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Original poster

Why are coded fundraising threads allowed outside the charities noticeboard?

28 replies

QuestionFromTheBack · 28/05/2026 07:38

I used the title suggested by your AI

In the rules and guidelines, it says:

We only allow fundraising for registered charities to be promoted on our Talk boards - and these threads should be posted on the charities noticeboard. This is in the interest of protecting our users as we aren't able to vouch for or endorse individuals running crowdfunding campaigns or anything along those lines.

So why are these "gardening" topics allowed where people raise money for anti-trans "projects" and the people who run them?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5521049-april-gardening

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5535124-may-gardening

The obvious code words etc are ways of trying to circumvent the rules. Are mumsnet ok with fundraising, as long as it against trans people?

.

April gardening | Mumsnet

I’m busy at the end of the month, sorry it’s so early. Feel free to update/ add. Harriet Hayes is appealing to the High Court his case against the v...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5521049-april-gardening

OP posts:
Original poster
QuestionFromTheBack · 29/05/2026 07:42

JoMumsnet · 28/05/2026 12:23

Hi @QuestionFromTheBack

Thanks for raising this.

Our fundraising rules apply across the site. We don’t allow Talk threads to be used to promote crowdfunding, personal fundraising or fundraising for non-registered charity projects.

Having said that, it’s difficult for us to remove posts simply because posters may be alluding to a cause if they aren’t directly linking to a fundraiser, asking for money, or telling people how to donate.

We’ll take a look at the threads you’ve linked. If there are specific posts that link to fundraising, ask for donations, or direct users to where they can donate, please report those directly and we’ll review them.

These quotes obviously alluding to fundraising are from the posts I linked:

1) Harriet Hayes is appealing to the High Court his case against the volunteers of the English Blackball Pool Federation. If they have a new fundraiser I havent found it.

2)There is still a garden at support my fight for freedom of expression and citizen journalism but I don’t know if plants are still needed to fight a possible prosecution for stalking.

  1. Sara Morrison’s Discrimination case against Belfast Film Festival finished but the funding target was not met.

  2. Sex Matters were granted a judicial review on Hampstead ponds
    -increased target for this and donations can be gift aided

There is also a pattern of referring to these fundraising efforts as gardening to circumvent site policy:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4797024-please-explain-to-this-texan-what-gardening-is

"It's a specific 'code' in the feminism forums.It's against MN rules to ask for money through online fundraising, so links will be deleted.So 'gardening' is fundraising, hence the metaphors around digging and carrots.If you know the names of the people seeking financial help for court cases etc, you can find them and donate if you so wish. "
On the same thread, others said:

"It's trying to get round MN's rules on fundraising / soliciting donations with euphemisms like "gardening", "digging", "spades out" instead of "donate to" etc.
I don't know why it isn't clamped down on harder (same goes for other begging threads)."

Someone else replied:

"They don't need 'clamping down on' as they're not breaking the rules. The rule is against links to fundraising pages, which are too easy for someone to click without due consideration. The 'gardening' etc gives info so that people know there's a cause they might be interested in and can then actively find the relevant site themselves."

So it is obvious to both the users and presumably the staff that this is used solely by GC members to get around mumsnet fundraising rules and the staff at Mumsnet are presumably in full support of this particular cause thus why they openly allow it to continue.

So I ask again, considering that the members openly discuss their "gardening" being a barely covert way to fundraise for GC causes, are Mumsnet okay with fundraising as long is it against trans people?

Can you explain why these posts can remain despite obviously pointing towards people towards places to raise funds?

OP posts:
MNHQ
JoMumsnet · 28/05/2026 12:23

Hi @QuestionFromTheBack

Thanks for raising this.

Our fundraising rules apply across the site. We don’t allow Talk threads to be used to promote crowdfunding, personal fundraising or fundraising for non-registered charity projects.

Having said that, it’s difficult for us to remove posts simply because posters may be alluding to a cause if they aren’t directly linking to a fundraiser, asking for money, or telling people how to donate.

We’ll take a look at the threads you’ve linked. If there are specific posts that link to fundraising, ask for donations, or direct users to where they can donate, please report those directly and we’ll review them.

swqa · 28/05/2026 11:41

I'm equally bemused about the regular advertising for the Omaze house draw.