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.

Yep, so inappropriate. If it's genuinely about raising money for the charity, they'd raise a lot more donating the money they would spend on their next holiday, their salary for a week or their tax refund. They could also use the time that would be spent training or travelling to work overtime or taking on extra work/extra clients, then donating all that money. Oh right, that would be boring.

I tend to ignore these request too. I usually give something to the local food bank or a homeless person each month as I can be assured my money is actually going to go towards feeding or helping someone. I also gave to DEC during the Ukrainian crisis and the local hospital where a relative died, but I don't do adventure or challenge donations. They just seem a bit dubious to me. There's a lot of cost involved that could be given directly to the cause. Why do teenagers need to teach or build schools? Donate the money and pay someone local to do it. I expect they know more about teaching or building than a privileged 18 year old.

I used to do a sponsored silence with my children for an hour on Friday night so that I could sit with a glass of wine and unwind from the week. I would then pay them for the silence and they had money for the weekend. Win-win.

A guy i used to work with did a good take on this. He did a long distance cycle with his son in the UK, they organised and paid for everything, asked for sponsorship to be paid only if they completed it as it would stop them giving up on a rainy day and going home, and would help a good cause. He was very low key about it too - just one email. He raised lots.

I was happy to donate but would never donate to a charity adventure trip - not paying for somone's holiday.

@HollowTalk

I used to do a sponsored silence with my children for an hour on Friday night so that I could sit with a glass of wine and unwind from the week. I would then pay them for the silence and they had money for the weekend. Win-win.

nicking this omg

@HollowTalk

I used to do a sponsored silence with my children for an hour on Friday night so that I could sit with a glass of wine and unwind from the week. I would then pay them for the silence and they had money for the weekend. Win-win.

You are a genius! Definitely doing this.

Yep pisses me off too, I work in a large organisation and soooo many people are asking for sponsors, one guy who is lovely but him and his wife both high earners, was on a jolly cycling over in a different country, sponsorship started at £30 ... I deleted the email!

This reminds me of the "best" charity request. I was in touch with colleagues from a company I'd worked at 20 years previously, we were organising a reunion. One of the Directors (loaded, huge Surrey mansion etc) emailed me directly to say his adult daughter had recently died from a rare disease and would I donate to a particular charity that had helped her.

1. I hadn't seen the bloke in 20 years
2. This wasn't even a "sponsor" it was a simple "give me your money"
3. He gave me a full personal guilt trip
4. He's loaded, I'm not, I was the bloody secretary!

I didn't donate, I didn't go to the reunion.

I had a comfortably well off senior management ex colleagues who asked for sponsorship for her surprisingly short great wall of China walk. The idea being the sponsorship money both partially funded the trip and raised money for a childrens charity. I kept quiet, but got so fed up with repeated requests for donantions and her not getting the hint I eventually had to tell her I wasnt funding her trip of a lifetime disguised as helping children.

It really didnt go down well, but backfired on her when she moaned about me not "helping the children" and others suddenly clicked what they were "sponsoring".

I feel the same about the celebrity end of fund raising. They are rich but only have to donate their time or "something" which given away will not adversely affect them. Us minions have to give cash.

Yabu and yanbu. It's all circumstances, innit?

So, rich boss pays all costs and minimum sponsorship themself then asks others to sponsor, not so much of an issue as if rich boss chips in £50 and expects a bunch of people on lower wages to pay for their holiday.

Other circs might be if a business offers matched funding to e.g. £1500. Boss is at max (and may well be well over if they've paid costs of the trip as per above) but a small donation from someone who's never going to get to the £1500 can be more than doubled by gift aid and corporate matching.

However, in general I bloody hate people asking me to pay for their hobbies and holidays and i never ever ask when school stuff needs sponsorship. I'll happily donate what I can afford to causes I think are worthwhile, and think it best to allow others to do the same.

I don't have a big income. In fact I am probably poor by todays standards. I hate that I can't even enjoy a simple pleasure like watching TV without being bombarded by begging charity ads. I am content and don't receive any benefits
I have not a penny to spare.
I don't need charities rubbing it in.

I totally agree. I've been involved in a number of charity sporting events and I've always paid the sponsoring money myself. I'm pleased to donate but frankly, my main reason to compete is for my own selfish reasons.

I've been asked why I don't ask for donations and friends and family saying they'd be happy to pay but I don't agree with it.

If I one day become totally committed to a specific charity and take on an event that is a significant challenge that requires many months of training above what I do now, I might consider it but otherwise, I'll continue to fund it all myself.

@Littlescottiedog

We walked some of the south west coast path and met a woman who was walking the whole thing for charity. We just thought, by the time she'd paid for all the b&bs and food and the journey down and back, she might as well have donated that money and not gone!

I knew somebody who did something similar and deducted her "costs" from the donations. She told me she was donating her time and effort. She then wrote an online blogg of her " Pilgrimage".