Roger Chapin

Roger Chapin is an American businessman turned fundraiser living in San Diego, who calls himself a "nonprofit entrepreneur", according to Forbes magazine. He has launched more than 20 charities, and is currently the president of Help Hospitalized Veterans, an American charity, whose stated purpose is, "Making time live for America's hospitalized veterans."cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2006/1211/198.html|title=Charity Case|publisher=Forbes magazine|date=2006-12-11]

Background

Chapin is a graduate of Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont and a veteran of the U.S. Army Finance Corps.

Among Chapin’s private accomplishments, he was a successful real estate developer in San Diego County, founder of “Fun Art” creative coloring sets, founder of USAopoly – creator and distributor of the very popular special editions of the board game Monopoly. Chapin is married to Elizabeth and they have four children and two grandchildren. They are long time residents of San Diego, California.cite web|url=http://www.hhv.org/about/Directors.asp#2|title=Roger Chapin - President and Founder|publisher=Help Hospitalized Veterans]

Chapin founded Help Hospitalized Veterans after a successful business career to give back to those that have served the nation. Chapin has also founded Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes Foundation, the project G.I. Gift Pac, and Citizens for a Drug Free America and is active in other advocacy endeavors and community works.

Criticism

On September 3, 2007, a "Forbes" magazine article by William P. Barrett titled "Shell Game" reported that Chapin and his wife Elizabeth are accused of spending the money raised by their non-profit organizations to fund their own lifestyles, vehicles, and real estate investments -- rather than to benefit troops or wounded veterans at the 97% efficiency rate that the charity claims. [cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/business/forbes/2007/0903/034.html|title=Shell Game|publisher=Forbes magazine|date=2007-09-03]

Other "Forbes" reporting in regard to the HHV organization claims that of every dollar given, only nine cents went to therapeutic arts-and-crafts kits for wounded GIs (a primary purpose of the charity), while another five cents went towards associated overhead and for counselors to visit hospitals and nursing homes. Forty-seven cents of spending was for direct-mail expenses, with the remainder going for the salaries of the charity staff, etc.

On November 9, 2007, ABC News reported that Chapin and his wife, as founders and employees of the charitable organization, Help Hospitalized Veterans, paid themselves more than half a million dollars a year in salary. The American Institute of Philanthropy claims that of the $70 million that HHV received in contributions last year, only 31% went to the charitable cause, leading to a grade of "F" from the watchdog group.cite web|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/11/failing-to-serv.html|title=Failing to Serve America's Heroes on the Home Front|source=ABC News|date=2007-11-09]

According to Daniel Borochoff, the president of AIP, " [Chapin] is a charity entrepreneur. He's very good at setting up charities that don't do so much charitable but bring in lots, lots of money."

References

External links

;Background
* [http://www.hhv.org/about/Directors.asp#2 Roger Chapin Profile] on Help Hospitalized Veterans website
* [http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19006 "The Only Way to Win in Iraq"] Article by Roger Chapin in Human Events
* [http://www.middlebury.edu/alumni/mcaa/awards/2002.htm 2002 Middlebury Alumni Achievement Award Profile] ;Nonprofit organizations
* [http://www.hhv.org/ Help Hospitalized Veterans website]
* [http://www.saluteheroes.org/ Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes website]
* [http://charityreports.bbb.org/public/Report.aspx?CharityID=2814 Report on Coalition to Salute America's Heroes Foundation] from the Better Business Bureau
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/opinion/08fri1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin%3Cbr%20/%3E 'An Intolerable Fraud,'] critical New York Times editorial, and [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E6DF173AF935A25751C0A96E9C8B63&scp=1&sq=roger+chapin&st=nyt letters to the editor] in response by Chapin and a Salute America's Heroes official
*PDFlink| [http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080117100756.pdf Memo on the Activities of Roger Chapin's Charitable Organizations] |590 KB, and PDFlink| [http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080117103716.pdf testimony of Roger Chapin] |1 MB from hearing on veterans' charities by House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform