East Downtown Houston

Doubts have come to light regarding a San Diego non-profit establishment known as the American Combat Veterans of War or ACVOW. The organization has an a workplace at the Veterans Administration medical facility in La Jolla, CA and is operated nearly completely by volunteers. They claim to help vets acquire their benefits and boast about their methods to support warriors with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The problem? No accountability. The group has been around for more than 10 years, yet runs beneath the radar. A check on Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau’s Charity Index make absolutely no reference to ACVOW. Nor does ACVOW possess any extensive record of the success they’ve enjoyed helping veterans and active duty personnel. Furthermore, ACVOW just lost a small claims court fight for refusing to pay one of its personnel. A Utah News report from June of this past year suggests that one of ACVOW’s representatives used funds from the organization to bail out an anti-immigration activist from jail, a clear breach of the terms for almost all 501(c)(3) non-profit groups. This article is not suggesting that ACVOW is undertaking in unlawful activity. There are undoubtedly severe ethical concerns and potential donors need to be aware when contributing to associations with no financial accountability.