MNHQ calling: Giving Week (our recent match-funding drive) - your thoughts please!

[KateHMumsnet]

Afternoon folks,

As you may remember, back in June we hosted our first ever Mumsnet Giving Week to shine a light on some brilliant causes nominated by Mumsnetters. Thanks to you, we were able to raise £11,302.43, which when we matched, rose to a whopping £22,604.86!

Woolly Hugs, Women’s Aid, Haven House, the PDA Society and Free Cakes for Kids are all overcome with warm-fuzzy feelings, as are we. This will make such a difference to all the people out there supported by these incredible charities and causes, and we hope will have a really positive impact on what they can achieve this year, so hats off to all of you!

We’ll be back with an update from the charities later in the year, so that you can hear firsthand from them about how your donations have made a difference. But in the meantime, we wanted to to ask you what you thought of our first ever Giving Week.

What do you think worked well, and what didn’t?
What compelled you to give, if you donated?
If you didn’t get involved in nominating or donating, was there anything in particular that stopped you?
What would you like to see as part of future giving weeks?

Giving back to the organisations who support Mumsnetters is important to us, and we’d like to make this a more regular feature so all feedback very welcome.

MNHQ

Purple, I love attic24. I have that permanently open on my tabs. I do find crocheting easier than knitting.

Well, none of you seem to want to answer the OP so I'll leave you to get irate if that's what pleases you ...

Piste... that is lovely and horrible in equal measure. I loathe slugs... but it is very, very clever. You even have the vile little 'frilly' bits running along the underside...

Oh I feel sad for the woolly slug! Surely no one can love a slug, even a woolly one [sad .

And I like the wooly slug Has anyone knitted a wooly thug?

I'd like one.

i crocheted a Nac Mac Feegle once does that count Cate?

Beer :o

I was about to write a ranty post in defence of wooly hugs but your post has me in stitches (geeeeeeeeeddit?!).

Sums up perfectly how odd that blanket bashing post was.

On a positive note, I had no idea I could donate to WH and shall be doing so soon.

BeerTricksPotter... I don't know Higgle but I can understand what she meant by her post. It was misplaced and wrong but for her, I'm guessing that it was a bugbear and her concern for dignity for the elderly took over. I don't think that people here set out to hurt others although clumsiness can do that just as effectively as a concerted effort can.

But for Higgle, I possibly wouldn't have gone on to Woolly Hugs today and discovered that my complete ineptitude for all things woollen doesn't hamper me in the slightest from contributing to what is a wonderful and very special project.

I leave you with Oprah. :)

KateMN. I promise I'm coming back tomorrow with sensible comments.

x-posted with several and realise that my post is oddly 'out of step'.

I blame it on that slug...

Eeek...

I do see that, Beer and I'm not defending what she said; there is no defence. I too hope that she comes back to explain and 'make good' with a genuine apology. I can't imagine that anybody would despise Woolly Hugs, even if somebody doesn't see the point/need or want to support it. There are too many dissenters on MN by far and it wouldn't cost them anything to at least keep quiet if they don't want to offer support.

Ive been cooking a very late supper for my family. I havent name changed since Ive been on here and wont be starting now! Im sorry but I cant see how a knitted balnket can mean that much to anyone, just me I suppose, and in the care sector they do have negative connotations in some contexts ( had to have a scene in a promotional video for one charity edited to remove a scene that showed one of the crochet square ones as it reflected badly on the home in question.) If you give someone something it should be a thing of their chosing. We all have limited resources and when there are children dying in South Sudan giving money for knitted blankets seems an odd priority. I was also quite shocked about the cake people asking for money for a meeting. The charity I work for doent pay trustees and volunteers any expenses for this sort of thing and the staff work overtime for free. The charity I am chair of provides grants for mobility equipment and house conversions etc. ( and runs a care service accreditation scheme for those in certain dietary minorities)for older peole who can't get funding any other way, we don't spend much on getting together either.

My views are not always popular but they are genuinely held, and when invited to give them I do. The answer to the original question was that I didn't consider giving at all because I didn't see the appeal, despite being on here every day for the last 10 years or so. If I had seen I might have given to the hospice but the cakes and blankets would have put me off the appeal in general terms. I did look through the original suggestions for charities and tehre were many related to serious and life limiting medical conditions which I think have more merit.

I think it is quite clear from Higgles post that she does not understand what a MN wooly hug blanket is. She has experience of different blankets, given in a different context, and assume they are the same.

How very unpleasant.

Well bully for her.

I think Higgle that the reason why the woolly hug means something is not that it is a blanket, but that it is a community effort from MN, donated yarn and knitted/crocheted blankets for somebody that has sought friendship and support from Mumsnet.

Her ignorance is not an excuse - plenty of posters have explained on this very thread, if she could not be bothered to find out a bit more about WH.

Why are you explaining again QS. She's not listening!