Children In Need and BBC Radio 2 bidding

[Gweipo]

I usually listen to Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2 but end up turning it off a few hours into the constant CIN plugging.

From what I have heard they have a lot of things to bid on e.g. Michael Buble concert, Spice Girls concert, fancy Rick Stein lunches. I have heard these in previous years so know they reach a high amount. For example the Michael Buble concert reached 11K I believe.

So, is it the case that these CIN "goodies" are just for rich people? I said to my DH that someone rich could basically sort out their social calendar in a couple of phone calls. I'm sure companies buy them and do something with them as well but it seems really unfair to me that Joe Public are not able to bid on these special prizes.

Foe example. The Michale Buble concert reached 11K. A bid from one person. The other bids dropped by the waste side. Why not have a phone in, say the cost of a call and an extra £1-2. Why wouldn't that exceed 11K and everyone is included? It is fair.

Its OK for Joe Public to make up the majority of the millions of ££££££ CIN donations, but they can't bid for the goodies. How is that fair?

This is actually the reason why I am not donating to CIN. I'll donate to a cause, but not through them. AIBU in the above?

Um, it's about raising the maximum amount of money for a charity. Of course your average Joe/Jo isn't going to be able to afford these things. If you don't like it, fair enough. But it's an auction, not a raffle.

UANBU. I remember the days when a competition meant sending in a postcard and watching presenters picking out the winners from the bundle. Now everything is about likes or shares so how popular you are really.

Obviously they want to raise money for CIN but a donation then a draw for the big things like that could still do that.

Aren't CIN hoarding money or something? I've stopped donating to them. I'd rather give to ground-level charities.

Should all expensive things be banned because not everyone can afford? What a ridiculous idea.

Also, it’s fall by the way side, not “waste” side.

Oh gosh this makes me cringe every year. Why they can’t have a raffle too is beyond me.

It’s worse when those events happen and they have the winner bidders in the studio. It’s so uncomfortable to listen to

What if someone can’t afford to enter the raffle? What if the costs of running a nationwide raffle are prohibitively expensive and as a result there is less net benefit to charity?

But unless they made it so someone could only buy one ticket, you could still get more wealthy people spending £11k to give themselves the best chance of winning so it's never going to be giving everyone the same chance!

It’s not about what’s fair to you, it’s about raising the most possible money for charity. They wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work. People wouldn’t phone in multiple times for multiple prizes, so the rate of return would be much lower if it were just a raffle.

I agree that the auction is exclusionary and sometimes even a bit tacky, but it’s not about me. It’s about the projects that are funded by these huge donations.

There are other prize draws you can enter for a much more reasonable fee if you like.

I agree, the concept only applies to a small fraction of people to the point the vast majority have zero interest/engagement with it. They’d be better off doing a raffle and the shares/likes that goes with it can be far wider reaching.

OK, see your point but I am not concerned about myself. I do not want to see Michael Buble, The Spice Girls nor have lunch with Rick Stein. I just think it is really sad to be a massive Spice Girls fan and not be able to have the opportunity to enter. It is exclusionary.

Let's say someone bids 50K to get the Spice Girls package. Do you really not think that a phone in with a premium on top would generate more money than that, even with costs taken off?

Let's say someone bids 50K to get the Spice Girls package. Do you really not think that a phone in with a premium on top would generate more money than that, even with costs taken off?

Possibly not. Or people will make repeatedly expensive phone calls to try and improve their chances. Maybe people who really shouldn't be running up stupid phone bills.

Surely if you're a massive Spice Girls fan, you already bought a ticket for the sad old mares pension fund and far less than what you'd pay at this auction?

YABU- they raffled the Springsteen event for a tenner.

Didn't join as passport had expired!

I wouldn't pay 10p to see Buble zzzzzz

So how come it pays off for e.g. Ant and Dec to have a package worth 80K to give to a lucky person who phones, texts or sends a postcard. Usually in this there is a large cash amount that no one can have donated to get the PR.

I think it is great they raise so much but I turn it off to.

It just seems so wrong that some people have so much cash to fritter whilst others struggle so much. And I’m not struggling BTW, just normal

Apart from the above...

They also have the £10 draw to see Springsteen in New York, all expenses paid, for 2 people. Why not mention that?

And the O2 prize also had seats/standing tickets for about £40 for 2 people. Why not mention that?

There is always a £10 raffle for something pretty bloody extravagant, specifically to balance out the other highest bidder stuff. They do spend quite a lot of time thinking about how to make sure everyone can take part and have the chance to go to something pretty amazing.

If you object to people who have lot of spare cash donating to charity, then that's down to you!

If you object to the performers who give their time for free to make an event worth seeing and paying for, again, that's on you.

As for a bloody raffle, that's what the local events are for! Again, they have spent years refining the process to give as many people as possible the chance to do something, buy something, enter something. That is the secondary point of it, the first being to raise as much cash as possible.

@Gweipo Sigh. Ant & Dec is on ITV, which is a commercial broadcaster. Which charges for advertising. Their show is a huge ratings winner, so they can charge huge sums to companies for screening adverts during the commercial breaks of that show. THAT'S where the money comes from far more than the phone calls.

I think it's really crass. And I think if you're rich enough to be able to blow £11k on a Bubble concert it's a bit shameful that you need to be getting something in return for making a donation to charity.

This is one of the many reasons I stopped listening to Chris Evan. The focus feels like it's on fun jollies for rich people not the children who need. I'm sure they could raise as much with wider participation instead of a small number of people being able to buy being the winner.

I agree with you OP. I just turn it off now. Definitely only for rich people

It's not the big bucks auction that bothers me, it's a brilliant way to raise loads for charity. It's Chris Evans and his lack of self-awareness in squawking on about these vast sums of money. He's like a pig in shit whenever he's surrounded by fame and/or fortune. A bit of humility would make it far more exciting to listen to.

This is a very 21st century approach, op - because not everyone can have something, you think that should mean no-one can.

Charity auctions are an established part of large fundraising strategies. It's one element amongst any. I can't afford to participate myself, in the same way I can't afford to go on holiday - but does that mean that no one should have the opportunity?

Plus, if this is a regular "thing", I suspect fans know this - do you know that no superfans hoard their money for years, or pool their funds to participate and draw lots for who goes? And presumably the stars involved also do fan events that are decided by draw or whatever. I think YAB completely U on this one.

I agree YANBU. It's sickening. And a turn off. Literally.
It's just for other people, completely out of my reach, and alienating.
I'll still donate my fiver to Pudsey through my DCs fundraising because it's a good cause- but it's not a great radio programme to hear about rich people competing for things you haven't got a cat in hell's chance at.

How is it unfair?

If you can afford to donate a tenner, donate a tenner. If someone can donate 11k, and they can be induced to do so, that's great for the charity.

It just seems so wrong that some people have so much cash to fritter whilst others struggle so much

I find that an odd thing to say when these people are giving the money to charity! They could easily buy face value tickets if they wanted, but instead are prepared to give away a large chunk of money to support a cause.

Generally (to OP and others, not just at the poster I quoted above) the whole point of this is to raise as much money as possible - its not meant to be a fair competition for all entrants! The benefit is for the charity not the people entering.

Think of it as a donation as opposed to a competition. I agree it's boring to listen to though.

And also, if you are going down the route of something being unfair, surely you'd be more put out if a wealthy person paid just a pound to get an entry to a raffle and then won a massive prize, when actually they could have afforded to donate way more?

This is a very 21st century approach, op - because not everyone can have something, you think that should mean no-one can.

OP isn't saying 'no-one' can have the prize. She's suggesting that the chance to win the prize could be offered more equitably for everyone taking part. So the winner can have the prize in just the same way; the process of deciding who gets it would be different, that's all.

But life is unfair at times. And this isn't the biggest inequality I'm going to worry about. Serious worry is why there's children in need of this money to support the various charities involved ..... while other thread I guess.

So surely if it was just a £2 entry raffle, wouldn't there be folks berating those millionaires who are only donating £2? They can afford much more?!

I'm doing a sponsored event in a couple of weeks time ..... I've just had someone donate £50 to my cause ...... should I refuse it because most folk could only afford to give me £5?

And the purpose of a big fundraiser like CIN is to raise lots of money. The purpose isn't to go to Bruce Springsteen in New York or play in a golf pro-am. That's a by-product.