Coalition to Salute America's Heroes

The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH) was founded mid-2004 by San Diego, California, philanthropist Roger Chapin, who also serves as the organization's president , as a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization.

It is a donation website to collect funds, materials, and services which CSAH states will be used to help "[w]ounded veterans of the War on Terror" and "their families rebuild their lives." 

The organization officially "kicked off" November 9, 2004, in Washington, D.C., with the assistance of retired Army General Tommy R. Franks. 

Solicitation
CSAH states that the organization is "partnering with corporate sponsors, individual contributors, and volunteers to provide an easy and meaningful way for individuals and corporations" to help. It is soliciting public contributions "by means of direct tax-deductible donations."

"Ninety-one percent of all money contributed goes directly to service-members and their families," CSAH states, and, because it verifies "eligibility requirements with the Department of Defense, incidences of fraud are rare to non-existent." 

Donations
The CSAH donation page bears the same logos and information as other CSAH web pages. The web address to make a donation, however, is that for DonationReport.com (plus an extension code for CSAH).

The connection for the DonationReport.com website arrives at a Login page&mdash;requiring both a User ID and Password&mdash;which belongs to eDonation.com, a member of The Donatelli Group, a fundraising company that has raised campaign funds for the Republican National Committee, Republican National Convention, Bush-Cheney '04 Inc., John McCain, the NRA, and an exhaustive list of Republican members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as other political organizations. 

The Donatelli Group, using its "primary segment" Campaign Solutions, is associated with Creative Response Concepts, the public relations firm that advised Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the "organization that accused Kerry of inflating his Vietnam War record" during the 2004 presidential campaign. 

The Donatelli Group, which produced the RNC website, also created the SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.ORG website on July 30, 2004, with Connell Donatelli Inc. (a.k.a. The Donatelli Group) as Registrant. Connell Donatelli Inc. was also listed as both Administrator and the Tech Organization for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth website. 

Website
The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes SALUTEHEROES.ORG website was registered May 13, 2004, to Becki Donatelli of The Donatelli Group, who is also the website's administrator. The technical contact is Network Solutions, LLC.

Press inquiries
Press inquiries are directed via email or phone to Creative Response Concepts in Alexandria, Virginia, at 703 683-5004. See CRC's Case Study: Coalition to Salute America's Heroes.


 * "CRC has helped manage the development of the organization, the planning of its events, and the creation of its marketing materials. CRC works with the Coalition to identify and train disabled heroes from Iraq as spokespeople and implements comprehensive communications campaigns targeting print, television, radio, online media and bloggers."

"An intolerable fraud"
"Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, whose Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has held hearings on the issue and documented the above abuses, has rightly called the conduct of charities like Mr. Chapin’s [CSAH] 'an intolerable fraud'," editorialized the New York Times in February 2008.

The newspaper described a fundraising appeal from CSAH and noted that CSAH "and its sister organization, Help Hospitalized Veterans, were among a dozen military-related charities given a grade of F in a study last December by the American Institute of Philanthropy, a nonprofit watchdog group. These and other charities have collected hundreds of millions of dollars from kind-hearted Americans and squandered an unconscionable amount of it on overhead and expenses -- 70 percent or 80 percent, or more. ... Money that donors surely assumed was going to ease the pain and speed the healing of injured soldiers went instead to junk-mail barrages, inflated executive salaries and other forms of corporate-style bloat."

The New York Times editorial went on to urge readers to trash or recycle any fundraising appeals from CSAH. "Think of what Mr. Chapin told the House committee when asked what would happen if his charities ever told donors where their money went," the paper suggested. "'If we disclose, which I'm more than happy to do,' he said, 'we'd all be out of business. Nobody would donate. It would dry up.'"

Management team
See profiles for members of the CSAH management team:
 * Roger Chapin, President and Co-founder
 * Thomas J. Palma, General Manager
 * Mike Myers, Development Director
 * Kim Michelson, Manager, Corporate Programs

Former members of the management team
John A. Clifford, Director of Emergency Financial Relief
 * Perry Borman, Executive Director
 * Douglas Plank, Vice President/Co-Founder
 * Ray Clifford, Vice President

Board of Directors
See profiles for CSAH Board Members listed below:
 * David Walker
 * Tracy Reep

Former Directors

 * Joseph Washam
 * Tracy Reep

National spokespersons
See profile link for CSAH national spokespersons:
 * J.R. Martinez
 * B.J. Jackson
 * Tracy Reep
 * Mary Herrera
 * Donny Daughenbaugh
 * Justin Bajema
 * Gary Boggs
 * Jorge DeLeon
 * John and Summer Adams
 * Pete and Michele Reid
 * Jerry and Joan Majetich
 * Bob and Pam Westover
 * Patrick and Desiree Myers
 * Kenny and Katy Adams

Former spokespersons

 * Josh Forbess

Contact information
Coalition to Salute America's Heroes 100 Broadway Ossining, NY 10562 Phone: 914 432-5400 FAX: 914 923-3898 Toll Free (for Donations): 888 44-SALUTE (888 447-2588) Email: info AT saluteheroes.org Website: http://saluteheroes.org Website: http://www.saluteheroestexas.org/

SourceWatch resources

 * Vets for Freedom

Articles

 * Donna Miles, "Wounded Troops Support Upcoming 'Salute Heroes' Conference," American Forces News Service, September 16, 2004.
 * Samantha L. Quigley, "Franks Helps Kick Off Salute to America's Heroes," American Forces Press Service, November 9, 2004.
 * Samantha L. Quigley, "Program Helps Disabled Veterans Regain Independence," American Forces Press Service, December 21, 2004.
 * Michelle Malkin, "Salute America's Heroes," michellemalkin.com, January 31, 2005.
 * Sig Christenson, "Seminar for hurt GIs outlines their options," Express News/MySA.com, August 7, 2005.
 * Stephanie Armour, "Employers put out welcome mat for wounded veterans," USA TODAY, August 10, 2005.
 * Chuck, "Flash Traffic, Immediate Attention," From My Position ... On the Way!, December 14, 2005. Be sure to read update which follows initial posting.
 * Samantha L. Quigley, "America Supports You: Wounded Veterans Get Holiday Boost," American Forces News Service (militaryconnections.com), December 28, 2005.
 * Samantha L. Quigley, "Trio Rides for America's Patriots," American Forces Press Service (AmericaSupportsYou.mil), May 15, 2006.
 * Editorial, "'An Intolerable Fraud'," New York Times, February 8, 2008.