Go fund me…….has it gone too far?

So many scams about these days, I think things have gone too far with these go fund me, so no I wouldn’t give money!

It doesn’t bother me because I do not look at Go Fund Me or respond to anyone asking to donate to their page.

I’m afraid I’m rather old fashioned. I’ll give to a couple of select charities and often help in local fundraising for national appeals, but I will not give to people I have no connection with because life has dealt them a bad hand.
This attitude hardened after a close friend died of pancreatic cancer. A colleague of hers announced he was to run a marathon to raise money for research - we all gave, but he disappeared from GFM and nothing was heard from him again. And how do you check whether someone you don’t know ran a race anyway.

In my view you never know the genuine from the scam, I mean anyone can cry the poor tale so how would anyone know ?

Funding for plastic surgery and dental procedures, ohhhh please !!!!! But but but then I ask myself are these people asking for financial help genuinely, have they a real issue that if altered, will help them greatly in mental health issues opposed to vanity. Its the unknown and so for that reason Im out.

🤨

I have mixed feelings about the reasons people ask for money, but as it's all voluntary, there's no harm done.

I dislike people asking for money for children/young people to go abroad to volunteer (aka add to their personal statements), but I feel the same about 'fundraising' by getting tax-efficient contributions from their parents, or inviting the neighbours to apparently social events that turn out to be in aid of a trip to Guatemala or somewhere.

I'm uneasy about appeals for vet bills, but can see how awful it would be to have to have a pet euthanised because of lack of funds. I'd rather see compulsory insurance brought in. I've seen appeals for people who have been burgled (usually just before Christmas, and usually all the children's presents have gone), but am rather cynical about those.

I'd always rather give a gift than cash as a wedding present, but can see that if the couple have got a furnished and equipped house already, contributing to a honeymoon doesn't upset me - it's a better use of the money than getting another toaster or set of teaspoons.

Eloethan
Yes I agree, if you’re living hand to mouth, the last thing you want to worry a about is insurance, but the request on our village FB page was for a business premises, absolutely horrible, I know that, we’ve been there. But I’m pretty sure there would have been insurance.
We also get requests for donations of all kinds, food, lifts to places, small jobs done, I think some people just think that’s perfectly okay, whereas I would rather go without.
In a village we lived in about twenty years ago, there was a barter system, exchanging skills which seemed to work quite well, we didn’t sign up because we have no particular skills, but it was quite popular.

I donated to a local lady’s appeal for funds to have an operation abroad - flagged up on local news.
Whilst it’s absolutely tragic when a young person dies abroad on holiday, I can’t comprehend when it’s revealed that they weren’t insured and the family has to appeal for the cost of repatriation. I think the cost for single trip cover would probably only cost the same as a round of holiday drinks.

Same here Callistemon.

I have donated to a couple of funds where I knew the people involved and knew it was genuine but I think they have got totally out of hand now.

MawtheMerrier

It can sometimes leave a bad taste I agree, but the only thing to do is ignore. Nobody should feel “shamed” into giving because others seem to be contributing.

Yes, this is exactly what I was going to say. I've even seen some set up to fund a holiday - just an ordinary holiday! Some people have a bit of a brass neck to say the least, while some causes are genuinely very deserving. If in doubt, ignore.

Is there a way to tell if it's genuine?

I think it's nice. If there are requests that you think unreasonable you don't have to give. Yes, insurance would pay up if as person is burgled, but what if they couldn't afford insurance? Some people are living hand to mouth.

Weddings and honeymoons seems ridiculous, but, again, people don't have to contribute if they don't want to.

MawtheMerrier

It can sometimes leave a bad taste I agree, but the only thing to do is ignore. Nobody should feel “shamed” into giving because others seem to be contributing.

Well said, Maw.
When we lived in a different place, people were asked by someone to fund their trip to run the Marathon in a different country. They were also asked to sponsor them for a "Good Cause". Many felt obliged to contribute.
I would have contributed to the "Good cause "if they had been finding their own funding to get there and their accommodation. They weren't, they just asked for everyone to contribute to the whole, which many disgruntled people did. We kept quiet and You can guess what my response was.
In our parent's day there was pride in coping themselves or within the family, now some people, think they can just ask.
As calendar girl says you cut your coat to according to the cloth.
How many have been asked to weddings with money only presents? The money is spent on exotic honeymoons.

Nor am I. I have no experience of these fund me things. But I think I will stick to my known charities.

I’m not on FB so I miss a lot of this.
Do people really do Go Fund Me’s for weddings and honeymoons?!
That’s outrageous!

Totally agree with you BlueBelle re weddings, honeymoons, funerals, pets.

Cut your coat according to your cloth.

People should factor in the cost of vet bills before taking on any animal. But so many don’t, then are horrified when confronted with a huge bill.

People should look after themselves if you haven’t any money you have a very simple funeral/ wedding/ honeymoon
You don’t have pets that you couldn’t afford attention for I got through some huge milestones with little money but I would never ever ask or expect anyone else to fund me
So no I only give to things that I know are genuinely in need or to charities

I agree GagaJo but we need to be mindful with most crowd funding requests unless we know them or at least are local and we know of them.
Very many are simple scams.Others need the money for something and have no worries about asking for it.Nobody has to give them anything.

I think some are genuine, some are daft and some are fake. I recently gave to one that I started (afterwards) to think was fake but has turned out to be genuine.

I've also given to one for a friend's family members funeral. And also given to one for a GN member and one for a friend of a friend whose young husband died of COVID leaving her with young children. I didn't give to one for a distant relative who I consider was abusing the generosity of others. Apparently others thought the same way because not much was raised.

I've got no advice about giving/not giving. I think it's down to personal preference, a bit like charity giving.

There was recently a post on here regarding a funeral Go Fund Me on here asking for donations.
The OP returned later that day to say that a family member had then offered to pay for the funeral.
I know that several GN members had already donated.
It was a very sad story, but it left an uncomfortable feeling.

I agree with you. I would donate to some things if I know the person involved, but definatly not cosmetic surgery, or living of grid, like a story shown in the media sometime ago.

I would go further and say some of the people asking for money are entitled and have a bloody cheek.

It can sometimes leave a bad taste I agree, but the only thing to do is ignore. Nobody should feel “shamed” into giving because others seem to be contributing.

For me it will depend entirely on what it’s for.
An electric wheelchair, for example, or cosmetic surgery to correct a genuine disfigurement, would probably induce me to donate.
What I certainly wouldn’t fund are school trips to much poorer countries where totally unqualified/inexperienced kids are e.g. ‘going to help to build a school’.

Yes, we were saying the same thing yesterday, someone in our local village page set one up because they’d had a burglary, surely that’s what insurance is for?
There are many deserving cases, but I agree, it’s getting out of hand.