What's happening with the MN Christmas Appeal this year?

[ThomasRichard]

I know last year there was some sort of consultation thread - what was the outcome and how does it affect plans for this year?

Yes, that's the greater concern IMO - that anyone pretending to be well-meaning can offer to donate, get given an address and do whatever they wish with it.

I used to donate every year in the past but last year made a donation to my local women's refuge and will do the same again.

Maybe the thing to do would be to let it run as normal - with perhaps the addition of some sort of charity option such as Women's Aid (I haven't thought that through) - and see how it went?

Jeffreygate might (understandably) have an impact but I'm not sensing that site-wide, all posters are now as exercised about that as MNHQ and people on this board.

I sense that a charity option or two would be welcomed by many in the community but as I said, I haven't thought through how that could work - other than stimulating and reminding people.

I think that there needs to be a time-people-have-been-posting-for limit to send since most people don't want Swatting as a Xmas present.

I'd rather have a charity thing this year though.

I'm brave, and broke so y'all feel free to nominate me And as I'll probably be at work on Christmas day anyway this year I don't even mind Swatting as a pressie. Though would be gutted to miss my neighbours faces!

I'll happily donate.

I don't really understand why people want mumsnet to organise a charity giving event - surely if you want to donate to women's aid, donate to women's aid?

True noeuf

But it can sometimes be easier (at a busy time of year) to donate via a third party. No need to google and find charity details etc. Plus, if it's on the MN site, then it's likely to jog memories to do it

I think it's more that MN do an appeal every year. Loads of people have reregged since the hacking so backgrounds can't be checked. People are far warier about trusting MNHQ with their personal info/ having their personal info given out to another person. There have been problems with the appeal in the past. MN organising some sort of charity recipients instead could mean that the appeal isn't a complete flop/isn't cancelled.

Yes, because then there would still be a collective sense of giving by MNers, which might nudge more people into donating than they would of their own accord.

I nominated somebody who is a regular member, I did so twice. I've got no idea if they ever received a gift because no thank you was posted. I assume they didn't :(

MN could work with a charity to give a little Christmas parcel to refugee children this year? A bit like the Samaritan's purse thing that schools often get involved with?

Witch. If you've nominated someone, MNHQ doesn't give you their Christmas code number.

A recipient gets a code number a bit like XmasMN1234. The person that sends the gift gets a corresponding code number a bit like SecretSanta1234. Neither the recipient nor the gift giver has any idea what each of their respective MN NNs are - unless they choose to post in their own names.

As a nominator, you aren't given that information at all. It's more than likely that the people you nominated did acknowledge their gift on the thread/s but you wouldn't know the recipient's code number, nor their gift-giver's number.

Thanks, FruSirkaOla. You posted what I was going to say. (Except rather better. )

I have nominated, donated and been nominated and received. Sometimes I've been able to post thank you but last year it didn't work at all! But I would be sad to see it go as it started as a spontaneous outpouring of love for those much worse off ( in all sorts of ways not just money) than oneself and a way of spreading kindness. I hope it continues - I don't see how with the huge new MNHQ focus on security they couldn't think up clever ways to make it secure still. I hope to donate this year. I've had a bloody awful 3 years but MN has very often kept me going ( along with a different , condition specific Forum) and I want to say thank you. MN is all about Miney these days to keep itself going but there are still humans in here trying to make the world a better place. I wonder if alongside it we could have donations to a couple of charities nominated as MN charities if the year eg Women's Aid, save the children etc etc but please, let's keep giving

Thank you Simurgh

I understand the concerns about data etc...

However, surely MN Secret Santa is one of the nicest things about MN (ignoring the moans last year)? If we dump it then Jeffery has won?

What other free-to-use community site matches members to support each other?

I think we need to trust MN that if they think it is safe enough, they'll do it again.

I like MN Secret Santa as it reaches indivduals in a way chairites might not. I am pro-charity, I just personally think MN Secret Santa is ok as it is.

We won't know if its safe til its done. Then it may be too late.
It causes aggro every year, hacking aside.

I was nominated last year. I received a message from Mumsnet about a week after Christmas saying op had contacted them to say the gift was on its way, nothing arrived and I didn't mind, was grateful just to be nominated but it did make me a bit nervy someone had taken my details.

Last year there was noticeably less snarking though. So much less that I did wonder if MNHQ were moderating the thread very closely.

I hope it continues too. It would be a sad day if inadequate and ignorant people who hate women on the internet managed to halt something so positive.

I don't recall anything whingy last year. Yes, there were people worried about whether the postal/delivery systems had lived up to their promises, but no complaining about the gifts themselves.

It was the year before, or even before that, when there were a couple of quite bizarre posts.

I agree with Margo : "I like MN Secret Santa as it reaches indivduals in a way chairites might not. I am pro-charity, I just personally think MN Secret Santa is ok as it is."