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Anyone used or donated via 'gofundme' compaign?

vacationhopeful

vacationhopeful

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Not being the most 'hip' internet person, I was trying to figure out the appeal of this giving of money to strangers for their project.

What experiences do other TUGGERS have with this type of fundraising or 'begging'?
 
The requests are as legit as the person making the request. I don't usually do it unless I know the person and feel confident that it isn't a scam.
 
I have donated to some of my lymphoma friends. Very real. Cancer can be horribly expensive.
 
I've donated via gofundme to a local college kid who had massive medical bills after a kidney transplant. Really no more or less susceptible to fraud than any other method of donating.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
I'm with Denise ^^^ . The only GoFundMe donations I'll make are to people I know, either as the recipient, or the person organizing things.

Most recently: I had the pleasure of helping a good friend assist a family in Chile he knew from his time there as a missionary, who had lost their home in the big earthquake last year. He organized a GoFundMe donation for them, to get them temporary housing. It was very successful, and the family was able to start their recovery efforts. I heard just recently that they're now in a permanent apartment, and life is getting back to normal.

Having said that, the ones I see where somebody wants money for school tuition or to buy themselves something - nah, not for me. That comes across totally as begging by somebody who needs to get themselves a job. I don't respond well to coercion or guilt. ;)

Dave
 
I've only used it once and I helped fund a project a person I know over the
Internet. I didn't give more than I would have been worried about. He didn't
Meet his goal but he had enough to start his project. He started a FaceBook
Page about it and he keeps us posted. I thought it was worth while.
 
I have donated but for someone I knew. I do think the site takes a percentage of funds raised.
 
I have donated to help a family with funeral expenses, and I am going to donate to help a young man who was paralyzed in an accident to buy a beach wheelchair so his family can take him to the beach in the summer.
 
On a couple of occasions, I've given small amounts to strangers who had severe medical problems and were mentioned in the news.

OTOH, I also donated to a high school friend who was in danger of foreclosure. She then kept asking me for money, and also arguing with me on Facebook about political issues. I ended up unfriending her on Facebook.
 
One of my classmates just died at a young age- colon cancer.

As a (vet school) class, we wanted to make a donation to an animal shelter that she had done volunteer work for.

One of our classmates set up a GoFundMe, we all donated, and then she wrote one check to the shelter on our behalf.

It was easy, and faster than everyone sending checks. We managed to get it done before the funeral.
 
Many times but only for people/causes that I know something about. I won't donate to random requests, facebook shares, etc.

My experiences have all been good and it's been a quick easy way to raise money.

Deb
 
kelm said:
I have donated but for someone I knew. I do think the site takes a percentage of funds raised.
Click to expand...

They do indeed. Better to give directly. That's what we have done.
 
A friend who is a nurse went over to Calais, France about a month ago to volunteer in one of the refugee camps; she's covering her own expenses (with the help of a grant from her employer) but is using GoFundMe to collect for medical supplies. Her updates are fascinating.

I'm comfortable donating through GoFundMe to people I know offline if their reasons are legitimate. Funding "wants" as opposed to "needs", or requests from people I don't know in real life - no way.
 
I've donated a few times. Friends or strangers, doesn't matter. The issue/campaign matters to me. I've also done kickstarter and kiva.
 
I used it once to help the fried of a TUG member who's friend had his home flooded during Hurricane Sandy in NY.
 
donated a few times. My nephew in Florida is battling cancer and has a page, my cousin's son just passed from cancer - he also had an account. A few local things....
 
Yes. My first time was last week. A cab driver beat up by an American tourist. Saw it on the Aruba board I read and was moved by the story.
 
I have donated three times. Two were friends (medical/funeral) and one was a relative of a friend (house fire).
 
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