BBB, Consumers Question Fundraising Tactics of Foundation For American Veterans

St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 26, 2016 – Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises St. Louis area residents to be cautious when dealing with representatives of Foundation for American Veterans. Prospective donors told BBB that phone solicitors for the Michigan-based charity tried to pressure and mislead them into making donations.

A Concord Village woman said she refused to make a donation after receiving what she described as a “pushy” phone call from a foundation representative shortly before Christmas. Instead, the woman said she asked the caller to mail her information detailing the charity’s programs, saying she would consider a contribution after reviewing the materials. The woman said she was stunned to receive a mail notification a few days later claiming she had made a $20 pledge and asking for payment “very quickly – even today if possible.”

St. Louis BBB has received inquiries from consumers in Missouri and Illinois in recent weeks, saying they have been contacted by the charity. Foundation for American Veterans lists an address in West Bloomfield, Mich., northwest of Detroit. Despite repeated written requests in recent years from BBB Wise Giving Alliance (the national charity reporting arm of BBB), the Foundation for American Veterans did not provide any information. It also has not responded to an information request from St. Louis BBB.

Records identify Larry Siedell as president of the charity and Robert McDonald as secretary-treasurer and charity founder.

In addition to concerns over its solicitation methods, BBB St. Louis also cites concerns with the charity’s fundraising costs and law enforcement action involving the charity’s main fundraiser, Associated Community Services. Associated Community Services, hired to solicit on behalf of the charity, has been the target of litigation by several attorneys general, including Missouri.

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