If you're really rich, give to charity yourself, don't get sponsored by poorer people

[TurnOffTheHeating]

I'm sure this has been said before (probably done to death). But this properly boils my piss. Yet again, someone stinking rich (and senior) has asked the rest of the team at work to sponsor them to do something they probably want to do anyway (a half marathon) for charity. "Generously" starts off the online sponsorship form with 50 quid from themselves. "Dig deep", they ask, "It's for a good cause". Just before they disappear off to the Caribbean for an Easter break.

I'm not suggesting that poorer people don't or won't be wanting to give to charity. But in their boss's name, glorifying their exercise regime?

I mean, just f* off.

YANBU. I did laugh at how scarily accurate this is 😂.

The London marathon charity places usually comes with a minimum donation amount of several thousand. Half marathons don't. I had a more senior colleague who did London Marathon and I was happy to oblige as the chances of a free entry are slim to none (and he was both lovely and doing it for cancer research after his son died from cancer). I was less forgiving when a boss asked us to sponsor him to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. I had paid £4K for the privilege just a few months earlier and didn't see why I should fund his holiday.

I’m doing a charity event, I’ve paid to enter & have let people know how they can sponsor me. But I won’t be chasing or harassing. I also accept that many people won’t sponsor me & not get offended.

I never sponsor anybody to do anything. When DC have to sell raffle tickets for school, I buy them myself. I just think it's poor taste to ask people for money when it's not something they have chosen. And you never really know someone's finances- that £5 might mean they can't buy something they need. I'm not stingy either, I give a lot to charities that I choose.

There is a boy in our small village who is selling a handmade items to raise funds for his school in a "business challenge". He advertised in the village newsletter and posters up everywhere, saying it's to raise funds for "a local school". This boy attends a fee paying school 20 miles away. I bet loads of unknowing people in the village have bought his item thinking it was helping the village school.

I only sponsor children. There's something very cringe inducing about adults doing it and it seems wrong. I donate plenty to charity but I like to do it anonymously.

I remember a partner in the law firm I trained at asking everyone (who worked for him) to sponsor his trip up a fucking mountain. The profit per partner that year (so his salary in effect) was just over £2 million. I really thought that was insane. Like bothering the secretaries to pay for his holiday. I’ve never forgotten it, what a cock.

I've sought sponsored for a few sporting events, always things that were a real stretch for me at the time and for which I'd paid my own expenses so all the sponsorship went to the charity. I sponsor lots of people myself if what they're doing is genuinely challenging for them (there are people I'd sponsor to do a parkrun and people I'd just laugh at if they asked for sponsorship to do an Ironman) and I'm happy to support the charity. Parachute jumps, exotic treks and voluntourism can get in the bin.

My well off SiL plagued me and DH to sponsor her and her entire family to do one of those mud obstacle races. I eventually gave a tiny amount begrudgingly. If the charity had mattered to them, they could have saved about £500 of entry fees and ruined clothing and donated it themselves.

I kind of agree, if people want to do something that is essentially a holiday or trip for them then I don't think they should ask for sponsorship.

But as a PP says, things like the London marathon are nigh on impossible to get into unless you opt for a charity place and even the smaller charities have a minimum donation of £1000, some are triple that and not everyone can afford that.

When I did the London marathon I did it for a charity that's personally specially to me and while I did let people know that they could sponsor me if they wished, I didn't chase people and I was fully prepared to make up the difference myself. As it was I ended up making a lot more than the minimum donation, so if I'd simply paid that myself without people sponsoring me then in essence the charity would've lost out.

I ended up also signing up for one of their Edinburgh marathon places but I did pay the minimum donation myself for that.

Sometimes people enter events not planning to get sponsorship, but then people start asking "ooh are you doing it for charity? I'd sponsor you!" and it goes from there.

I do agree with those of you saying "not all sponsorship is the same". If this were reversed, and one of the most junior staff (paid very little) wanted to do something for a specific charity and took their sponsorship form round the managers - great! Go for it. But that never seems to be the way.
And if your friends ASK to give something to a charity in the name of your run - fine. What kind of a*hole would object to that (not even me)?!
But it''s not ALL about how much money someone has. There's also something very patronising about the implication that if not asked to sponsor someone, people won't think to donate themselves. Or that they can't choose their own causes without someone running up and down a hill and posting it to Insta.

There really is something particularly unappealing about the very rich extorting money from those who have less (and choosing their causes for them), when they could easily stump up WAY more for the chosen cause themselves. If you can afford to do this quietly yourself, why wouldn't you?

I laugh at these people.
I won't sponsor my kids for school stuff

@FairyCakeWings

It's no better when poor people do it tbh. If you want to donate to a charity, use your own money or volunteer your own time. Same if you want to do some fancy activity, pay for it yourself instead of jumping on a charity bandwagon and pressuring other people into paying for it for you.

was going to say the same thing

I see what you're saying, @godmum56 and @FairyCakeWings... but let's say if someone without much cash really wants to raise some money for something close to their heart (a local hospice which has treated a relative, say), so asks local business leaders to donate if they do a run/walk/whatever... isn't that a bit different? I mean, if they're a millionaire, they can donate thousands to the hospice. If not, it seems kind of OK if they ask their rich bosses to contribute(?)

Totally agree.

We have a local v successful business person (they are CEO of a large chain if nurseries who is climbing a large mountain as a good deed for a local charity

to be honest while i can get why people like to do these things I just wish these people would donate a large sum as a personal or corporate donation or offer to match funds donated. In this case it seems to be on the local facebook site daily etc also i do wonder if the minimum wage staff employed at the nursery are pressured into sponsorship.

Sure the individual involved is lovely and perhaps its well intentioned bit It just comes across as an ego trip. And perhaps a bit tight fisted of a multi millionaire expecting others far less well off to be delighted to sponsor them.

I love doing charity events such as walks but never ask for sponsorship. DH and I are fortunate enough to have an annual four figure charitable giving budget so it comes out of that.

I will occasionally sponsor someone if asked but certainly not teenagers playing the white saviour game.

Yanbu OP.

@Fridafever

I remember a partner in the law firm I trained at asking everyone (who worked for him) to sponsor his trip up a fucking mountain. The profit per partner that year (so his salary in effect) was just over £2 million. I really thought that was insane. Like bothering the secretaries to pay for his holiday. I’ve never forgotten it, what a cock.

I wonder if we worked at the same place 🤣 the boss was who was asking for sponsorship to climb mt Kilimanjaro was a partner in a law firm. Comfortably earning a 6 figure salary but asking the trainee who'd paid to go on holiday to Kilimanjaro to sponsor his own trip.

I go with, "Afraid my charity budget is all accounted for atm, too skint to stretch it further." which is the truth.

Oh god maybe Flobot! It was a US firm and about 12 years ago.

@youkiddingme

I go with, "Afraid my charity budget is all accounted for atm, too skint to stretch it further." which is the truth.

I say- My accountant advises me on my charitable giving annually to ensure I maximise the tax efficiency of my donations.

I thought this might be about a fairly popular YouTuber who is currently raising money for a charity - no sponsorship event though just asking for donations for a specific charity. It is starting to grate seeing pictures of her second holiday this year interspersed with we are so close to £7,000 can someone donate £100 to get us there. I am going to have to unfollow.

@Fridafever

Oh god maybe Flobot! It was a US firm and about 12 years ago.

Dentons for me and about 7 years ago. May have been the same person though 🤣

I was a bit po-faced when I found out that the teens packing bags to raise money in the supermarket were doing it to fund the most expensive school in the city's sports tour to China. Kept my money in my pocket that day.

Ha maybe! Unfortunately I think there may be more than one utter cock knocking around city law firms

I had this at work a couple of years ago

The big main boss owns our store (and 27 others,between them she has over 3,000 people working at them)

Her hubby is a millionaire too

Between them they are worth a lot of money-she’s about 17-25 million and I don’t know what figures he is but I’ve heard the rumours

Anyway they wanted to do a charity bike ride somewhere abroad and demanded that everyone sponsor them-complete with a list

These lists had names on them and the amount people donated-names got ticked off

I’d been there ten days,on a minimum wage job-I hadn’t even had my first wage packet at this point

They expected at least £20 per person

I wasn’t hugely popular when I said ‘nope,not happening’

I was told that ‘she pays your wages’ to which I answered ‘yes,and I work for it’
‘but it’s for charity’
‘yes and my kids don’t get fed if I donate’
‘She’s raising money for charity’
‘Still not paying’

On and on this went but I refused to cave

Not a chance am I paying for some rich woman to have a holiday!