Would you donate to this? Fundraising tips please?

[Afribike]

Thinking of doing a long virtual bike ride - so riding a set amount each week to raise money for charity. It would be in excess of 150km per week and fundraising split between two charities, over a year.

I was planning to make a fundraiser by using photos from the actual route it would be (obvs I will not be leaving the UK) - so people could follow the journey as they would have done if I had done it in real life.

Crap idea?

Can you translate it into a route round / across the UK? Might mean a bit more to people. I don’t understand the need to link it to Africa (assuming from your user name).

It's for a charity in Africa - hence the Africa connection (and as I have always had a lifelong ambition that one day I would cycle to somewhere in Africa, however, thats now looking unlikely)

Thanks for the comment, I could stick to the UK.

If I knew the person I would. If I didn't then no.

If I knew and liked you then yes I’d donate but otherwise, no. Not unless the charity meant something personally to me.

No. Am fed up of friends begging for money for their self indulgent escapades.

If I want to support a charity - and I do - I'll just give them the cash directly.

I don't need some convoluted performance to inspire me.

I think if it’s for an African charity then the pictures of the virtual route would be informative - most Brits are deeply ignorant about African geography and would find it enlightening (basing my assessment largely on the answers given on Pointless here). But maybe a comparison with the UK equivalent distance would also be good.

I know people do these things a lot but I admit I don't really understand it. Presumably you really like cycling? Why would I give you money for doing something you like anyway? If you were a friend and really passionate about this charity I'd rather just give you the money.

Yes. I just give directly to the charity.

No. Not unless you were a friend or relative and only then it would be because it would cause more hassle than it was worth not to contribute.

I've just totally fallen out with all these grand gestures that look like elevating a hobby to an act of martyrdom. I'm much more likely to put my hand in my pocket if it's clear where the money is going, the running costs of the charity aren't inflated to fund excessive salaries and I can hand over a one off payment without having to sign a direct debit.

No. I give direct to the charities I support.

I think two sets of pics would be good, so each stage could be this is where I would have been cycling in Kenya this week and this is the equivalent distance route in Scotland for eg.
Like pp my donations would depend on your relationship with me and the charities.
I don't donate to a large global charity for example as I have heard unflattering reports from people from one of the countries they operate in.
I think if it's a clean water charity for example pics of what each milestone amount raised could provide would be good too.
Best of luck with it, that your doing it from home without the option of cycling where you've always wished to is admirable.

No but then I get bored of the constant requests. It’s not the idea it’s the fundraiser fatigue.

My own feeling is that sponsored events are entirely pointless...if I'm going to donate £20, then whether or not someone has climbed a mountain or run a marathon is irrelevant...I'm still down £20 and the charity is £20 better off. It's makes no difference what you have or haven't done. If you were my friend if sponsor you so i didn't look like an arse but I would never sponsor a stranger

Yes, you could do pictures of the route in Africa...

Maybe each stage could have a bit of information about the charity. A bit like Stage 4 - £4.- will help to buy XXX.
Or 200 miles! There are 200 XXX that have had XXX from the Charity!
...

*I'd

What a miserable bunch we are! I think it would be great for your family and friends. If you can explain why you are fundraising for those charities in particular- whats your connection to them, do you have a story you can tell about them - on your FR page then that would be great. On Just Giving you can post updates, but you cannot split the money between two charities I do not think. What platform do you plan to use? I like the photos idea- you could also post a shot of your stats as evidence.

I’m not a fan of sponsored events. I donate to charities that I chose. I have sponsored people I like doing impressive things. In the lockdown I was doing similar just as exercise. If you have something like zwift, you can set yourself a challenge on that to ride the length of Italy/ Calafornia/ climb mountains. I was doing it for myself though, I wouldn’t expect anyone else to be interested or pay me to do it.

I only support friends on these sorts of challenges and then only if it's a charity I'd support anyway and if it's the first time they've asked. I only do it for "aquaintances" if there's a very poignant story behind it. I wouldn't sponsor a stranger.

I seem to know a lot of people who do these things and some do one every year, so l have to choose which to support.

Unfortunately it often seems more about them and the event than it is about the charity, although I accept that it's still a good thing if the charity benefits.

I can't imagine anyone being very interested in your pictures, even if you were doing it for real. Sorry, you did ask.

No. I sponsor small children for a pound or two if they’re doing a sponsored something at school, because it’s nice to encourage kids in their endeavours. Otherwise I already support various charities directly, I’m not particularly keen on paying you to fulfil your personal ambitions in support of a charity I’m not terribly interested in. With a lot of these challenges I do feel like pointing out that the person wanting sponsorship could simply make the few hundred pounds for a charity themselves by getting a paid job in the hours they’re spending training for a marathon or swimming the channel - just wouldn’t be so fun or high profile for them.

If you were a friend and you hated cycling I'd be more inclined to donate. Really I just donate to charities as I see fit and tend to avoid fundraisers which are often about people being sponsored to pursue their passion. I spent £4,000 on a trip to climb Kilimanjaro because it was something I wanted to do. While I was there I met a lot of people doing it for free as part of a sponsored charity event. All of them spoke about how climbing it was on their bucket list (the climb, not the fundraising).

What do you mean by virtual bike ride. Just noticed. Does that mesn you won't even be riding a bike.

If I could avoid giving you the money I would. Why do you need money to do it?

MilduraS
Exactly. Well said.

Did you have a name-change failure? Now is probably not a good time for charity fundraising.