GoFundMe: Ever okay?

sarahufl

themuffinman16 said:

My H's second cousin started a GFM to pay for her tuition at an Ivy League school, because prestigious schools are expensive. No shit? Lol. That's why they have community colleges, state colleges and state universities. No need to go Ivy League. If I couldn't afford to finish my schooling, there is no way in hell I am contributing towards someone who is too good for a local college. She didn't raise one dollar.

Don't get me started. I see this all the time. I work at an Ivy and it is super expensive. No doubt.

But it is also a luxury. I went to a state school so I didn't have to spend a large fortune on college or graduate school. I have had not one, but two students this year do a GFM for their $2000 deposit. I want to ask them if they can't come up with 2k, how are they coming up with the remaining $100k for tuition and living expenses?!

anjemon

I think I've only donated to one GFM or similar thing. It was for a friend's granddaughter who was sick and needed a lung transplant. Her family had to move to Texas for the operation and it was all very expensive. And I know them.

But I generally roll my eyes at most other GFMs. My friends just set one up because her cat needs surgery. And I feel bad, but I just can't. She just started a doctorate program, her husband is unemployed and they have two houses they haven't gotten around to combining into one. There are other ways to make money. So I feel like a beyotch but I don't donate.

Dreamergirl8812

flutteringinfl said:

southernbelle0915 said:

southernbelle0915 said:

hellosweetie1015 said:

climbingwife said:

I don't know. I'm so conflicted on this. I don't really think it's ever OK. I would maybe donate if it was a sick kid or something like that. But I've had three pop up in my news feed on FB in the past two weeks for: 

Medication for a cat 

Funeral arrangements for someone's father that died (he drank himself to death and had been ill for a very, very long time)

A trip to Hawaii for someone with cancer 

And there's no way I'm donating to any of those for various reasons. The one with the cat - it was a one time medication that cost only $2000. I'm sorry but you if you are an adult and have pets and you can't come up with $2000, you're doing something wrong. 

This begging for money shit just drives me crazy. I have been living on my own since I was 20. I didn't make a lot of money, and I worked my fucking ass off to get what I have. I scrimped and saved and put away what I could. I went without. I ate fucking ramen noodles and pierogies. I didn't get to buy new stuff. My furniture was all hand me downs. And if during those times, I needed $2000 to care for my dog, I would have gotten a third job or sold something. I wouldn't have been asking my friends for money. 

$2000 is "only" two months' pay for me.

Would I do a GoFundMe for my cat to get medicine? Fuck no, that's tacky as hell. And I'm legitimately not trying to start a fight. But.... your "only" is my "fuck I'm boned." 

I didn't see it as "only $2,000". I read that more as "if you're going to have pets, you should have a pet emergency fund with adequate money in it in case shit happens." Because shit happens. Especially with pets.

One of my friends got a $2,500 pure bred something or other dog. Within the first month, the dog swallowed a fish hook and needed to have surgery. He set up a GFM. Really? But even with non-designer pets, shit happens.

Yes, but that still comes across that since I can't put any money in a designated pet emergency fund, I shouldn't have a pet. Does shit happen? Yeah, sure. But that's why I have a good relationship with my vet (and why I chose the vet I did, in part), because he knows that if I have a large bill, it'll get paid. It might get paid in $30 increments until taxes come in, but it gets paid.

Your friend is ridiculous and is exactly why I will probably never own a purebred dog, despite how much I love corgis. I'm not paying $2500 for a dog when I can go to the shelter and pay $85 for a dog. I just don't feel like the value of a dog is based on its breed.

Yea I hear that. But you are still being responsible by making sure you're set up with a vet who can accommodate you. I would say that's the exception, not the norm. 

The difference is that there are people who just get a kitten or a puppy because "omg cute" without the money to take care of it (or like in your case, a known plan).

So someone I know set up a GoFundMe because their dog got bit by a snake. I'm sure the vet bills were very high. I guess I wonder how much exactly one should be expected to put aside for their pet, because I've no doubt the bills were more than what they ever expected to pay for an emergency.

If my nerd dog Benjamin was bit by a rattlesnake, he would need to be hospitalized, but he wouldn't need thousands of dollars worth of anti-venom because I drop $30 a year for the rattlesnake vaccine.

Planning people! Not begging for money!

flutteringinfl

Dreamergirl8812 said:

flutteringinfl said:

southernbelle0915 said:

southernbelle0915 said:

hellosweetie1015 said:

climbingwife said:

I don't know. I'm so conflicted on this. I don't really think it's ever OK. I would maybe donate if it was a sick kid or something like that. But I've had three pop up in my news feed on FB in the past two weeks for: 

Medication for a cat 

Funeral arrangements for someone's father that died (he drank himself to death and had been ill for a very, very long time)

A trip to Hawaii for someone with cancer 

And there's no way I'm donating to any of those for various reasons. The one with the cat - it was a one time medication that cost only $2000. I'm sorry but you if you are an adult and have pets and you can't come up with $2000, you're doing something wrong. 

This begging for money shit just drives me crazy. I have been living on my own since I was 20. I didn't make a lot of money, and I worked my fucking ass off to get what I have. I scrimped and saved and put away what I could. I went without. I ate fucking ramen noodles and pierogies. I didn't get to buy new stuff. My furniture was all hand me downs. And if during those times, I needed $2000 to care for my dog, I would have gotten a third job or sold something. I wouldn't have been asking my friends for money. 

$2000 is "only" two months' pay for me.

Would I do a GoFundMe for my cat to get medicine? Fuck no, that's tacky as hell. And I'm legitimately not trying to start a fight. But.... your "only" is my "fuck I'm boned." 

I didn't see it as "only $2,000". I read that more as "if you're going to have pets, you should have a pet emergency fund with adequate money in it in case shit happens." Because shit happens. Especially with pets.

One of my friends got a $2,500 pure bred something or other dog. Within the first month, the dog swallowed a fish hook and needed to have surgery. He set up a GFM. Really? But even with non-designer pets, shit happens.

Yes, but that still comes across that since I can't put any money in a designated pet emergency fund, I shouldn't have a pet. Does shit happen? Yeah, sure. But that's why I have a good relationship with my vet (and why I chose the vet I did, in part), because he knows that if I have a large bill, it'll get paid. It might get paid in $30 increments until taxes come in, but it gets paid.

Your friend is ridiculous and is exactly why I will probably never own a purebred dog, despite how much I love corgis. I'm not paying $2500 for a dog when I can go to the shelter and pay $85 for a dog. I just don't feel like the value of a dog is based on its breed.

Yea I hear that. But you are still being responsible by making sure you're set up with a vet who can accommodate you. I would say that's the exception, not the norm. 

The difference is that there are people who just get a kitten or a puppy because "omg cute" without the money to take care of it (or like in your case, a known plan).

So someone I know set up a GoFundMe because their dog got bit by a snake. I'm sure the vet bills were very high. I guess I wonder how much exactly one should be expected to put aside for their pet, because I've no doubt the bills were more than what they ever expected to pay for an emergency.

If my nerd dog Benjamin was bit by a rattlesnake, he would need to be hospitalized, but he wouldn't need thousands of dollars worth of anti-venom because I drop $30 a year for the rattlesnake vaccine.

Planning people! Not begging for money!

Wow, didn't even know why that was a thing! I wonder if there was a vaccine for the kind of snake her dog got bit by, and if so, why she didn't get it, considering they take their dogs out hiking with them.

princessofgenovia

I was explaining GoFundMe to my parents the other day and my mom goes "So I could start one for like buying groceries?" and I was like yeah in theory you could. They were both pretty dumbfounded.

Sammyantha13

I don't know if someone already mentioned this one, but I saw it the other day (of course on the internet, so who knows how valid the source is...)--

But this guy in his 60s was diagnosed with cancer and given months to live.  His daughter and two grandkids live with him, so he started driving for Uber to make money to pay off his mortgage so his daughter could stay in the house after he dies.  He picked up a young guy one day, and the young guy asked if he likes driving for Uber.  The older gentleman said yes, he likes doing it because he gets to meet new people, and explained his story about the mortgage.  So the young guy set up a GFM to help him.  In like five days they had raised the $96k he needed to pay off his mortgage.  They shut down the GFM as soon as they hit their goal.  

So that situation is fine with me...the guy was already working hard to try to pay off his mortgage before he dies.  Now he has the peace of mind that his daughter and grandkids won't lose the house.  It actually made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, lol.

charcoalandblush

Possibly the most annoying GoFundMe I've seen... a girl I was friends with in high school (but haven't spoken to in probably 8 years) made one to pay off her student loans. Because she's a struggling teacher. Legitimately that was her sob story. That teachers only make $X/year and her student loan payments are really burdensome.

WE ALL HAVE STUDENT LOANS. Get over yourself. And you're not special because you're a teacher... TONS of young teachers have student loans.

The same girl swings wildly back and forth between two trains of thought:

(1) She regrets going to college because she didn't realize how much of a financial hole she was digging herself and had she known the magnitude of it she never would have taken on student loans and how she was way to immature at 18 to decide that college was right for her, and 

(2) Teaching is the greatest job in the world and she could never see herself doing anything else, and she's so inspiring to her students, etc. 

Umm, you need to pick one or the other, because without those student loans, you would not be a teacher.

Thankfully, no one has donated a dime. She finally stopped posting about it on Facebook.

KatieinBkln

I do not side-eye GFMs for major medical expenses (for humans). I may not always give to them, but I think it's valid to ask for help when you're staring down what could be millions of dollars in debt to treat your loved one.

Usually, I see these types of GFMs started and managed by a friend of the affected family, not by the family members themselves, which feels much better to me.

Someone earlier made a point about "communities" and how maybe in the old days you'd ask around your neighborhood, your church, etc. I think this is true; I know in my hometown there were many fundraising events for kids who had a rough diagnosis. Usually it was a bake sale or a dance or in one case, a community concert in the park, and you could buy tickets where the proceeds went to the families. I don't mind that kind of thing, although again, I may not always participate. 

There is something different about hearing an announcement in church, or seeing a flier at the community center announcing a fundraiser, though. Seeing broad Facebook blasts, or being solicited on a forum like this, or an even broader one, like Twitter (where even non-followers and non-members can be exposed) just feels...gross. It's different asking your community for help than it is asking your "Facebook community" because most of us are FB friends with people we may barely actually know in real life. That's when you start coming across like a money-grubber, I think.

littlepep

themuffinman16 said:

My H's second cousin started a GFM to pay for her tuition at an Ivy League school, because prestigious schools are expensive. No shit? Lol. That's why they have community colleges, state colleges and state universities. No need to go Ivy League. If I couldn't afford to finish my schooling, there is no way in hell I am contributing towards someone who is too good for a local college. She didn't raise one dollar.

I actually saw one once for textbooks. She posted "I'm tired of going into debt to pay for my textbooks so please help."

I mean what the actual fuck!? I had to get student loans to pay for school too. You are not more special than I am. Go fuck yourself. 

flutteringinfl

littlepep said:

themuffinman16 said:

My H's second cousin started a GFM to pay for her tuition at an Ivy League school, because prestigious schools are expensive. No shit? Lol. That's why they have community colleges, state colleges and state universities. No need to go Ivy League. If I couldn't afford to finish my schooling, there is no way in hell I am contributing towards someone who is too good for a local college. She didn't raise one dollar.

I actually saw one once for textbooks. She posted "I'm tired of going into debt to pay for my textbooks so please help."

I mean what the actual fuck!? I had to get student loans to pay for school too. You are not more special than I am. Go fuck yourself. 

Go FUND yourself. That's an alternative website I'd like to see.

missdelilah

This has made me think a lot about the situation we were in when my mum was sick.  My parents, at the time, had a small amount in savings, and no significant debt.  Because Mum had an essentially untreatable disease, the insurance companies would pay for certain surgeries that improved quality of life (as in, she was unable to swallow, so some doctors inserted a tube directly in to her stomach that came out near her belly button, so that we could at least pour liquids in to it) and eventually they would provide pain killers.  The family was significantly out of pocked paying for alternative treatments and experimental/non-approved medications (because when you're about to die you'll consent to taking just about anything), as well as therapists.  We were incredibly fortunate that Dad's work decided that they liked him enough to provide a nurse for Mum, but Ruth was only there 40 hours a week, and a person who can't move needs 24/7 care.  The government pretty much told us to go screw ourselves on the fact that Mum had lost her income.

And this is, apparently, why most people who go bankrupt because of medical bills go bankrupt.  It's not the bills themselves, but the mortgage payments, life expenses, and non-coverered care and treatment costs - on top of the fact that a lot of people are told to screw themselves on the losing an income front - that really push people over the edge.  

We were fortunate to have a lot of money extended on credit, but by the end of five months of high care, the cards were maxed out.  We were also fortunate enough to have a great community.  Our neighbors brought around meals, my adult half sister (who had a toddler and an infant in tow at the time) spent a lot of weekends with us to help with the nursing - and I found out later that she was also picking a reasonable amount of the bills, which I feel terrible about, because two nurses with two small children does not amount to a household with a lot of disposable income - and the housekeeping.  My sister and I worked, but the salaries of 15 and 16 year olds working a day or two after school really don't go far (and Dad was very insistent that we spent the time we weren't with Mum focussing on school, not work), and pretty much just made up for the fact that there really wasn't room in the budget to buy much for us.  We had friends who ran errands for us, did the grocery shopping for us, and popped in frequently to help out around the house.  But, as I said, we were lucky.  That sort of community doesn't exist in very many places anymore.  

Would there have been a GFM for us if it had existed at the time?  Fuck no!  My immobile Mum would have death stared the crap out of Dad for suggesting it; it may have been fatal to him.  But then we had options that aren't available to everyone - seriously, how many people will have their employers provide a full time nurse?  

On further thought, I'm definitely not going to side eye GFMs that involve human medical expenses, but I am absolutely going to make sure that they're legit.  

Also, for those of you who don't know me, I should point out that all of this happened in Australia.  I don't know enough about what things were like here in 2001 to calculate how different our experience would have been.  We definitely would have paid a lot more for the experimental and off label medications.  

I'll stop talking now.

jacques27

I'm to the point where I side-eye ALL GFM accounts now.  Sometimes, that makes me feel bad because there are a few instances where I feel like the cause is legitimate and think of how wonderful it is that something can reach a much broader audience now instead of being limited to a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the local VFW.  But I'm also seeing them more and more on the news for just about every bad thing that has happened - and it's to the point where it's overwhelming and I start to wonder where are the funds for the people who had equally bad things happen but they just didn't crack the news coverage that week for us to care enough about funding them. 

I also think we've also fallen down a slippery slope and have bred a sense of entitlement and lack of awareness of how to be fiscally responsible.  Now it's everywhere and I'm thinking that in most cases this is where your community should be there, not the entire world.  And community could mean just your immediate family, or your extended friends and family and coworkers, or the town you live in.  I think we need to stop escalating things to the level of making it a global problem. 

lovesclimbing

I side eye most GFM's and even the few I don't (medical emergencies for humans mostly), I don't donate to.

Even in the medical bill situation, I would never give money to any GFM unless I knew the person, and if I knew the person, I would probably be helping them directly instead of going through a third-party site like GFM (how much of a cut do they take?)

Additionally, my husband and I give tithe regularly to our church, and they have a fund set up specifically to help people who have medical emergencies or one-time crises such as needing fuel oil because someone was laid off or something like that. So part of our tithe goes to that, so we are belong those people but in a way that we know someone is vetting the requests and it's not a scam.

FiancB

I can't blame people when it's something medical. That depends, though- I have an old friend that started one for a surgery. She's disabled (a dwarf) and I'm pretty sure just about anything should be covered for her?  Oregon health plans are pretty decent that way. 

I did give years ago when a friend wanted to start a food cart and I'd happened to have just come into a lot of money. She's a great, interesting person and a fabulous cook, and it did well. I admit I'm a little miffed that when she had to sell it a couple years later that she didn't give any money back. Oh well though, not part of the agreement. I think that was for kickstarter which is more for that kind of thing.

I meant to give when a dog adopted through my friend''s foster group immediately got horrifically sick and died, and there was a collection to pay for vet expenses for the adoptive family. It was really sad. Still, an older dog that you just met and you spent thousands on it? I was in a similar situation when we adopted our pup- spent that night at the emergency vet- but if I didn't think there was a very good chance of him making it, I wouldn't have done it. 

So yeah. I'll give it a pass for ridiculous unfortunate events and for business ventures, which is kind of more what it's meant for. It's not for things you want. It's not for college or moving expenses or boob jobs. It's not for the $200 you need to take your NCLEX (saw that one recently, ugh). 

novella1186

KatieinBkln said:

I do not side-eye GFMs for major medical expenses (for humans). I may not always give to them, but I think it's valid to ask for help when you're staring down what could be millions of dollars in debt to treat your loved one.

Usually, I see these types of GFMs started and managed by a friend of the affected family, not by the family members themselves, which feels much better to me.

Someone earlier made a point about "communities" and how maybe in the old days you'd ask around your neighborhood, your church, etc. I think this is true; I know in my hometown there were many fundraising events for kids who had a rough diagnosis. Usually it was a bake sale or a dance or in one case, a community concert in the park, and you could buy tickets where the proceeds went to the families. I don't mind that kind of thing, although again, I may not always participate. 

There is something different about hearing an announcement in church, or seeing a flier at the community center announcing a fundraiser, though. Seeing broad Facebook blasts, or being solicited on a forum like this, or an even broader one, like Twitter (where even non-followers and non-members can be exposed) just feels...gross. It's different asking your community for help than it is asking your "Facebook community" because most of us are FB friends with people we may barely actually know in real life. That's when you start coming across like a money-grubber, I think.

100% agree. I remember in high school I had a job at a restaurant, and one of the waitresses (who I personally knew for a fact worked her ass off-- picked up double shifts all the time, stayed late, etc) was a single mom, and was also an incredibly sweet person. I actually knew one of her sons too. 

She needed a double kidney transplant and her insurance didn't cover much of it, so some friends of hers set up a really fun party with snacks and a live band at a community center as a fund raiser. I gladly attended. There was an admission fee, which I think was $5, but I remember handing them $40-- which was a huge amount of money to me in high school, but I wanted to help her out, and the vibe of the party with everyone coming together and whatnot was so fun and positive. It was awesome. 

(And side note, they raised enough for her to cover medical expenses, she got the transplants, and recovered well). 

If I had seen this as a GFM page blasted all over facebook for someone I didn't even know, I would not have been interested. At all. 

wandajune6

I'll be the bitch on this one. Cancer isn't enough to convince me to give money to a GFM.

A family member set up a GFM for MIL who is struggling with stage 4 cancer. The page talked about her medical expenses, need for equipment, etc. No one told DH and we found out about it when I saw it circulating all over FB. These are all expenses that DH and I are paying for.

Long story short, the relative is raising money under false pretenses for a few frivolous (and unwanted by MIL) expenses that only she cares about. People who I know to have no money are donating $10 here and $20 there with heartfelt notes. It's thoughtful but such a waste.

lyndausvi

wandajune6 said:

I'll be the bitch on this one. Cancer isn't enough to convince me to give money to a GFM.

A family member set up a GFM for MIL who is struggling with stage 4 cancer. The page talked about her medical expenses, need for equipment, etc. No one told DH and we found out about it when I saw it circulating all over FB. These are all expenses that DH and I are paying for.

Long story short, the relative is raising money under false pretenses for a few frivolous (and unwanted by MIL) expenses that only she cares about. People who I know to have no money are donating $10 here and $20 there with heartfelt notes. It's thoughtful but such a waste.

This is another reason why, I don't always trust the people who set these up are doing it for the right reasons.  Let alone for the reason they are stating.  I.E - in theory I can start up a GFM account for 'x' person who has cancer, yet never give that person the money right?

Plus people are too quick to set there up for other people.  Did you see the pregnant woman who was working at Popeye's when she was robbed at gun point?  Well she got fired.  Someone setup an GFM account (which has been taken down).

The problem I have is not all the  info is in.  She says they said she had to pay the money that was robbed or lose her job.   So wrong and illegal in a lot of states.  I'm surprised a manager said that, but at the same time there are some asshole managers out there who think employees are too stupid to know the law.  So it's clearly possible.

  Popeye's is saying she was fired because she had repeatedly did not follow policy on doing cash drops.  She had been repeatedly warned about keeping too much cash in the registry. Had she done the drop they would have ended up with less cash.

Now some employees are not the brightest people either.   She might have been fired for repeatedly not following policy, but lets face it.   Being fired for not repaying robbed money is a much better story. Or she just didn't understand why she was let to to begin with.  

I've known people who said they got fired because their family member died.   Yeah, no.  You were fired because you took off 10 times in the 6 months for stupid reasons.  You were warned  you had excessive absences.  Now when a legit one came up you were  out of time.

Of course,  Popeye's side of the story might just be a bunch of PR BS.  We all know companies have good PR who are amazing at flipping a story.

    My point is before setting up a fund like this get to the bottom of what really happened.    It's not fair to jump to conclusions when only one side the story was being told (i.e. it was setup before Popeye's had a chance to respond).

Chipmunk415

Reasons I will pay into a gofundme:

Parents are working 3 jobs between them (or have crap insuranc) and still can't afford medical procedure to treat child's rare cancer without starving other children.

Orphanage burned down

Child is killed in horrific accident that left one or both parents in hospital with mounting medical bills. I will help pay for that child's funeral- the parents are in enough pain as it is.

JennyColada

I have never contributed to a GFM, and I doubt I ever will. But I'm kind of a Scrooge.

I have one "friend" who is CONSTANTLY posting about whatever her new GFM campaign is: first it was that she needed money to fix her car, then she needed money for her "dream wedding", then she needed airfare to fly to Germany with her husband, etc. etc. When she's not posting about GFM she's posting about how "blessed" she is about how "she's so lucky to be able to afford so many great experiences". Bitch. You didn't afford them. We did.

VulgarGirl

I have a facebook friend who just set up a GoFundMe to pay his medical bills, he was hurt in a motorcycle accident and he just lost his health insurance, they've drained their savings, and maxed out their credit cards. Now he'll be covered again in..May or June.

My problem is this same guy is consistently posting about people on welfare, people getting foodstamps, people using programs that exist to help them and how lazy they are and how they are a drain on society and they made their choices to get where they are so fuck 'em. 

But...he has no problem begging for money for himself. Ever wondered what irony is? Cause I got a decent example...

yogapants

I got a text today from an acquaintance who I hear from maybe once a year. The text was a link to her GFM, to raise money so she can go take a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course in Thailand.

Now, I will donate all day to animal rescue groups that post sad stories about abused dogs and cats who need significant medical attention. I'm a big softie that way. But girl, you're 32 years old. Pay for your own trip to Thailand.

sarahufl

lyndausvi said:

wandajune6 said:

I'll be the bitch on this one. Cancer isn't enough to convince me to give money to a GFM.

A family member set up a GFM for MIL who is struggling with stage 4 cancer. The page talked about her medical expenses, need for equipment, etc. No one told DH and we found out about it when I saw it circulating all over FB. These are all expenses that DH and I are paying for.

Long story short, the relative is raising money under false pretenses for a few frivolous (and unwanted by MIL) expenses that only she cares about. People who I know to have no money are donating $10 here and $20 there with heartfelt notes. It's thoughtful but such a waste.

This is another reason why, I don't always trust the people who set these up are doing it for the right reasons.  Let alone for the reason they are stating.  I.E - in theory I can start up a GFM account for 'x' person who has cancer, yet never give that person the money right?

Plus people are too quick to set there up for other people.  Did you see the pregnant woman who was working at Popeye's when she was robbed at gun point?  Well she got fired.  Someone setup an GFM account (which has been taken down).

The problem I have is not all the  info is in.  She says they said she had to pay the money that was robbed or lose her job.   So wrong and illegal in a lot of states.  I'm surprised a manager said that, but at the same time there are some asshole managers out there who think employees are too stupid to know the law.  So it's clearly possible.

  Popeye's is saying she was fired because she had repeatedly did not follow policy on doing cash drops.  She had been repeatedly warned about keeping too much cash in the registry. Had she done the drop they would have ended up with less cash.

Now some employees are not the brightest people either.   She might have been fired for repeatedly not following policy, but lets face it.   Being fired for not repaying robbed money is a much better story. Or she just didn't understand why she was let to to begin with.  

I've known people who said they got fired because their family member died.   Yeah, no.  You were fired because you took off 10 times in the 6 months for stupid reasons.  You were warned  you had excessive absences.  Now when a legit one came up you were  out of time.

Of course,  Popeye's side of the story might just be a bunch of PR BS.  We all know companies have good PR who are amazing at flipping a story.

    My point is before setting up a fund like this get to the bottom of what really happened.    It's not fair to jump to conclusions when only one side the story was being told (i.e. it was setup before Popeye's had a chance to respond).

Soooooo much this. And any time these stories come out where GFMs raise tons of money, I ALWAYS question the real story. It is never as straightforward as they make it seem.

FiancB

I thought of another situation where I don't really mind.

With all the protests going on lately with black lives matter and such, there are a lot of collections to collect bail for people that end up being arrested. As long as it's confirmed that's in fact what the money is for, I think that's justified. I don't really think it's so much go fund mes for that but organizations. 

WinstonsGirl

I'm not a fan, cos I don't know where the money is really going, or how it's being used.  But I don't side eye ones like what was set up for a girl in Sask.  She's 6 months old and her entire family was just murdered by Mom's BF (I think there were 3-4 other kids in the family).  Someone set it up to help her relatives raise her, pay for University, etc.  So anything where kids are suddenly on their own and funds are going to help them is ok with me

lurkergirl

I really don't like them...for any reason.  What ever happened to setting up bank accounts for donations?  To me, that is more likely to be legit, plus the recipient actually gets (I think) the full donation.

I know someone who is currently promoting a gfm for a new car.  Guy wants to surprise his wife with a check for a new car for graduation because it's "the one thing she's really wanted all through school."  Ummm...y'all bought a new car like 1-2 years ago and bought a new house last year and go to like 987989 concerts per year.  Also, she went back to school in her 30s.  There's nothing wrong with that part, but by your 30s you should be able to handle getting your own transportation, regardless of the education situation.  It's not like she's 22, fresh out of college and broke (still wouldn't donate but would understand their desire for help).  The goal is $20k (so fucking ballsy), and they've raised $801.  I can't believe they've even gotten that.