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Causes: Military & Veterans Organizations, Veterans
Mission: WISH for OUR HEROES (W4OH) is a national 501(c)(3), dedicated to assisting the men and women of the United States active-duty military, and in some cases, Veterans. Military life is difficult – men and women selflessly serve our nation, while working for little pay, putting their lives on the line, and dealing with the secondary affects that can tear families apart. WISH for OUR HEROES wanted to provide resources to the “average” military member, in order to make their deployments a little easier, and to improve the quality of their family lives while home or during deployment. WISH for OUR HEROES started with the goal of providing one wish for every deserving military member. There are no requirements – military members simply had to be on active-duty at the time the wish is submitted. The priority is to always grant basic needs or emergencies first – anything from putting food on the table to assisting with car repairs, home repairs, baby supplies, clothing, etc. When basic needs are met, W4OH also enjoys providing fun things like sending the troops to athletic events, sending them on vacation to get re-acquainted after deployments, meeting celebrities and more.
Results: One of differentiating factors that sets W4OH apart from other charities is our administrative ratio (admin & fundraising costs divided by total revenue). The gold standard for charities is to operate at 90%, meaning 10% goes to administrative and fundraising costs, and the remaining amount goes where funds are truly needed. Most of the better-known charities realistically operate at 70-80%, so up to 30% of the funds they bring in, is actually distributed other places – salaries, elaborate events, ad campaigns, etc. W4OH operates at 96%, which is unheard of, particularly for a young organization. W4OH has only one paid employee – every other team member is a volunteer. We have granted Wishes to military families in 49 out of the 50 states and have granted over 2,000 wishes via 12 million dollars raised for assistance to military families in the past 7 years.
Target demographics: military families
Geographic areas served: across entire country with on ground Chapters in Indiana, Texas, Flordia, the Mid Atlantic and Rocky Mountain Areas
Programs: basic needs and services for military families in times of need