Tax records obtained by 8 On Your Side reveal a local charity collected more than $6.5 million to help veterans, but kept its doors closed, helping no one.
VetMade Industries received the money from generous people donating their cars to help train unemployed and disabled vets.
VetMade paid most of the money from those donations to a professional fundraiser.
Earlier this month, we disclosed that according to its tax records, VetMade Industries took in $5.5 million from 2014-2016.
IRS records from 2010 to 2013 show it took in another $1.07 million and veterans got nothing.
The sign on its door still says, “VetMade Industries is closed.”
The charity’s mission is to put unemployed, disabled veterans back to work.
“We do partner and have partnered with the Veterans Administration, the Office of Compensated Work Therapy Program. They’re out of James Haley,” VetMade founder John Campbell said.
Not according to an email from Haley Public Affairs Specialist Karen Collins, who wrote, “We don’t have an existing partnership.”
“They will refer veterans they think would be a good fit and they have over the years brought some good people in,” Campbell added.
According to Collins’ email, “We referred one patient Vocational Rehabilitation Program who ended up working with VetMade several years ago prior to their closing.”
“VetMade’s woodworking shop, where veterans were to be trained, is closed,” Campbell said.
A 2010 Campbell email indicates VetMade has been closed longer than that.
The email states, “I really hope we can get the shop functional and just not waste all the rent money and not even use the place…. The car program is going so we should have a bit to at least start up a bit…”
While closed, VetMade collected millions in car donations for veterans.
“We contract with a professional fundraising company in California,” Campbell explained. “They’re getting an awful lot of money.”
According to our calculations, Just Donated, the professional fundraiser, gets about 88 percent of the money it raises.
Records show less than 5 percent gets back to VetMade.
“The worst part is out of that, zero goes to the veterans,” former volunteer and veteran Ken Cook contends.
Daniel Borochoff is president of Charity Watch, a nonprofit watchdog.
“Charity Watch has a minimum that at least 60 percent of the budget should go to bona fide program services, in this case veterans,” Borochoff explained.
“I believe in my heart that this is a good business model and it’s helping the right people at the right time,” Campbell explained.
According to Campbell’s own admission, VetMade Industries hasn’t helped any veterans in at least 5 years, yet it’s collected millions and kept its doors closed.
A member of VetMade’s board of directors told 8 On Your Side he thinks it is closer to 10 years.
The VetMade Industries website says the charity plans to re-open in November, and it is shooting for Veterans Day.
If you know of something that should be investigated, call our 8 On Your Side Helpline at 1-800-338-0808. Contact Steve Andrews at sandrews@wfla.com.
