To grudge donating to charity expeditions?

[Nospringflower]

Can't decide as I know the people do raise money for the charity but they also go on a trip of a lifetime with all food and drink included. Saw an ad for trekking in Brazil and you have to raise nearly £4000 and of that just over £2000 goes to the charity. So £1900 that you raise pays for your 'holiday'. I'd rather just donate directly to the charity and then 100% goes to it.

No, YANBU, people need to stop asking other people to pay for their holidays (and there is a fair amount of evidence that all these go to Africa to build a school things aren't that helpful anyway - it would be far better to send some money to Africa to pay someone there to build it as this provides employment, is cheaper because you don't need to pay for a highly polluting flight etc)

I generally refuse requests for donations for this sort of thing.

Running a marathon, yes, because that's a real achievement... But trekking part of the Inca Trail, no... Sounds more like I'm paying for your amazing holiday...

YANBU. I agree.

As a society, we've grown so selfish that people have to bribed into giving. :(

be

Yanbu. Same with skydives or exciting activities that cost a couple of hundred first. I mean, I get that they've raised an extra £200 on top of what they paid out but had they chosen a cheaper activity, the charity would get it all. And we are supposed to applaud them while they use a charity to get other people to pay for something they want to do and couldn't afford otherwise.

I agree too. Have thought so for quite some time now.

I agree and have a couple of friends fundraising just now for "charity" treks.

I can't afford a proper holiday this year so it irks me that I feel I have to contribute to someone else's!

But my friend works for a charity and says they are a huge source of income and that most people wouldn't ever give half that amount to charity in the first place.

Anyway YANBU. But I still feel mean about not donating

Yanbu I dont donate to back packing school jaunts or anything like that I dont care if folk think I am mean

YANBU - and might I add parachute jumping.

If you want to do a parachute jump just go and do one.

I remember when all this 'charity holiday madness' started.

It was back in the 1980s. One young guy where I worked was going with a group of trust fund kids (all quit well off) to drive an fire engine round the sahara desert or some such nonsense.

As older bloke in my office got into a heated argument with the young man who was doing the jaunt and told him there was no way he was sponsoring a jolly. The young man got quite irate saying stuff like 'how hard do you think this is for us'. As the older man said, if its hard don't do it then!

Mind you the older man had been in the SAS so he was used to a little more hardship than 'driving a fire engine in the sahara.

YANBU.

I don't donate to charity bag packing for local sports / guide / scout groups either. Pay for your own activities.

Glad to hear I'm not BU but like some have said I do feel a bit stingy as the people doing at are also raising money for the charity that they wouldn't get otherwise.

I like best when people, like some colleagues are doing just now, fundraise but make it clear that they are paying all their own expenses. Then it's impressive

Yup! Agree about the parachute jumps too. I've sponsored someone's first jump, found her post "OMG best experience of my life!!!" And started collected sponsorship for her next jump the very next day.

Followed by whingeing about the 'lack of support' from her friends when we didn't cough up the second time. Grr.

Some eople get paid to do fundraising for charities - its their job.

Some people get paid to work for charities - its their job.

Not all people get paid to fund raise and work for charities of course but big national charities are increasingly like big commercial enterprises.

The charity sector is just another industrial sector. They work like any other industry selling stuff. What the big charities 'sell' is the feel good factor of giving. They use very marketing and selling technique in the book - but you don't have to buy the 'product'.

Completely agree, MoreBeta, and I love the idea of ex-SAS guy taking down Gap Yah Orlando and his fire engine safari.

There was quite an interesting thread about this issue a few months ago

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2003762-To-feel-a-bit-hmm-about-charity-treks-abroad

A lot of these people get paid to fundraise. At least the guide/scout leaders give their time and very often their own money without payment in return.

so glad i thought i was the only victor meldrew, i fully agree with the raise money and pay a local builder to build the school, your air fair should just about do that thank you.

Yanbu
However, there are degrees of cheekiness.
18yo wanting me to pay for him to go on the Inca trail is BVVVU. Mother friend of mine who arranged several events in her village including a barn dance and a quiz, not so unreasonable.
And another friend who's just done an incredibly gruelling and unglamorous walk for an important but unglamourous charity, leaving from a few miles from her house- I think she's justified in fundraising for a jolly somewhere

You don't have to feel obliged to donate to them, I don't anymore.

I will donate for people doing bike rides or marathons or whatever only if I support the charity's aims anyway, because I don't believe that every charity is worthy, despite the fact that I know they have to have clear aims and beneficiaries to keep the charities commission happy.

I also won't donate more than once to the same person, but that's because I know a few people who seem to constantly be training for one charity run/event or another, and when they've got to the point that they are doing it as a hobby for themselves I think they need to put in significantly more effort than emailing everyone on their contacts list and putting a link on Facebook. I know one person that will support any charity that has a spare place in the marathon, and I won't donate to him because I think people need to actually believe in or have a connection with a charity if they're going to fundraise for it.

Thanks Tyne Tees - I did think there was a high chance this would have been discussed but couldn't find it when I searched.

Dds school is sending kids to africa to help build a school it cost a fortune dd didnt want to go phew while its a nice charitable thing to do and the teens might get some thing out of it a personal statement for uni I think the money would be better placed elsewhere, maybe im just cynical

I have done this in the past however I personally pay my costs of the trip (as I would a holiday) so all fundraising goes to the charity. So may be YABU

I dont sponsor parachute jumps
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10476298

I have helped friends dc, I don't mind if it is done with an event e.g quiz, music.

I never encouraged mine to do it in 6th form it as I hate asking other people to donate and you get stung for all the jabs etc. expensive business.

my yd is doing gap year and doing some charity work abroad but fundraised herself

the way round this one is to donate directly to the charity concerned - if you want to donate, that is. use giftaid if possible. Then you can tell the person concerned that you've supported their charity with minimal overhead.

not justgiving etc - bang goes 6%.