Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans

MISSION:
Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans (FIDV), http://www.fidv.org/,
raises funds for the Beit Halochem Centers in Israel. "The
Beit Halochem Centers are committed to caring for Israeli
servicemen and women disabled in the line of duty, as well
as caring for those whose lives are shattered by terror. The
centers provide therapeutic and recreational facilities to help
them resume lives of purpose and dignity. At the three
rehabilitation and convalescent centers in Israel, our heroes
receive the special kind of emotional and physical rehabilitation
they need, in an environment of love, encouragement, and with
appreciation for their tremendous sacrifice. Today, FIDV raises
funds to assist the more than 50,000 disabled veterans and
victims of terror."

RECENT NEWS:
The FIDV website contains articles about the work done by the
Beit Halohem Centers in Israel. The menu of the FIDV website
homepage has a section entitled “In the Press.” The most recent
article is not recent, it is dated February 2, 2006 and it is not an
FIDV article, but rather, it is an article produced by the Beit Halohem
Centers. This article says the folloiwng: "Founded in 1949, the
IDF Disabled Veterans Association provides soldiers with the tools
they need to put their lives back together. Today, the group runs
three Beit Halohem rehabilitation centers in Tel Aviv, Haifa and
Jerusalem and is currently building a new one in Beersheba. As one
would expect, the Beit Halohem center at 49 Rehov Shmuel Barcay
in Tel Aviv has all the requisite physical therapy units, but there are
no morose, elderly patients in gowns being led around by nurses.
Rather, the rehab center seems more like an upscale social club than
anything else: Wheelchair-bound veterans twirl with lithe dance
instructors in the auditorium while the more athletically inclined
sweat it out on the basketball court."

FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY EVALUATION:

According to Charity Navigator(http://www.charitynavigator.org)/
America’s leading charity evaluator, theFIDV has an overall rating
of 0 stars (the lowest rating - four stars is the highest rating.)
Charity Navigator provides the following breakdown of the FIDV
based on 990 tax returns through 2006:

Overall Rating: 0 stars
Organizational Efficiency
Program Expenses: 0.1%
Administrative Expenses: 57.3%
Fundraising Expenses: 42.5%
Fundraising Efficiency: $0.29
Efficiency Rating: 0 stars

Organizational Capacity
Primary Revenue Growth: -16.0%
Primary Expenses Growth: -91.8%
Working Capital Ratio (years): 3.00
Capacity Rating: *

Organizational Capacity refers to an organization’s
ability to sustain itself over time. Charities that
exhibit consistent revenue and expenses growth
are more likely to sustain its programs and services
over the long haul.


The Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans has net assets
of $4,073,388. Compensation for its Executive Director,
Linda Frankel, was $130,000 which was 9.91% of
expenses. Percentage wise, this is a very high figure.
For purposes of comparison, the Friends of Israel Defense
Forces (http://www.fidf.org/) has net assets of $43,332,745.
Compensation for its National Director, Yehiel Gozal,
was $243,200 which was only 0.71% of expenses.
(For a review of the FIDF, see my blog of May 9, 2008.)
The FIDV spent only $1,800 (0.1% of expenses) on program
expenses – the disabled veterans. Thus its Executive
Director received more than 70% more money than the
disabled veterans! The FIDF spent $27,778,278 (81.7% of
expenses) on program expenses – the same disabled veterans.

RECOMMENDATION:
Charity Navigator has given the Friends of Israel Disabled
Veterans an overall rating of 0 stars because it is a very
inefficient non-profit organization. Friends of Israel Defense
Forces raises funds for the same disabled Israeli veterans.
Charity Navigator has given this organization an overall rating
of 4 stars. A donor seeking to help disabled Israeli veterans
should give their donation to the Friends of the Israel Defense
Forces.

Next Week’s Blog: American Friends of Nishmat