Scam. They claim to have over a 1,000 members but their tax filings show 32,000 and only 2,490 in land, less in the bank. https://bit.ly/354kluK is a complaint form. Many of you have been paying for years plus buying gift cards that arent reported anywhere. They are taking advantage of people and now in St. Louis
Vinelanders is the BIGGEST SCAM of all time. They claim they have property, a huge waiting list, homes already available to be moved into. This has been a 20+ years project in the making and with all these funds that have been collected by Vinelanders, you'd think by now at the very least a model house or two would've been erected. False hope is been given to a community of people in need of quality, affordable housing. FYI go to Fefe Concerns Fox 4 in facebook. These predators must be stopped. They are robbing people not just of money but of trust, hope,values.
Specifically, I am referring to the fact that GreatNonprofits will not perform any level of due diligence and reasonable investigation around false, damaging reviews, referring to a post that the organization doesn’t have land. If they would have done their research we do own several lots in the city. Let's face it - there are people out there who become upset with nonprofits for any number of reasons and then take it out on the organization in a public forum to maximize damage. If the complaint is relevant, the organizations I know in the sector (including my own) are usually pretty great about taking accountability. We always want to do better. GreatNonprofits allows stalkers and kooks to post false negative "reviews" about any non-profit they like.
In the case of my organization these negative reviews were written by disgruntled people who wanted something for nothing. Like we stated in all presentation this organization is membership based. They got upset and wrote a disparaging review of our agency. The reviews offer no constructive value, they reviewed no other NPOs, nor did the reviewer use a real name (which should tell you something). Based on the "star" rating system, it was our first review, so it made us look like a "one star" nonprofit.
I reached out to the reviewer to get more information and was ignored. I asked the other agency they reviewed to advocate GreatNonprofits to remove the fake reviews. I asked Great Nonprofits twice to at least investigate and remove it, but they merely cited that they were free from liability under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. They also advised me that they will release the user's information with a subpoena. I don't want their information and our agency can't waste resources on a subpoena! I simply want the review investigated by GreatNonprofits and removed when they see that my complaints have merit. It's simple customer service. GreatNonprofts should be held accountable for allowing disgruntled people to use their platform as their diary to vent like it’s a FaceBook post.
Being a non-profit in a disenfranchised black community I feel that GreatNonprofits need to really understand that community is first with this organization. This organization is giving the people in this underserve community a sense of empowerment instead of dependency and entitlement. .
Yes like myself I’m all for free speech and all constitutional rights. However, prospective donors and funders look at these ratings and make judgments about nonprofits. Situations like the one we experienced can block potential funding. When libelous or slanderous activities damage the reputation of an organization thereby preventing it from positive business ,achievements that is also unconstitutional and can be prosecuted by law.
A lot of other agencies have the same complaint, so it's just a matter of time before a rally cry goes up and GreatNonprofits feels serious pressure to change their tactics. If they organized to be a responsible partner in our sector, they need to understand and practice ethics as they have power to affect growth and progress in our communities. Also GreatNonprofits do not enforce their own Terms and Conditions, "You may post or submit feedback, materials, information, ideas, opinions and other content ("Content"), provided that your Content does not: (i) violate a third party's rights, including any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; (ii) contain material that is false, intentionally misleading, or defamatory; (iii) contain material that is unlawful, including illegal hate speech or pornography; exploits or otherwise harms minors; (iv) contain images of or links or references to tobacco and alcohol products; or (v) violate or advocate the violation of any law or regulation."
I been in this program since 2011 in fact roughly 10 of us from the church all signed up and then got notice that there was not enough people to start ground breaking and I haven't heard from but 3 times since then. Once in 2015, 2016 and this week about a meeting 5/13/17. None of the church is involved anymore, think something funny is going on, I've seen a member or 2 in these reviews...I don't know what to think about Vinelanders...I can't afford to be wasting anything...time or $$, have to think more about this
So I received an email about being inactive. I simply stated that " I am having issues with the validity of the program", and I was unsubscribed.
Not exactly the ethical response that I hoped for, but Ill be making contact with whom I believe will be able to get to the bottom of things and confirm or deny the legitimacy of this organization and their intent.
Please stay tuned.
I am a current member of Vinelanders. Vinelanders is an excellent program and for all of you naysayers, use a little common sense and try to see what this organization is achieving. Delve into the meaning behind this movement. It takes time and patience and money and understanding to build something worth having. It's a fight and it is not an easy one . Lets see some of you naysayers act upon a vision or a task that God has appointed to you, in order to make a difference for The People. Don't be so quick to judge. It takes courage and boldness to even initiate a plan such as this Vinelanders.
I heard that the first house was suppose to go up already, but due to membership drop
out.. the house has been delayed until sometime in October. That should be a red flag for
anyone in this membership. I'm sure October will get here and they will have some other excuse for delays. When something sounds to good to be true it most likely is.
Scam.... Does not own land they say they do. Won't get venture philanthropy. Taking dues and haven't broken ground after 5 years.
I am currently a member of Vinelanders. I am sorry that those on this page feel the way they do. However, Vinelanders had made great progress and the first house is ready to go for construction. It takes time with a program like this, and if you have some patience like other groups who have done this for years, then you will see the benefits. It is not a Scam! We do know where the money is going and I am a charter member of the Trust. Just watch what happens is all I can say.
I think the people at Vinelanders have not much legal obligation to do anything with the members money, and they still have not built any homes or even picked out land. Anyone who has had a good or bad experience with these people can you email me? waterslyd4ill@gmail.com
thanks!
it's a scam, she been having this sham going on for years and no one has a home, so where is the money.
Ever heard the phrase that if it seems too good to be true then it is.
They tell you that to qualify for this program all you have to do is pay a $15 monthly membership fee. Sounds good right. Then you join and they try every avenue possible to get money out of you. Meanwhile, they make promises that go unfulfilled, provide falsifying information, and string you along until you've had enough and quit the program. They continue this process over and over, but what happens to all the money that people have and are continuing to invest. They will never disclose that information.