DawnM Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 of people you didn't know? If so, why? I am always surprised to read on a Go Fund Me request, "I don't know you, but here is $50" or whatever. Maybe I am just too cynical. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 In a nutshell, no. I have not given to many go fund me accounts at all really. Just a handful. Last week I did give $40 to the friend of a friend who I know is legit, but I don't know her personally. She's involved in the local arts scene, so I have seen her in person. This is a person who had an emergency medical crisis in her 20's that required emegency surgery and I think a week of hospitization and is going to require some serious rehab. Her and her fiance were planning to marry very soon as well and want to continue with that plan. That is the craziest Go fund me story I have! And I know for certain it's legit. We give plenty of money to charity though. I'd rather fund non-profits that vet and then help families in crises. I've received a couple of requests for money that to me looked like basically funding a vacation or a high end camp for a teenager. One family I know seriously mismanages their own finances. NOPE. Call me cynical too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waa510 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Yes, I have but it was only once and directly to an extended family member for cancer treatment costs. I've never donated to strangers though I've considered it. I waffle about it quite frequently for the same reason you posted. I'm just very skeptical and have been burned too many times by being "too nice". If I were to, I think it'd be nice to donate to a family's adoption as dh and I are on different pages with regards to adopting so it will likely never happen for us. (That's another thread though..) I think it would make me feel better in my acceptance of that fact to donate to someone else's adoption dream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Yes. Usually though it is someone who someone I know knows if that makes sense. For instance, a woman I was close with in high school posted about her friend who was a single mom and in her last months with cancer. Stuff like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Once to an online friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 No. I do give to people, a lot. Just not on gofundme. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Yes, a couple of times. Friends of friends - one degree of separation. But we used Gofundme to help raise money for my kids' DI team and their trip to compete at Globals. It was useful for us - lots of friends from our homeschool community gave a few dollars and it added up to enough to really help. So even though I knew everyone who gave, it was still a much easier way to raise money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Yes, but it was posted/shared by people I did know who knew the people in need. More than once. And a few times for animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Two times, both to online friends. One I regret as I think that person and their family goes from one crisis to another with other people bailing them out, and the other I totally don't regret and would give to her in a heartbeat if she needed it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I've never been on Go Fund Me at all. Our donations are local (through school or friends or groups) and/or medical (through our health share) and I don't recall anyone setting up a site and telling us to go there. I have no idea what the site charges as a fee, but the way we donate, 100% of our funds go to what we donate toward so I'm not inclined to change. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I believe however one is donating, that one should carefully try to investigate how the funds donated are actually spent. I saw this article in the news yesterday. A Leukemia charity, based in New York, that apparently spent less than one percent of the funds it received on the work it was supposedly funding: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/07/22/leukemia-charity-used-less-than-1-percent-funds-for-patient-claims-suit/?intcmp=latestnews My wife did give some $, a couple of years ago, to someone she "knew" on Facebook that seemed to be very legitimate, for a project to help very poor school children and we believe that money did fund what we intended it to help fund. We'd never met the people before, but when we did meet them and gave them the $, they seemed very sincere and honest. We are still "friends" with them on Facebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 I guess I don't see friend of a friend as being quite the same category. I meant more complete strangers. I have given to friends of friends, but I trusted the friend who asked for the money to tell me it was legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 I believe however one is donating, that one should carefully try to investigate how the funds donated are actually spent. I saw this article in the news yesterday. A Leukemia charity, based in New York, that apparently spent less than one percent of the funds it received on the work it was supposedly funding: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/07/22/leukemia-charity-used-less-than-1-percent-funds-for-patient-claims-suit/?intcmp=latestnews My wife did give some $, a couple of years ago, to someone she "knew" on Facebook that seemed to be very legitimate, for a project to help very poor school children and we believe that money did fund what we intended it to help fund. We'd never met the people before, but when we did meet them and gave them the $, they seemed very sincere and honest. We are still "friends" with them on Facebook. There is no way to track Go Fund Me if it is donated to an individual. That was my question, have you ever given to someone you don't know, an individual, online. I didn't really specify "no friends of friends" but that is really what I was wondering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 There was a fire locally that left about 60 people homeless. An organization started a go fund me campaign. We gave them some money. They updated daily to talk about how they were going to distribute the money, etc. So I felt like it was legitimate and I wanted to help in some way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 No and only once to someone I did know. If I had disposable income, there are some I would have donated to though. I have donated to a few on Kickstarter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.