything (maybe because I followed their guidelines) and left receipt and new yellow bag each time. I’ve never had a negative experience with them, whether on the phone or at/after pickup. I also educated myself on their top-level process, and I don’t expect them to have the systems of an Amazon.

I have had absolutely flawless service from this organization. I schedule my pickup on line, they always are here on the correct day, generally around ten AM, and remove all my donations in an expeditious and proper manner leaving a thank you tag.

I tried to have books picked up by this charity. I even let them know it was 15+ boxes of books before they came out. I was then told that they would only get 5 boxes and when I asked why the driver said they just wouldn't. It is nowhere listed on the website that they would refuse a donation pick up because they have a limit. I told him I wanted to speak to his supervisor and he said I have to call the main office. After speaking with a supervisor there, I was informed this happens quite a bit!

So a charity that is supposed to help our veterans refuses to pick up items because they do not make enough money on them????

To top it all off the driver said I was rude because I wanted my stuff picked up and wanted to know why when there is nothing telling me they won't.

So the way I see it is this charity is only out to help people if it makes them money as well.

So have made appointments for pickup and NO pickup. When I call they say it wasn't out early enough or wasn't visible. Both NIT the case. I tried one last time and put out the night before only to come home with goods still on my porch. Very frustrated and annoyed.

I have donated in past years to this organization and it was dependable and seamless; but not anymore. I wouldn't waste your time. They routinely send mis-leading emails that "They will be on your street" and then when you try to schedule a pickup it's a month or MORE from the current date. I had a scheduled pickup on 6/5/23 and even confirmed it with them on 5/19/23 because I had had to make it so far in advance. I did show a missed call from them on Friday 6/2 BUT NO MESSAGE. On 6/5/23 Got up to drag stuff out by 7:15am and ended up having to drag it back in again at 7:00pm when no one showed up. I've been taking up space in my garage for over a month waiting for pickup day; now they want me to call and re-schedule? No Thanks, I'll donate somewhere else. It's too bad, I felt historically it was a worthy cause but it's very poorly handled.

I thought this was a professional organization. I have donated for a year and each time I have given 4 - 8 boxes/bags of items. I live in an apartment. The entrance is on the third floor, I live on the fourth floor. One flight up. The person called and stated according to her map the driver had to go up 3 floors. I explained she will not tell me what floor I live on when I have lived here for 15 years. I set 4 boxes and one large bag outside my door.
This is the last day of donating anything to this so-called organization.
I have also gone through them canceling the day, and not leaving a receipt.

I have donated 7 times in the last few weeks to my local Connecticut area chapter and the pickup has been flawless. Their emails and telephone communications are excellent and they come when they say they are going to come. I will continue to donate to this organization.

One star is more than they deserve, I closed my Antique shop and had items I could have sold thought this was a good cause, my husband and I spend a good two weeks packing items up, including a Russian Icon, brass chandeliers and sconce, collectible books, tools, small furniture, dishes, clothing, and a few boxes of household goods, they came went through some of the boxes and took the sconces and a few other items, we got a call saying they couldn't pick up because it wasn't in boxes or bags, a lie, it was all in boxes or bags with the exception of the small wall mount mahogany bookshelf and an upholstered stool. It’s very disappointing thinking you are giving to a good cause, next time ill read the reviews before scheduling .

I agree with most of the reviews. If I could I would have chose 0 stars!! I left my stuff outside due to the card u received saying they were going to be in the neighborhood on a particular date they never took anything so I had to lug tons of stuff back in. I called them they admitted the postcard is misleading and u have to make an appointment for pickup which was 2 wks later so I lugged everything back outside and when I came home they left the majority there in the pouring rain all day and only took what they wanted!!! I called and was told the reasons why they MAY have not taken everything none of my stuff was against their guidelines!!! They took stuff that I couldn't mark and left boxes that were!! Everything was out there ALL TOGETHER and I left the main box infront so they could Cleary see VVA. The lady was supposed to call me back and never did!!! So I had to TRY to lug all the sopping wet boxes back into my garage . I am do upset that GREAT STUFF was left in the pouring rain all day!!! NEVER WILL I.DONATE AGAIN!!! I WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH TJE SALVATION ARMY!!! OH AND LETS NOT FORGET I WAS NEVER LEFT A RECEIPT FOR TAX PURPOSES!!! Just when ur thinking you are doing and giving something really good and they showed no respect or appreciation!!

i scheduled a Montgomery Village pick up on December 14 and the entire donation was left. Unfortunately because of the scheduled bad weather I had to haul all of that stuff back in side When I checked my voice mail the onsite operator left a message stating that because they saw a piece if furniture outside they couldn't take anything ( it was a toddler bed) the drivesr had informed the office that I had the bed and a bag of clothing which was an outright untruth. There were two bags and three very attractive well wrapped mirrors This is why people don't bother with these donation centers It's just horrible I should have stuck with the salvation army

Scheduled a donation pick up with this service but they “couldn’t find it” even though the donation was 12 bags with VVA clearly visible. Will not be donating to this organization and will inform others not to donate. Unorganized and incompetent.

I am very unhappy I put out 15 bags of clothing and miscellaneous household goods at vacuum cleaner kids toys that was supposed to be picked up on today's 18th of November 2022 however no one ever came I called several times and was promised they would be there before 6:00 today however when I called at 6:20 because no one had came I was told I would have to reschedule until the 21st of November I have all these bags sitting in my driveway and not able to put them back into my garage I am very unhappy with this company

These fraudsters left behind chairs but took items that didn't belong to them and never returned them! Beware these thieves!

I called them and made an appointment for them to pick up eight dining room chairs. Everything has to be placed outside, so I did that the night before. I was not at home on the day of the pickup. When I returned home, all the items were still there, with notes saying "Sorry we are unable to pick these items up." I had to haul everything back into the house. They are cherry-picking the items after they arrive, and inconveniencing the donor by doing so. I have since read that they warehouse the items they have, and then sell them at auction to private businesses. This would explain why they only want valuable and attractive merchandise. The resale is not illegal, but the way they are doing it amounts to a profitable scheme operating at the donors expense. 0 Stars for VVA! I'll never donate anything to them.

I hate to see items end up in landfills, so whatever I find, and do not want, or need, I donate. I am sure that VietNam Veterans is a SCAM, but I do not care if the drivers take things home with them, or store employees take things, because it is better than ending up in landfills. What I hate is when thrift stores throw away things. Unless the donated items are terrible, there ought to be NO waste. Also they should accept dirty clothing, as well as clean clothing, and just launder it themselves. Not everyone has, or can afford a washing machine.

I was a member, minimally for years, sent a couple bucks, couple times a year. situations evolved to a point where a little help would have been nice.
Suggesting the possibility of
some of that funding come my way, in response to a valid situation was silence.
just another fund-raising group.

I have had nothing but excellent service from this organization both in PA and NJ. I have used their services for the past several years. Their system for donating could not be simpler or more organized, they have ALWAYS picked up on the day that was requested, and they have ALWAYS taken everything that I put out.
Recently I forgot to place my donation on the porch (1st time ever) and someone attempted to call me to let me know the driver was there. I missed the call, but they left a very kind VM. When I called to apologize, they were very understanding.
Thank you for your service VVA!!

I have been donating to Vietnam Vets for years, but recently the pick-ups have been horrendous. This morning two men came to pick up boxed and bagged donations--they knew in advance that there was a large amount which is why I assume both came to the porch where I stated the items would be. They broke open a bag and left items strewn across my porch. They also left behind an item clearly marked for them to pick up. I checked my camera footage and watched them lob the bags into the back of the truck. To add insult to injury, they left no receipt (which has happened before). I will not donate to VVA again as they treated both my donations and my home with such disrespect.

Giving them a one, because I cannot give them a zero (or a negative number). Left a total of 38 units (bags and bins) of clothing, shoes, and household goods) for VVA to be picked up from my deceased parents home. Vietnam Veterans of American noted they picked up 6 bags and 6 boxes of goods, and oddly enough.., the neighbor had to pick up a bunch of labels out of their lawn that were taken off the bags (their email said to label every bag).

Apparently, someone is under-counting our stealing donations.

DO NOT TRUST, DO NOT USE.., find a better charity, church, or homeless shelter to benefit from your kindness. Thieves, incompetence, or crooks.., not sure, but DO NOT USE.

VVA pickup was easy, prompt and profesional. They went to the wrong house, but called us and let is know about the issue. They came right after the phone call and took almost everything we had out for them. Thank you VVA! Very pleased and highly recommend.

this is a scam. I had some beautiful furniture to donate. I Scheduled a week before the pickup. They called me one day before and said they are not accepting furniture donations. Now I have to haul all of the furniture back inside. DO NOT DONATE

I've donated to VVA for years, but today will be the last time. I scheduled a pickup of a rocking chair. VVA arrived, looked at the chair and said they didn't want it because of some scratches. Unbelievable!!! What do they expect of used furniture? Mind you I put it by the curb and it was picked up in 15 minutes, so much for no one wanting it.

As a Employee in the call center I must intervene here and say that everyone works hard to get you scheduled and items picked up. Because in all actuality "who needs these problems.. nothing is intentional or personal. Which I will go on record to say that most of the people that donate are very rude and take a donation a little too serious. There are more rude people than there are nice and it blows my mind. Number one why not be happy because somebody is coming to collect your things that you no longer want? And I'm not speaking to everybody anybody reading this knows who I'm talking to. Any other place would charge you a thousand or more dollars to come pick up your things. Because of the pandemic everybody has been at home and everybody is donating which it is very appreciated however it is put a double load on everybody triple load as a matter of fact. Because we are running thin on drivers some new. Instead of complaining about an organization who does good things everybody makes mistakes nobody's perfect relax but there's no need to get up in arms and argue and lose sleep over a donation thank you I wish you all well

Have donated many times in the past without issue. Except today my donated items were not picked up. I had them outside by 7 am so it was not a matter of missing the truck. It rained during the day so now the bags and boxes are saturated. I'm not sure if I will donate to this organization again.

Pick-up was conducted by a hard-working, pleasant driver who ensured he got everything into his packed truck.
Don't panic if the daily pick-up time elapses before your driver arrives: it's clear they are doing their best to meet their appointments.

I’ve donated 4 times in the last two years and the first 2 times they were great with pickups. However, the time before last I called them to confirm pickup the day before since we were expecting a major snow storm. The person on the phone said they come in all weather so I put my stuff in the driveway. Well, we got a big snow storm and my stuff (20+ bags/boxes) had to be hauled back into the house because no one showed up and there was no notification that they weren’t picking up. The last pickup which was today was during rain. When I checked to see if my stuff was picked up, they were picked up but the driver left the receipt by the garage (where I left my stuff). The receipt was dripping wet which was annoying since they should provide drivers with small plastic bags for protecting receipts in bad weather. So when I called the VVA suggesting perhaps the driver can leave the receipt in my mailbox next time, the person on the phone said in a very rude and impatient tone that it was against the law to put anything in the mailbox that wasn’t mail. I guess I was ignorant of that law, but he could have said so in a regular tone. I think his attitude showed a lack of appreciation and respect. Perhaps I should look for another organization to donate to.

As a veteran myself (OEF), of course we're open to donating our gently used goods to a veteran oriented organization. Scheduling the pick up by phone was easy, maybe too easy. On the day of pickup, they were a no show. My girlfriend called in to ask why they didn't show. The person on the phone said that it was marked in the system as already picked up. We confirmed that it wasn't as we brought it back inside after leaving the box on our porch all day. They checked the contact info and the phone number was wrong by several digits and our email wasn't even recorded. She took the time to sit through and correct the contact info and reschedule a pick up. The person on the phone read back what they had down and we thought that took care of it. On the second pickup day, again a no show. Again, the person on the phone (a different one) said that it was picked up. We corrected them that it was not and we had moved it into our garage after an entire day of not being picked up. They challenged us and said it probably wasn't clearly marked. It had the sheet on the box with large thick Sharpie marker writing of VVA PICKUP and was not obstructed from view. She said she'd have a supervisor call us about the issue. A week later and still nothing. This organization is a joke. Not sure where the breakdown is: poor systems, unmotivated workers/volunteers, or what. The amount of negative reviews here with similar issues confirm though, that there definitely is a leadership failure at many levels. Your system is noting "picked up" but you have no incoming items. The VVA, at least in Minnesota, is a huge waste of time.

at this point if I could give no stars I would I have. after twice putting things on my porch and I mean a lot of things then after setting up a pick up they never picked up in fact my husband watched them drive by. they slowed down then drove by telling the dispatcher that the driveway was blocked big lie not one thing was in my driveway , then they said there was a dog in yard again another big lie. this is the second time in a row i have had this problem last time they said they could not see the 6 foot tall stacked all marked boxes on my porch. I am so tired of putting things out for them and then going thru nothing by aggravation because they cannot be bothered to stop I will take my items to a different place and I have been donating every couple of months... maybe they need to get different drivers

Many have commented that the donated goods don’t go directly to veterans - logistically how could they? If u think that TV & XXL jacket u donated somehow finds its way with all the thousands of other donations to the to the Vet that fit that size & needs that TV, that’s a really inefficient way to distribute items and fortunately that’s not how things work. Thrift stores pay the VVA to put their logo on the truck. Donors get Items picked up for free, thrift snd Goodwill stores get items and the VVA gets funds to educate veterans & their families on benefits, lobby Congress to support and defend the benefits of veterans. And if veterans and their families or other struggling people get clothes, housewares and furniture at reasonable prices, so much the better. However there is a good chance that the drivers take any valuable items. But realistically how many people are donating expensive furniture, jewelry or electronic equipment under 10 years old - pretty much nill - you give the really nice non clothing items to a school, church or neighbor. And If the driver once in a while comes home with a decent used tennis racket or winter coat, c’est la vie!

Over the past years but especially since 2006 I have given in abundance to this (Miami, FL) non profit. My husband prior to his passing served in Vietnam and always wanted to give back. I have worked professionally in an office environment for 35 years and had accumulated women suits, shoes and purses over the years, some with tags still on. These things especially during the year after I retired 8 9 10 bags of clothes were given at one time. One year a mirror was offered and after speaking with the driver who refused to pick-up, the office with many discussions was finally picked up. This year forward I will find another nonprofit since a pick-up appointment was made with no pick-up and no phone call was received. After calling the next morning, after scheduled pick up, a recording stated that no pick up had been scheduled.

I will never attempt to donate to this organization again. The first time I arranged for a pick up, they never showed up and no one attempted to contact me to let me know why items were not picked up. When I scheduled a second time, several items were left behind. When I emailed to inquire, the person who responded said that one of the items was on their "Not accepted" list (which was not true - it was listed on the website). She said she did not know why the other items were not picked up and arranged to have them picked up the next day. Low and behold, the truck never showed up so I had to haul the items back inside. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!! Find another organization that actually wants donations.

hello,my name is Charles Jones and I'm looking for Bill D. flanders I served with in the 25th Div Pathfinder Det in vietnam. If you of Bill Flanders, please let him know that other Pathfinders he served with would like to reconnect with him. jumper1949@yahoo.com

I have donated to Vietnam Vets of America several times, but I will no longer do so. I have had too many bad experiences with them. I make an appointment on line well ahead of time, and almost without exception, they don't arrive when they say they will & I have to call them & beg them to please pick up the donations. They apologize profusely, but don't deliver. One time they came the following day. Yesterday they were supposed to come & they never showed up. I called several times during the day & each time they PROMISED me they would send someone, but never did. This morning I called & complained & again, they apologized profusely & then PROMISED they would send someone today. Again, no one showed up. I AM DONE WITH THEM. I don't blame the people on the phone; I blame the drivers. They should be fired for not doing their job!!! I will NEVER, EVER use VVA again. Good riddance.

Their site is lousy! It shows my pickup is still scheduled but I put out the bags @7:55am! I checked @ 9:53am & the bags were gone! I called several times but kept getting a busy signal. Finally I get thru & this old lady answers the phone said she couldn’t track where these drivers were & wouldn’t know till 5:00pm! Well I tried & wonder if they picked these bags up or someone else did? It’s a shame that this site doesn’t have a better system! I’ll think twice before I donate anything again!

I have given numerous amount of donations to this organization thru-out the years and about a week ago I scheduled an appointment which was for July 6th, 2020.
They told me to make sure everything is labeled and in plan site view for the drivers, everything was ready and in front of my house before 7 am that schedule day for pick-up. Well, they never came by to pick up the bags.
I never got a call regarding why they didn't pick up so I called them and explained what happened to figure she would have them come by some time this week and she turns around and gives me an appointment for August the 6th. You must be joking? your delivery guys don't show and I have to wait another month for these bags to be picked up. She didn't give a rats ass this so-called rep and its a darn shame because the only people who lose out are the veterans not these clueless people who run this organization because I won't be donating to this bad not profit organization anymore.

Took a separate package that was just delivered to my house, in addition to items set out for donation. Have a clue about what you're doing! Yellow bag was set out with boxes for you, vs. a package with a shipping label on it, presumably set separately from the donated items on my porch. Will never use again.

I donate regularly. They never missed a pick up date & send email reminders. I understand they resell the donated items & I'm fine with that. In reading about their finances, I would like to see more scholarships awarded to veterans children instead of honoring Congressman...but I hope that's a function of lobbying for our vets benefit.

Have many friends that are Vietnam veterans and thought to donate, but before I did I wanted to check this organization out. Upon reading the reviews they received, I decided they are a scam. Sorry, no donations from me.

This organization I feel is a total scam for Veterans. I scheduled a pick-up for an entire house hold of items, blankets, dishes, bedding, furniture etc, etc. We put everything outside with a cardboard saying pick up for VVA. The next day I received a voice mail that the driver arrived at the scheduled pick-up area but there was nothing indicating it was for them. For #1, he didn't even attempt to get our of the vehicle and check. #2 wasn't like there were 10 or 12 other piles of items being donated that day at that specific area! Give me break!. I tried to call back and ask them to return, of course I only got VM and of course no return call. My husband went back that afternoon to pick everything up, the sign had blown over. We ended up taking everything to Goodwill, which I don't mind. However I really wanted these items to go to veterans in need. My son and daughter are active and retired Army and i feel very strongly to help out all Military. This organization is a farse!

Total scam. Your donated goods do not go to help veterans...not unless those vets happen to shop at the thrift store that picked up your donations.

Heres how it works... a thrift store...any thift store...pays a fee to the vva for the rights to put the vva logo on the side of a truck. That truck...soley owned and operated by the thrift store...then picks up your donations. The donations go back to the thrift store where they are sorted...some go to the retail floor for resale but much is discarded or sold as scrap. The really good stuff doesnt even make it to the thrift store as the drivers will keep that for themselves.

If youre just looking to get someone to pick up your trash then fine...call the vva. If you honestly want your donations to go directly to a vet then give your donations directly to a vet. That perfectly fine 55" tv you think is in the livingroom of some retired marine... is actually in the garage of the drivers girlfriend and hes going to sell it for a bag of weed.

Trust me...used to be a driver.

In 2015, my family has donated items to VVA over a dozen separate times during the year. VVA always arrived during their published pickup window, and always on the days we scheduled with them. The driver was always courteous, and took care to pickup the items without damaging them. Whether VVA gives veterans the items directly, recycles them in order to raise funds for veterans, or sells the items in thrift stores in order to raise funds for veterans .....or even raises funds to lobby congress to support and defend the benefits of veterans rather than cutting those hard-earned benefits.....I am okay with it. Granted, like others, I would like to see more transparency from VVA on how the donated items are translating into assistance, but I also don't want it resulting in lots of additional overhead for them (and thereby reducing the positive effects of our donations). We have four generations of veterans in this family, we understand the sacrifices, we support our fellow veteran families. Thank you VVA for trying to help.

I have been sending boxes of household and clothing items to VVA for years, and their front-step pick-up system has never let me down. Their drivers are always friendly and courteous. I don't know about the VVA finances, but they do provide a great pick-up service that I have found very helpful.

Yet another unreliable charity. When United War Veterans council didn't show up (twice) last week to pick up a very large donation, I called VVA on Saturday. They scheduled a pickup for today, September 3. I called this morning to confirm, and they told me I was on the schedule. When they didn't show up by 8:30PM, I called them. A supervisor told me he didn't know why the truck never came, but offered to reschedule. When I asked why I should trust them again, he had no answer. I'm sure this is not an isolated incident. The donation was 12 bags, lots of baby items, and a steam mop, as well as books, CDs, and DVDs. They offered to give me the address of a thrift shop where I could drop it off. Great. I have no car, and I guess they expected me to do all the loading and unloading. DON'T TRUST THEM!

Not impressed. Got a telephone solicitation and pledged $25. After receiving the follow-up bill in the mail, conducted some research of the foundation and its finances. Specifically the tax forms filed (2011-2013). Found it interesting that in 2011 the foundation reported $2,891,000 in salaries while donating 9 scholarships for $13,500.

Administrative costs in the fiscal year ending 28 Feb 2011 were $1,714,733, and fundraising costs were $740,962 for a total expenses of $2,455,695. Roughly 51% of the annual budget.

May be a great way to dump old mattresses and have them hauled away for free, but a very poor investment in our Vietnam Veterans. I’ll choose other methods to contribute thank-you.

I have left donations in front of my house and they always came when promised and left a donation receipt. However, after I read on this site that the VVA hosted a reception in Washington, D C honoring members of Congress who served in the armed forces, I am now rethinking any future donations. I do not want what they make from my donations to be spent on Members of Congresss who served in the military. I thank these elected officials for their service, but let's be honest, these people have high-paying jobs (that they don't always have to show up for); have excellent, free health coverage, and myriad other wonderful perks. They do NOT need another reception. The VVA should have spent the money it cost them to host this reception on the men and women who truly need help. I would appreciate knowing what percentage of their profits is actually going to benefit the needy veterans and what percentage is going for advertising, hosting receptions, etc.

I don't know how much of the money raised actually helps veterans but it was easy to donate items. I originally chose this organization as it is one of the few that will take used mattresses. We had one in like new condition that we didn't want to have to pay to have it hauled to the dump if it could be used. We scheduled a pick-up and they called 30 minutes before the truck arrived. They will not come in the house but will take items from the garage or drive way. We are in Las Vegas.

Yes, it was easy to schedule a pick up but the window is 8am to 5pm and THEY NEVER SHOWED UP and there was no call/contact from them. They only pick up on Wednesdays in this area (San Diego County). It is a pain, literally, to move everything from the house to the driveway and now we have to move it back inside and find storage. Not sure if we'll reschedule with this group for next Wednesday or find another charity. We like the VVA mission, but we were disappointed with this first donation experience.

Vietnam Veterans of America provides great service to those looking to donate used clothing and home items. They helped me get rid of all the clutter in my home and it was too easy. All I did was schedule a pick up and leave the bags on my porch and they came by and picked it all up. On top of that they even left a tax deductible receipt. Their services really came in handy!