The Defense Department is taking a new look at the barriers that complicate efforts by nonprofit groups to help service members and their families at some installations.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the service secretaries and service chiefs “want to find a way to make the most of the American public’s willingness to help” service members and families — while remaining mindful of security concerns in the military community, said a defense official — not just physical security, but financial and other types of security as well.
While the vast majority of nonprofits are reputable and doing good work, some may have secondary motives in seeking access to military families, such as selling a product or memberships to their organizations — or something more nefarious, the official said.
DoD policies on giving nonprofits access onto installations are applied inconsistently, the official said: A chapter of a national organization may share office space at one base, but may not be allowed any access at all to another base.
This is not a formal review, nor is a formal report expected, the official said. But defense officials want to clarify the boundaries of current policies to give them more consistency, ensuring practices are fair and equitable while protecting service members and families.
While DoD is not in the business of “vetting” charities, officials could provide installations with clearer guidance for on how to decide whether to allow charities access to an installation, perhaps with a checklist of factors to consider, the official said.
“Nonprofits have played a huge role in helping the Army out,” said one Army spouse at an Oct. 15 town hall with Army senior leaders.
But, she added, military legal officials and sometimes even morale, welfare and recreation officials “make it very difficult for [nonprofits] to help soldiers and their families,” she said.
For example, she said interpretations vary about whether nonprofits can give presentations to units about their available services.
She also said MWR officials may ask nonprofits to pay as much as $1,000 for a table at an event. “When you’re a totally volunteer organization trying to help the Army community, you wouldn’t have that kind of funding,” she said.
Army Secretary John McHugh said this is not just an Army issue, and noted that DoD is looking at it across the services. One challenge, he said, is the legal question of where to draw the line in determining which charities are allowed on base. Some organizations provide real help for soldiers, but others may not, he said.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno agreed. “The large majority are doing the right thing, and we want our families to have access to their capabilities because it helps, but we also have to protect our soldiers and families against those that are not, and are taking advantage,” Odierno said.
He said this issue was “very frustrating” for him when he was a corps commander at Fort Hood.
At that time, base officials couldn’t even talk about nonprofits, he said.
Much has changed, he noted; officials can now at least provide information about the nonprofits that help to fill the gaps in Army capability. “That is critical,” Odierno said, but added that there are still limits on what officials can do.
Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond Chandler said officials need to relook at the big picture of how they partner with volunteer and military service organizations in the future, noting that about 65 percent of families live off installations.
“Do we look at ways to take the installation things out to the community and partner with private organization entities?” Chandler said.
That could help families who don’t want to come to, or don’t live near, installations, he said, and also could help tell the Army “story” outside the installation.
The issue of streamlining and clarifying policy on charity and nonprofit support becomes even more important in the context of a shrinking military with a rising number of transitioning troops and families, the DoD official said.
About 18 months ago, Hagel addressed a related issue by signing a policy allowing enlisted troops and enlisted Title 32 National Guard members in paygrades E-6 and below to accept gifts valued at more than $20 from charitable and veterans’ service tax-exempt organizations.
That restriction had complicated efforts by charities to help such troops with needs such as holiday gifts, food and clothing, with policies again varying by installation.
