To not want to donate to somebody's Peru Trek-Inca Trail Challenge to raise money for charity?

[WendyWeber]

The fund-raising target is £3000 & I'm wondering how much does the Trek cost on top of that? I'd rather just donate directly to the charity. Am I being mean?

Donate direct

Why should you pay for someone else's jolly?

(I am Ill and Grumpy so probably not the Best Person to ask)

I'm inclined to agree. These vanity treks all seem to be a bit of a vanity project. I would rather donate directly to the charity than fund someones delayed gap year.

YANBU.

LOL turnip

wendy i think YANBU

I always feel like that, let them go trekking if they want but it's got little to do with raising money for charity. It's hardly a sacrifice on their part is it?

Anyway the Inca trail is over-trekked, it's a big environmental problem. Noone should be doing it.

Thanks for your comments - glad it's not just me who feels like that!

It's The Meningitis Trust

Participants only need to pay £299 & raise "a minimum amount" - so how much does the Trust end up with? Seems mad to me.

OTOH the person concerned actually had meningitis a few years ago - very badly, he was sedated for weeks & they thought he might go blind - which is partly why I feel mean for not contributing.

very funny turnip head

I used to sponsor a child in nepal. She would send me pictures and it warmed my heart. Later, I found out that more money was spent on he monthly brochure than on her and others like her, so I give to WaterAid and medecins sans Frontieres which have low running costs.

But think it's OK for people to want to get involved....

LOL, TH

YANBU. If you would donate anyway the doing it directly sounds best.

If you look on the website, you can usually find out how much of the money goes to the charity - normally it's about half. Unless the person has got some kind of mobility issues, there's nothing that clever about doing the inca trail - I've done it and I'm fat, was a smoker and in my late 30s when I did it.

YANBU - I'd rather give to the charity direct too

These things piss me off. The participants should fund the actual trek themselves (they maybe though, worth trekking) but I resent paying for someone else's jolly.

A mum from nursery called at my house to ask me to contribute to her fund raising walk around the great wall of china.
I gently queried why she asked me ( as I don't know her very well) . She said because I obviously could afford it .
I told her that I didn't intend to contribute as I only contribute to specific charities. ( DS2 has ASD and i focus on those). She asked if DH would take her forms to work as all this collecting was hard work.
Told her to fuck off at that point.
lazy hypocritical mare.

Have you checked the small print?

some charities make sure that participants pay for their travel and expenses and others don't

i can see why you would be cheesed off if your sponsorship money was paying for a hotel

i organise a fundraising walk every year and registration is payable by the participant (enough to cover the costs) so the sponsorship money gets to the charity

Ruby, it says:

"To take part in this awe inspiring and challenging trip you will need to pay a registration fee of £299 and raise a minimum amount of sponsorship.

In return we?ll take care of all the practical arrangements, including flights, accommodation and meals so that all you have to do is trek ? and enjoy the spectacular views, of course!"

So it sounds like just £299 from the trekker (this trip costs £1120 )

pagwatch, I hope you slapped her as well

oh blimey ... What is the registration fee for then?

i work as a fundraiser and this is the sort of thing which makes donors cross (and rightly so)

Do check - I refused to sponsor a colleague once on similar grounds, and she was very offended that I even thought she would be using any of the sponsored money to pay for her trip!

Mind you, I don't really like any sort of sponsored event. Why do I care if you want to sit in a bath of baked beans for a day? Just ask me for a donation to the charity, and if it's a good cause, I'll give. (Although I recognise that not everyone thinks my way. )

i hate these "pay for my summer holidays charities"

Oh hang on, the paid-for trek I linked to doesn't include the transatlantic flights - those average £500-800 on top so it's close to £2000 altogether. Goodness knows exactly what the £299 is - just a nominal contribution I suppose.

grrr.

but what is the minimum amount of sponsorship? it doesn't say minimal so it doesn't mean a tiny amount of sponsorship-it means they set a minimum target that you have to reach. dyswim?

for example-this breast cancer site says a 250 registration fee, then a MINIMUM sponsporship of 3000, plus the cost of the trip.

Well our friend is aiming for £3000, mmj, but I don't know if that's just the minimum or more.

this site.

the registration fee is NOT the cost of the trip thy will pay the cost on top.

That says the cost of the trip comes out of the sponsorship, mmj - which is what I'm whingeing about. If the trekker paid their own travel costs & all the sponsorship went to the charity that would be different.

Have done the Macchu Picchu trek myself (we spent 2 weeks in Bolivia and Peru) and it cost way more than £299 and was the very best holiday/experience of my life.
YANBU