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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To beg/ask for donations

37 replies

crumblingpile · 04/04/2013 15:55

lots of traffic here, need some answers/advice. Am a regular name-changer...

Has anyone ever set up a webpage/site to try and get donations for a non-charitable personal project? I know there are things like justgiving.com but assume they are for charity fund-rasing.

I have a project, a heritage/building thing - it's something I care about deeply but cannot raise funds personally to maintain. Heritage grants are unavailable and I just feel like I want to try at least to save this thing by getting donations from people - basically begging 'please help me' by creating a nice site about the project with reasons why am seeking help and so on... would that be amazingly crass and stupid?

(PS I am not asking people here personally for donations, just thinking I might be able to get help from 'passing web-traffic' if I actively promote my project.)

OP posts:
TheSecondComing · 05/04/2013 22:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zwischenzug · 05/04/2013 22:14

Why don't you sell a share in it, sort of like what they do in dragons den, then you can use the money raised to renovate it. It does sound incredibly cheeky to ask people to donate money for you to renovate your property.

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 05/04/2013 22:17

Ah, if it's in Ireland, would it be worth looking to America for funding?

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 05/04/2013 22:18

(I have no idea how you'd go about doing that)

Original poster
crumblingpile · 05/04/2013 22:19

You can get grants, in Ireland you can. We did get one a few years ago to repair the roof. There's also a protected structure fund in Ireland which can be used for private properties but they only award it to 2 structures per county.

OP posts:
DontSHOUTTTTTT · 05/04/2013 22:25

Seems a bit cheeky to me too. (Sorry) If you were concerned about 'saving' it then you would be prepared to sell it. What you want to do is 'save' it for yourselves. Confused

However, as long as you are crystal clear about your intentions then you are allowed to ask.

Maybe you could set up a blog with an option to donate. People love a reclaimation project.

Original poster
crumblingpile · 05/04/2013 22:27

And no - the secondcoming, I would love to save it but it's just not possible for me and my family to fund it. it would be nice to save it, probably by unlikely though without a lottery win or a donation from Bono or something (ha ha).

Our choices are really to sell it or to leave it to deteriorate but at least still have it. It really is just me clutching at straws in an attempt to work out how to stop that deterioration as it would be such a shame. I can still live with having it but it being a ruin.

The landmark trust looks interesting thank you, if we do sell I would be so much happier if it could be sold to someone like them as it would mean developers wouldn't be buying which is one reason why I am loathe to sell.

OP posts:
Original poster
crumblingpile · 05/04/2013 22:31

Sorry, cross posted. It's possible that we might find a buyer who would be sympathetic and save it but just as likely that we would sell it to someone who wanted to use the land to build on which I would be loathe to do.

It is cheeky I suppose but my intentions are not to make a profit. I just wondered about those people who do ask for donations and how they go about it, like the people who advertise in private eye asking for cash to help them out.

OP posts:
DontSHOUTTTTTT · 05/04/2013 23:28

I guess you could set up a covenant if you sold it stipulating the land couldn't never be used for building. (I have no idea if that is possible).

I feel that there are I many genuine and deserving recipients of 'charity' that I would feel uncomfortable asking for money for personal use. I have see the ad's in Private Eye. They are strange, I wonder if they are written to take advantage of vulnerable people. There is no rational reason for people to donate to those ad's.

As I said earlier, as long as you are fully honest about your intentions then there is nothing wrong with asking.

SilverOldie · 06/04/2013 06:44

You might want to check out the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). www.spab.org.uk/publications/about-the-property-list/

They have members who are looking to buy renovation projects.

sashh · 06/04/2013 06:56

It's possible that we might find a buyer who would be sympathetic and save it but just as likely that we would sell it to someone who wanted to use the land to build on which I would be loathe to do.

Ok how much land is there with it? Is it somewhere touristy?

Could you get a couple of toilet and shower units and use the land around as a campsite? Let the campers know that a % goes to renovate the house (assuming that's what it is).

ceramicunicorn · 07/04/2013 09:13

I wouldn't totally write off getting a charity to help out. The Prince's Trust restored my inheritance as I agreed for it to be used for charitable causes for the next 25 years. Then, if I choose, I can put it back in my name. There may be a charity that does something similar in Ireland?

I know it's a long time but if you're just looking to keep it in the family it nay do the trick.

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