To feel a bit "hmm" about charity treks abroad

[prettybutclumpy]

I am donning my hard hat, but am interested to know if anyone feels the same as me about this!

I feel a bit unwilling to give to charity for friends who are doing a charity trek or other big activity abroad. I think for some people they are just a chance for a cheap holiday and amazing experience which they sort of shame their friends into "paying" for. I do know that most people pay a fee for joining in the activity, but I am sure this doesn't cover all the costs for the charity - I think the charity relies on each individual meeting or exceeding their fundraising targets to cover additional costs. If anyone works for a charity, I'd really like to know whether this is true!

I also feel that I should choose which charities I give my cash to which are of particular relevance to me and my family, rather than to choose charities offering these experiences. However, I do feel pressed into giving funds as it is someone I know who has asked me directly to contribute.

Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just an old moany-pants?

I think most first world teens are naive about what true privation and poverty looks like, and the impact that it has on a community.
But that's because they are young and idealistic and think they can make a real difference. Don't you remember feeling like that when you were 19?
I'd like to see the organisers of such schemes thinking about it more logically and altruistically, so that all benefit. I'd not take the piss out of a youngster for not seeing things as they truly are.

This is basically why we object right?

Ah, 19 - girls and political activism and girls. You make an excellent point, Mothra.

Horatia - I hear what you're saying, I shan't go any further down that road lest I be torn to a thousand bloody pieces for being old-fashioned, you obviously got what I meant, anyway. :)

I agree. I feel that if you are going to do a sponsored activity you should sponsor one that is constructive so the benefit to the charity or locality is twofold - such as a sponsored litter pick up, helping at a soup kitchen or entertaining people at the local old folks home. But that is boring and not very glamorous and exciting.

Horatiadrelincourt if you read my earlier post you would see that our brother has MD, and almost all of the people that went had either family members with MD, or worked with/cared for those affected. So besides raising money it was a unique chance for them to meet/bond. Not all trips are just "going for a jolly".
I may bow out of this topic now, as it's a touchy subject for me.

I did read your post. I still don't see why it couldn't have taken place in eg Snowdonia.

It's a right load of bollocks. If somebody asked me to sponsor their holiday I'd tell them to piss off. I've also noticed it's always the same kind of annoying people doing these things. Anybody else?

Overall, on balance I think you're being kind of unreasonable in that a) the charities must make from these trips or they wouldn't run them and b) you can say no. I would argue that most people doing this kind of thing are in it twofold- they both care about the charity and are seeking something. If your teenage naïveté or midlife crisis or hobby can benefit others that's all to the good.
My midlife crisis involves a skydive but I am paying for it myself and the donations are going to the charity- some friends haven't donated and why should they? Having said that I would never in a million years do a skydive for fun. I'm shit scared. The inca trail on the other hand, I would do any day!
The charity I'm skydiving for isn't everyone's ideal charity- that's another whole issue, the sheer number of good causes there are and how we differentiate between them.
It's not so much the holidays/challenges etc I have an issue with- most people doing them are doing them with a good heart I believe. It's also great that people set themselves challenges. It's more the fact we have to have charities at all, but that's a whole other issue.

They left from Australia. Snowdonia would have been even further to go. Anyway, you've obviously made up your mind that all such trips, regardless of the reasoning behind them are ridiculous.

degust you needn't defend it- it was worthwhile, mattered to the participants and raised money.

Financeprincess that was an excellent response.

I agree with other posters about the money raised being used to empower communities instead of having them watch closely supervised and privileged teenagers paint walls.

How amazing would it be if you could say "I raised enough money to train a local person to become a builder and then build a village hall", rather than "I raised enough money to climb Kilimanjaro and paint a wall."

I agree with a lot of what has been said re paying for someone's holiday, but re privileged teenagers painting a wall, I always thought/hoped that it wasn't just about that wall or that trip, it was about showing them another world and hopefully giving them a life-long interest in helping in other (uk based!) ways inspired by their first hand experience of being there. But that may be my rose-tinted glasses.....

If they fund the cost of the 'holiday' and then are looking for sponsorship then great - If they want their travel, accommodation etc covered then no way. Same goes for the parachute jump ones - If you want to jump, pay for it and then Ill sponsor you... I expect the money to go to the good cause not the event.

YANBU. If they paid for the entire thing themselves and gave 100% of everything donated to charity that would be fine, but often the donations pay for all or part of the cost of the trip, then the extra is given.

I had a woman at my door recently selling fireside quizzes because her daughter was going to Romania.

I politely declined. If her daughter is going to Romania why the fuck wasn't her daughter out in the rain selling the quizzes?

Yanbu

The money raised should go to the charity, no pay fowards their experience.

With ya all the way.
Funny how no one wants you to sponsor their picking-up-dog-poo-and-broken-glass-in-the-park mission isn't it?
That is something I would happily cough up for.
Your week getting a suntan with grinning urchins?
Nah. Eff off.

Fair enough - choose a more local example.

I don't think they're ridiculous. I can see that they have value. I just dispute that they're selfless or an efficient way of raising money, and I choose not to donate my money that way.

I didn't intend to offend you; this is clearly a cause close to your heart. There are many fun things that happen to raise money - naice middle class coffee mornings for example - where we shouldn't kid ourselves that the fundraising is the only point.

sinkorgin I think that the amount of time spent by the teens with the actual people correlates to what they take away. Ime of several friends' kids they talk more about the trek and the food the guides produce plus the spiders and the snakes than with any real understanding of the 'volunteering' they were doing. I'm all for encouraging volunteering and fundraising but this isn't the way. Do VSO or volunteer on an oxfam (or similar) scheme.

These fundraising events are often organised or endorsed by the charities themselves, they understand it's also a good opportunity and experience for the people taking part, which encourages more people to fundraise for them. If you don't think it's a fair way to raise funds contact the charity directly to question their calculations. They must have worked out they are still in profit. A smaller event closer to home might not raise as much. People pay to see someone earn their donations by pushing themselves. Many charities are trying to put the fun in fundraising to put more money in their pockets. Why shouldn't someone have a new experience while helping a great cause?

I don't donate to things like this. I also don't donate to individuals who are taking part in an activity run by a for-profit organization. I particularly dislike the London marathon.
I do make sure that I give to other more direct charities.

I used to live in an African country and helped in a very deprived local school one day a week. There was a constant stream of visitors from overseas who would come to the school as part of their African adventure To be fair most would bring things to donate but they would all spend ages getting lots of photos of themselves with the kids. I was a bit cynical about it - it seemed a bit intrusive and self serving

'Why shouldn't someone have a new experience while helping a great cause?'

No reason at all. But they should fund it themselves. I'm all for teens and pushing themselves and personal challenges and having fun.

YANBU. I am part of a small local charity. We get asked to donate money for trios. No way. It would better value just to give money. For the same reason the last company i worked for refused (they had money to give to charities each year) to sponsor any of these trips.

Yanbu
I donated to a friend who went to do some charity work abroad recently. She posted lots of pictures on FB of a very nice looking hotel, swimming pool, nice meals and a safari. I must admit I was a bit and someone had commented on how it looked like hell there
I know she did do some charity work but there seemed to be plenty of holiday fun going on. It did make me question the real motive of her going.

I get really, really pissed off with this. Someone I know recently asked me to sponser her to do yoga! Frigging yoga, for charity!!!