UKC

Charity sponsorship and responsibility

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 French Erick 03 Sep 2019

https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/haute-savoie/c...

The cause may be a good one. However what happens when it doesn’t go well?

In effect, the guy left a 30kg piece of litter up there. And he probably hasn’t got the window of opportunity to go pick it up.

There is but one positive to the story, he didn’t die doing this. 

There has been a few threads on here with people telling how  untidy a place was after an event, or how poorly equipped participants were.

Why don’t we just give money? Why have we become so immune to giving that it necessarily needs to be showy for someone to get some cash? Do charities have a responsibility to ensure the proposed actions are realistic, ethical and responsible at individual level?

 I am a bit baffled

OP French Erick 03 Sep 2019
In reply to French Erick:

To be fair to the guy, I don’t think he planned to leave it up there and he attempted to get the thing down. But he overstretched himself.

In reply to French Erick:

That's true, but this was a challenge the  whole point was it was a hard thing to do and therefore failure should have been planned for and thoughts to what failure meant (I.e reasonably heavy unwieldy thing left in mountains).

Recovering from  Ben N or Snowdon is relatively easy and therefore I have no real issues over his attempting that. This was a different matter and i hope they already had something planned to recover it quickly if he failed.... I wait to see

Post edited at 07:37
 girlymonkey 03 Sep 2019
In reply to French Erick:

Yeah, I find the whole sponsorship idea a funny one. Why don't we just say that we support what that charity does and give some money? I actually quite like the current Facebook trend for people to ask for donations to a charity for their birthday. Nothing wrong with highlighting charities and asking people if they would be willing to donate to them, just find it odd that people seem to have to do something for us to donate!

 summo 03 Sep 2019
In reply to French Erick:

All those who sponsored and encouraged him can share the costs of the helicopter collecting it. 

1
 Dark-Cloud 03 Sep 2019
In reply to French Erick:

In fairness to the guy looking at his Facebook page the machine was left inside the refuge and he's stating he has every intention to go and pick it up in September (if he's allowed)

Still a bit of a daft thing to do though.

 subtle 03 Sep 2019
In reply to French Erick:

Like you I find it odd that people feel the need to do "a challenge" to raise money for sponsorship; I also find it mildly amusing when people ask me to donate to their challenge and I refuse - people just don't get it.

I have a direct debit, every month, to my two charities, have done this for years, if I want to donate to another charity I will, on occasion, just not every time someone asks me to

This year at work I was, once again, asked to participate in a fundraising challenge, this years challenge was to climb a well known local hill - the same one I have summited three times already this year, with my wife and kids on one occasion - I said I would go but would not be asking people for sponsorship for this challenge as it wasn't really a challenge - people said I was being selfish and the challenge didn't matter it was more about the raising money for the charity  - I went, didn't actively seek sponsorship but due to word of mouth some work  associates contributed to the work's web based "justgiving" page on my behalf so in essence I did raise money through carrying out a "challenge" and all were happy

With regards to the rower I hope he does go back and get it; carrying it up would have been some feat, the actual rowing when up there is a bit meh, carrying it back down again would be the correct things to do 

 Dax H 03 Sep 2019
In reply to subtle:

> Like you I find it odd that people feel the need to do "a challenge" to raise money for sponsorship; I also find it mildly amusing when people ask me to donate to their challenge and I refuse - people just don't get it.

Typically when there is a challenge involved more people donate. Last year I did a total warrior race, a massive challenge for me at 46, 19 stone with a damaged back, hip and feet. I did it because I wanted to as I used to love things like that before I got broken and fat. I set up a just giving page after booking it when I realised I could get a few quid in for the Air Ambulance. 

Nempnett Thrubwell 03 Sep 2019
In reply to French Erick:

I've always wondered if there would be any backlash to the following scenario.

- Declare you are going to do some extreme event.

-Use the extremity of the event to gather lots and lots of sponsorship - say 10 grand.

-Then state that instead of spending 5 grand on equipment logistics to do the extreme event you will instead donate 15 grand to the charity and sit on the sofa for 24 hours.

-Would the sponsors demand their money back because you didn't nearly die doing the event 6 timezones away?

Extreme events do generate more sponsorship  - but a lot of the time I do feel like it is just subsidising a holiday - especially if any of the sponsorship is funding any of the trip.

People should be very upfront as to whether 100% of the donation is going to charity - or just whatever Is left after equipment upgrades...…….

 summo 03 Sep 2019
In reply to subtle:

Would agree, many peoples idea of a challenge is less than our grand parents did going to work and back. 

I've a relative who is under 40, nothing wrong with them physically or mentally and they were asking to be sponsored for a 5km run (Walk). I dodged the topic, whilst biting my tongue.

 Flinticus 03 Sep 2019
In reply to girlymonkey:

> Yeah, I find the whole sponsorship idea a funny one. Why don't we just say that we support what that charity does and give some money?

I agree: I only ever give sponsorship out of social obligation, e.g. if it's my young niece or nephew doing something or close colleague at work. Between my wife and I, we have a fair few monthly donations (as well as ad-hoc donations) , so I don't feel the need to donate elsewhere.

 gethin_allen 03 Sep 2019
In reply to Nempnett Thrubwell:

This study on charity skydiving is a good example of where people should be sponsored not to do something https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10476298

OP French Erick 03 Sep 2019
In reply to gethin_allen:

Wow... pretty damning report !!!

 Flinticus 04 Sep 2019
In reply to gethin_allen:

Great stat: The amount raised per person for charity was 30 Pounds. Each pound raised for charity cost the NHS 13.75 Pounds in return.

£30? That's not even worth the effort. Just donate.

 wintertree 04 Sep 2019
In reply to gethin_allen:

Great link.  

To me it questions how an organisation can be allowed to retain charitable status when one of its income streams is subsidised 1375% by the state without the agreement of the state.  

Yet another piece of evidence in my mental box that makes me think serious restrictions need to be put on how charities raise money - including extending requirements out to “independent fundraisers” like those looking for a doubly subsidised skydive.

 Offwidth 04 Sep 2019
In reply to wintertree:

In terms of another bad sponsorship idea, the 3 Peaks in 24 hours, the cost is often hard to evaluate but still very real.

Where really bad practice occurs witnesses should write to (and where responses are inadequate, name and shame) the charities involved. It's plain disgusting when big charities ignore all the concerns of the locals backed by the conservation groups, landowners, BMC etc. There is nothing wrong with the challenge,  just the large scale organised 24 hour bit which leads to dangerous driving, a complete disrespect for locals, crowds of people at night, littering, etc. Please don't arrive in Wasdale, loudly, and disrepectfully in a large group in the middle of the night.

I'd advise copying these links to anyone who asks to be sponsored.

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/three-peaks-challenge

http://www.threepeakspartnership.co.uk/news/

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/mountain-blogs/three-peaks-advice-bmc

If more people stood up and explained to those signed up for big charity events and wrote complaining to the charities, the 'charity world' would be a much better place for it.

mick taylor 04 Sep 2019
In reply to wintertree:

In reply to others and yourself:

charities and their income undergo more scrutiny than just about any other type of organisation.  The charity that I work for has its accounts independently examined, has to meet reporting requirements set down by both companies house and the charity commission, monitoring reports to founders and a democratically elected board of trustees who carry out their function in line with our governing document.  The absolute vast majority of charity income is raised very ethically - the sky diving stat is a red herring in my view (but I agree it’s stupid).

i am totally against challenge fund raising events, but charities are struggling to raise enough money to do their business.

mick taylor 04 Sep 2019
In reply to Nempnett Thrubwell:

That would be fraud and I would inform the police.


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