WIBU to ask for sponsorship for giving up alcohol for a year?

[LoopyLou1981]

Not from Mumsnet, in RL.

I’m trying to work out whether it’s a sponsorable ‘thing’ or whether it’s a bit of a crap idea.

I like a drink (and probably drink a bit too much). My job is quite social and includes lunches and nights out so this would be a massive change for me.

I want to do it to feel healthier but feel like sponsorship would keep me on track and it can’t hurt if I can do something for a good cause along the way??x

You are just being difficult now. If you aren’t an alcoholic then it is perfectly possible to give up alcohol. I love a drink and while I wouldn’t chose to give it up I have managed easily when necessary

I'm not being difficult, I'm being realistic. Not everyone is actually you, you may have realised?

why? I have sponsor many friends climbing, they pay everything, their training, their travel, their registration fees and all money raised was going straight to the charity. You never have to sponsor anyone, I just don't understand why you would refuse a physical challenge on principle.

Because I think it's bloody ridiculous for someone to go round hawking for money for their chosen charidee and pretending they're only doing the latest physical challenge as a brave sacrifice. If it was really about the charity, they could oooh, donate the cost of their training, their travel, and their registration fees straight to charity. Most of the time, the charity concerned would get more from any person pricing up the costs of a mountaineering trip and donating just that, on its own, than they ever get from the resulting sponsorship.

So, no, it's not about the charity is it? It's about someone realising their ambition to climb a mountain.

I've always wanted to learn to morris-dance. Is someone going to sponsor me to follow my dream?

I would sponsor you. I would much prefer to sponsor someone doing something which was cost free.

I hate these events where people climb mountains or do something they want to do anyway and you’re basically paying for them to go on holiday or have a bit of an experience and a little bit of the money goes to charity.

If it was really about the charity, they could oooh, donate the cost of their training, their travel, and their registration fees straight to charity.

Most people wouldn't raise nearly as much. Training cost next to nothing, mainly your time, and travel and registration fees don't add to that much when you compare with the hundreds, or even thousands you can raise, especially when you work for a company that matches the donations.

I find it really unfair and frankly insulting to ignore the efforts of most people, what are YOU doing? Some might be taking the piss, there's always one, but when I see how much money was raised recently to pay for medical treatment for a little friend of ours, and we are talking 10s of thousands by multiple people, I think people do as good as they can.

Of course you are free to ignore, but sneering from the comfort of your own sofa doesn't make you look good.

If you ask people to give something without doing anything, they don't tend to give. They are much more generous when I see efforts on your part. By experience, you raise a hell more money doing a physical challenge than asking or baking a cake.

I might sponsor you if the charity was one I wanted to support. I think that the "will you sponsor me" requests are a general trigger to raise awareness and nudge people to donate to particular charities. I don't see that one activity is more 'sponsor-worthy' than any other activity. Either support the charity or not. The mindset of "I'll donate £10 to XX charity if you run a marathon, but if you don't run a marathon I'm not giving the charity any money" - what's that about?? The two issues are completely disconnected.

I agree @ikeepaforkinmypurse . Also,
Most of those going on a challenge are raising money for the charity when they otherwise may not have engaged at all. Some groups of 20 people raise £135,000 for a charity (after costs are deducted), they are asked to raise a minimum to ensure a good cost ratio for the charity but most go above and beyond. I think some people naively think that charities can just rely on selflessness and people giving money for nothing. It is not realistic at all to have that expectation!

YANBU to ask as long as you accept that not everyone will want to sponsor you

I wouldn’t sponsor you unless you were my best friend tbh. But people manage to raise money for far more ridiculous things, so no harm in asking as long as you don’t harass people.

I agree that you should donate the money you save by not drinking, and i would start your sponsorship request by saying “I’ll be donating the money I would’ve spent on alcohol to X charity, if anyone would like to sponsor me to raise more money for the charity then please click here to do so”

I was going to say this:

I think the suggestion that you sponsor yourself is a good one, OP - give the money you’d otherwise spend on drink to charity.

My friend does Dry January every year and manages to get quite a bit of sponsorship so there are lots of people who would support something like this. We did. I'm not quite sure how any sponsorship would work over a year though - do you mean you'd keep asking over the year. If so then to be honest that could get annoying for everyone. Cant quite figure out how you'd 'run' the fundraising over such a long period in a way that be supportive and keep you going - I'm not sure anyone will pay each month.

People get sponsorship fatigue when it seems to be constant asks for all sorts of things.

You’re doing it to feel healthier. Why would I sponsor you for that? If you want help with motivation, start or join a thread on here.

I do sponsee friends who do what I consider big efforts for good causes. For example a friend whose father died ran a marathon. His primary objective in doing so was to honour his father and raise money for the charity linked to his illness.

I would not sponsor you to stop drinking. I would consider your excessive alcohol consumption down to your excessive lifestyle choices and feel it incredibly Necky for you to ask me to give money to charity of your choice to help you stop. I also have no way of knowing if you did stop, other than your word. You could be necking wine at a rate of knots at home and no one would know. Unlike running a marathon where there is evidence.

If you said a close friend died of a alcohol related illness and you'd stop drinking to help a related charity I'd sponsor you. It's when you want sponsoring because you're a bit of a boozer and you'd benefit from stopping, that would make it a no from me.

Nothing wrong with it at all! Why not do some good for charity while you're at it. Not everyone will want to donate but that's fine - some will, and a charity will benefit as a result

It does seem rather unreasonable that you will be saving money on not drinking but you are asking others to donate their money to a good cause on your behalf.

Why can't you just donate the money you save?

If you are considering asking for sponsorship because you think it will help you keep to the challenge you could tweet/FB a running total of the amount you have saved/donated so far instead.

No, absolutely not. no bloody chance.

however, what you could do is either make a bet with yourself that you'll donate a significant sum to some cause you hate - say £1,000 to UKIP - if you fall off the wagon, or that you can donate the money you've saved to a cause that matters a lot to you, like cancer research. Depending on your motivation.

I think to coach it in simpler terms.

When the primary motivation is to do something to help another I would sponsor,

When the primary motivation is to help yourself I would not sponsor.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I would definitely ‘sponsor’ myself every month as well. I agree that it’s not fair to ask for money when I’ll be (hopefully) making a saving.x

Ikeepaforkinmypurse

Perhaps some people donate more when the participant is making a physical effort. I donate more when it's not a trip-of-a-lifetime.

I believe you asked why I'd rather donate to Sober October and similar, and now you know. No need to go off on one because I answered.

That said, I'm quite amused that me posting that I had sponsored people doing dry periods (and that I was happier with it than other options) has ultimately led to someone posting 'what are YOU doing?'

Er, sponsoring the people whose ideas I like?

People seem to get unduly wound up about others asking for sponsorship. They are only asking - you can say yes or no or ignore the request entirely. If the op is giving up drinking anyway why is it better if a charity doesn’t benefit?
I agree with a pp that I’d much rather sponsor something like this than people who want their holidays funding where a large proportion of the sponsorship money doesn’t even go to the charity! But if this kind of sponsorship isn’t your thing or sponsorship in general then no-one is obliged to donate!

I think there is a lot of sponsorship fatigue and tbh most of the people I have experienced asking for sponsorship are doing something they wanted to do anyway and then the sponsorship is an afterthought.

Just like this one.

So I agree with others. Put aside the £25 (or whatever it happens to be) a week and donate a nice fat lump sum to charity at the end of the year, rather than bugging your friends and family to do it for you.

I don’t think I would sponsor this. I do know someone who made a sort of bet with himself that he could go a year without drinking. He asked his partner, friends and family to ‘police’ his commitment to go for a year without drinking or he would give £1000 to charity.
It’s not absolutely verifiable but he was a social drinker, not given to sneaking drinks in the under-stairs cupboard and it meant that friends and family didn’t try to sabotage him or talk him into a drink at all. He only drinks very occasionally now.

Perhaps some people donate more when the participant is making a physical effort. I donate more when it's not a trip-of-a-lifetime.

ultimately when you raise money is to try to get as much as possible, and the majority give more when there's something involved.
You might be amused, but you are smurking and mocking people who take a lot of time and effort to try to raise money, that's what I am replying to. If you personally prefer sponsoring someone who is saving money and dieting by giving up alcohol for a few days, that's your choice, no need to look down at people who are more involved than that.

I hope you don't mind me asking whether you think you have problem with drinking. This sounds like something I would have tried in an attempt to stop although I don't think it would have worked which would have left me feeling worse. There are other ways to be accountable. I am just coming up to 2 years alcohol free and it has completely changed my life. Personally I'd never been able to stop at 1 drink but that's just me.

Most people wouldn't raise nearly as much. Training cost next to nothing, mainly your time, and travel and registration fees don't add to that much when you compare with the hundreds, or even thousands you can raise, especially when you work for a company that matches the donations.

P.S: hah! And how little do you think climbing a mountain, (inc equipment) + aeroplane flights to get there costs?

This is exactly my point. If you only raise hundreds, you've raised less than you spent.

Yes, just don't drink.

It's a stupid thing to get sponsored for.

If someone drinks so much that people would see it as a challenge for you then there's a problem to be tackled IMHO.