Enough with the Go Fund Me accounts.

I'm not going to state this very well, and I may be over thinking this but...

I understand that life is hard. I understand that sometimes help is needed. But starting a Go Fund Me for every little thing kind of reduces the value of the help.

My wife's mother had a stroke this past weekend. Not a major one, but my wife needed and wanted to go visit. Not a real big deal, but not particularly cheap with a $700 flight and $250 rental car.

One of her friends promptly started a Go Fund Me account to pay for it. Very not necessary, and an abuse to the system if you ask me. Why abuse that good will in this situation and not have it be available when it is truly needed.

The biggest pain is going to be refunding everyone that donated. It's going to piss off the lady that started the account and it may will piss off the people that donated.

Here's a suggestion. Before you go out of your way to help someone, with a Go Fund Me, make sure they actually need it.

They have a place, but I agree this didn't sound necessary.

A guy I worked with died suddenly a few months back, and a Go Fund Me account was started to get money for his kids. I contributed to it, and then afterwards Go Fund Me started sending me links to other accounts for people I've never heard of, so I had to unsubscribe from them. I'm not going to give money to strangers with random problems.

It sounds like this bothers you. You need a beer.

I will start a Go Fund Me page to get you a beer.

(sorry about the quality)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/YcjxPHMnjD0

In reply to stuart in mn:

I agree, they absolutely have their place. When Curmudgeon passed away, we started a Go Fund Me for his daughter so she could go to college. I donated. I have donated to several Go Fund Me accounts. I'm sure I will in the future.

My BIL's wife started one because they wanted to move and couldn't afford to. I didn't donate. That's not an emergency, that's a want.

Ohhhh Thanks for posting this I need to donate to MO30's son's fund.

In reply to dean1484:

Put a link for it up here if you would.

And can people stop complaining about their lives on facebook? You had a baby. Don't complain about the lack of sleep, that was a conscious choice you made by a)having said baby, and b)not sleeping when the baby sleeps! Turn off your TV and you'll be better off. (and the same goes for that house with the pool--you bought a house with a pool. Don't complain that the pool takes maintenance)

(EDIT: I defriended this person when they commented they were thinking about starting a go fund me for their pool repairs. Newwwwp)

A number of people at work gave me crap last week about the crapity crap paint peeling on my beater truck's hood. Maybe an in-plant GFM would quiet them down.

There is a local bar. I like it. They do good business, and will give you a free beer if you ride up on a bicycle. Nice, right?

They started a Go Fund Me for an expansion. I feel it is enough that on the rare occasions I go, I pay more that 5 bucks per beer. This does not make sense to me. Sure, if you can get other people to pay for you to expand your business, that's great, but it seems back swearwords to me.

wheelsmithy wrote: There is a local bar. I like it. They do good business, and will give you a free beer if you ride up on a bicycle. Nice, right? They started a Go Fund Me for an expansion. I feel it is enough that on the rare occasions I go, I pay more that 5 bucks per beer. This does not make sense to me. Sure, if you can get other people to pay for you to expand your business, that's great, but it seems back swearwords to me.

One local place had a kitchen fire wipe the bar out. They didn't have business insurance. They started a go fund me and had fundraisers to rebuild because they were stupid and operating illegally without insurance. People gave, they reopened, they're out of business.

My wife and i have a go fund me to support the work we are currently doing in mexico. Teaching kids english, feeding orphans, that kinda thing. Its worked great for us, but i do see it get overused on facebook. We are unpaid and go fund me provides an easy route for casual supporters to help us cook and teach.

Toyman, I think gofundme takes 9% of the amount people donate, so if you are planning to do refunds factor that in.

Maybe someone needs a Snickers.

Think of it like a get well card with a $20 bill inside.

I have seen people start GoFundMe pages so they can buy a rally car and run a rally. Really???!!!

I have busted my ass swapping and flipping cars to fund a Rally Car and to get running some rallies.

Get a berkeleying life!

I'm starting a Go Fund Me page to support the Minor Rant of the Day thread.

I'm going to start a Go Fund Me page to pay for the 9% fee Go Fund Me will charge if I ever actually have a Go Fund Me page in the future.

Isn't this what things like life insurance and health insurance are for?

If someone doesn't have these things, fuck them.

I think Go Fund Me needs to create a sister site called Go berkeley Yourself.

Go berkeley Yourself would allow donations to an account associated with any Go Fund Me pages. On the Go berkeley Yourself page any donations would subtract from the Go Fund Me page and be applied to a charity voted on by the donators to the Go berkeley Yourself site.

Ricky Spanish wrote: Isn't this what things like life insurance and health insurance are for? If someone doesn't have these things, berkeley them.

To a point, I agree. But health insurance can still leave you broke. I don't mind donating to people that need it. I just feel, that in this situation, it wasn't necessary.

It a boy crying wolf or Chicken Little. People are going to be so sick of everyone Go Funding everything, that when it actually is needed, it will be ignored.

When I lived in a rural village on the Haitian border, I was once asked by a very poor man, "Isn't it better to give than receive?"

I answered him, "Of course", not realizing I was about to get a lesson. He had offered me a gift I knew he could not afford, and I turned it down because I was uncomfortable with receiving it.

When I said, "Of course it is better to give than receive", he said, "Then don't steal my blessing".

Ouch.

I realized at that moment that no one could ever give unless someone also received, and I needed to learn to be humble and receive graciously, so that others could sometimes be blessed.

I'm not sure you are in the same situation, but it is worth considering.

Nobody has to give to a Go Fund Me account they don't believe in. But anyone who chooses to give to something they believe in should be treated with honor for having made the choice. They are voting with their money, and living vicariously through you.

I think it creates an obligation- they have given, and you owe them a followup. A thank you, a note, a communication telling how things worked out. Be humble and gracious. Giving the money back can easily be seen as an insult.

Then, pay it forward. Give to someone else when you are able. If you want to, give the entire amount to someone else.

Sometimes, it is hard to accept gifts.

In reply to SVreX:

Interestingly said. I'll have to think on that some.

I still stand by my premise that Go Fund Me is being done to death and needs to be reserved for true need.

Does anyone remember that kid who posted a GoFundMe on here so he could buy himself the first car he wanted? Or something to that effect. That went over REALLY well...

You mean I shouldn't start a Go Fund Me for an Exocet???

I'm going to start a "go fund me" page to buy "go fund me" and put a stop the frivolous requests.

Furious_E wrote: Does anyone remember that kid who posted a GoFundMe on here so he could buy himself the first car he wanted? Or something to that effect. That went over REALLY well...

There was also a go fund me for some guy to make potato salad that actually went really well. The internet is a strange place. I believe the younger Suddard had once expressed one foe the purpose of cooking a chicken.