Am I Wrong to be Angry at This?

Eton_Rifle

lolly1981 wrote: »

he is wrong to mislead you...these trips do have a self fund option...

Not always. I've done two of these trips (one to the Himalayas and one climbing the Great Wall of China) and both times I wasn't allowed to raise the money myself but was obliged to raise the funds (maybe to further publicise the cause?)

I could have easily afford to self-fund and would have much preferred to do this since having to organise the fund raising events was a major pain in the !!!!.
One of the events I organised was a wine-tasting in the garden and during the event I was made aware you actually need a licence for this sort of thing and I spent the rest of the afternoon stressed out, anxiously wondering if anyone I'd invited would be reporting me!

lolly1981

yeah i did notice some that are run by the charity theirselves through the company are only minimum sponsership but i am going for an open event so i get to choose the charity myself which then gives me the oppurtunity to choose self funding

and for the person who said to seperate the charity and the 'holiday' why should people have to...if by them taking on the challebge..and thats what it is nota walk in the park, it raises more awareness of the charity or helps raise more money for that charity then surely it is a good thing. yes i will be getting to acountry ive never visited and will get the oppurtunity to see places however there is a lot of trekking involved wuhich for some people is a huge deal. especially if theyve never done anything like that before.

just because it isnt a way youd choose to raise money doesnt make it wrong....i personally wouldnt shave my head or cycle from lands end to john o'groats doesnt mean its not a good way to raise money.

BLT_2

I would rather set light to a ten pound note that subsidise these types of events, they are all geared around providing someone an exotic holiday at the expense of the public, following which they come back and tell everyone what great people they are for helping out the needy. If they were that concerned they would spend their time helping out in the local charity shop or holding collection boxes at weekends, not spending all their time canvassing to subsidise a cheap holiday to the far east.

lolly1981

SOME people do this yes...SOME people choose to pay for the trip THEIRSELVES and nothing is subsidised!!! the trip will cost me about 1600 pounds. which is coming from my own pocket. so you would need to ask the person concerned if they are paying themselves or the charity is paying. no confusion then and the chairty would get 100% of the money you donated!!

foreign_correspondent

I think there is another issue with this sort of fundraising too - the whole dynamics and politics of it.

yes i will be getting to acountry ive never visited and will get the oppurtunity to see places however there is a lot of trekking involved which for some people is a huge deal. especially if theyve never done anything like that before.

Well, that is clearly very nice for you. The one I looked into was for a charity which dealt with people with a common (and often disabling) neurological condition.

I know someone affected by this condition, who is currently in their 30's, reasonably fit and healthy, and active - and these trips would be that person's dream holiday too - they have never done anything like that before, (they hoped that they would at some point in the future - deferred gratification sucks if you become ill before all the work and study pays off), but, realistically probably never will now, not only for health reasons, but because their income has been affected, and travel insurance for a trip like that would be prohibitive.

...the irony is that these trips are clearly not accessable for people affected by this condition - so they are pushed further into the 'sick' role, and are expected to be grateful recipients of the leftover funds after the lucky fit and healthy people have been off and and had an adventure - an adventure funded by donors who want to support people affected by the condition.

The irony is, that the same charity is closing it's respite homes at the moment - which, for many people who are really ill from this conditon, was the closest to a holiday they could expect.

If I donated to that charity I would rather my tenner went (in whole) to giving someone who is ill through the condition a break, rather than subsidising the holiday of an able bodied person, who doubtless will be expecting a lot of admiration and praise for their heroic efforts...

lolly1981

again...not all of them are subsidised...the money i will and my cousin will be raising will be going directly to the charity..they wont be paying for my trip i will be paying for it out of my own pocket.

soolin

If you really think about it, and I have, this is all a bit sneaky isn't it? I have donated to this sort of thing before but now on reflection I iwll never do it again and if i am approached I will let the charity know that I do not approve.

Why Trek overseas or bungee jump in Asia, why not volunteer to do something in this country that could actually benefit someone instead? Sponser someone 'by the wall ' to repaint a hallway or bedroom in a charitable building or a hospice. Or sponser someone to do work in a charity shop sorting books or clearing out storage that needs doing. Or even better, and something that my charity was involved in this year, sponser a volunteer to assist in gardening for a vulnerable person? Sponsored by the hour or for a specific task..so per lawn mowed or vegetable patch turned over.

I admit we did have some problems with our scheme which we ran in conjunction with the local authority as all volunteers had to be CRB checked.

EDIT: we were also at the receiving end of some help this year. A confirmation class needed a project for charity that showed they would committed to assist those more in need. Rather than just raise funds by throwing custard pies or whatever, they approached us to offer their time in updating our building and garden. Those with skills did repairs , those unskilled or younger people dug gardens, steam cleaned carpets, painted walls etc. Result one confirmation class who proved a cmiittment to their local area and one very happy charity with brighter premises for us to provide services from (the premises are used by people, not just by us).

lolly1981

why trek overseas?? because im paying for it and i want to! if people want to sponser me thats fine if they dont so is that, i am paying for it so any money raised is all for the charity. and because it is somethinga little different (in my circle of friends and family) and something challenging for me i should hopefully rais e a fair amount and im talking maybe 2-3000 pounds not a couple of hundred.

we all choose are own ways of raising money, and all choose the charities we chose to support....its only sneaky if, as in the OP, the person raising the money isnt up front about it.

garthdp

Yep you should be angry and a sharp word with the friend of friend should ensue
When we give to charity we give directly to the charity and wont be coerced into funding a holiday for someone.

We fell out with someone (or rather they fell out with us) who needed to raise £3000 to go to South America to then raise probably a few hundred quid for a particular charity.

They were not even part self funding and said we werent 'supportive of their cause' when we told them we would rather give the money directly. Their cause being a cheap hiloday with brownie points for doing something for 'charidee' and all the self aggrandising that goes with it
Some people need to check their motivation!

piratefairy

OP, I totally agree that you are right to be disappointed that you weren't given the full picture before you made your decision.
I find that these "sponsored charity experiences" do seem to be all the rage at the moment. I volunteer with Girlguiding, and did give some consideration to doing a sponsored cycle ride from Paris-Geneva this year, as GG is trying to raise money for their fund which gives grants to other members who cannot afford to go on trips etc. Which as I'm involved in it, I personall;y think is good, but realised that most members of the general public wouldn't think was v worthy, hence my decision not to do it, as I couldn't budget £1500 for the experience. I made a (smaller) donation to the fund directly as I didnt' want to have to rely on the money of others to fund my trip.
And I certainly wouldn't have wanted anyone to think I was deceiving them by saying that it was going to charity, or advertise "charity events" etc, as whilst Girlguiding UK is a charity, it's not the sort that the mind conjures up when one thinks of charity.
Added to which, it woulsdn't be a charity event, more a "sponsored" one.
Sorry if that post is a little garbled - basically OP, i would agree with being miffed at the way your friend dealt with it!