What Is Your Opinion 'On Go Fund Me'?

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Meerkat

Meerkat

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I have mixed feelings on this . I think if it is really needed for illness or loss of income due to death it is a good thing.
But if it is to help certain people who never helped themselves I don't give . All according to the situation. But it is becoming really popular so what ya think?
 
I like it and occasionally donate. I see it as the modern version of setting up an account at a bank to help people in time of disaster or other needs. I agree with you that I don't give unless I feel it is for a specific need an not just to help fund a lavish lifestyle. I remember one a while ago that wanted money to go on vacation. Nope, I'll give for a medical need or to someone needing temporary help with necessities.
 
There are enough folks in and near me that can use a helping hand. I don't need to go on the internet to find people that should be helped. At least the folks in the neighborhood can be locally checked out. The wife contacts her local church and we then assist as best we can. Yes I am an agnostic but not opposed to the wife going to church or participating in their fund raising goals, as long as I don't have to attend. We got both ends covered. LOL
 
TMT Tactical said:
There are enough folks in and near me that can use a helping hand. I don't need to go on the internet to find people that should be helped. At least the folks in the neighborhood can be locally checked out. The wife contacts her local church and we then assist as best we can. Yes I am an agnostic but not opposed to the wife going to church or participating in their fund raising goals, as long as I don't have to attend. We got both ends covered. LOL
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Look at the Green beret wife who hates all conservatives and especially Trump. She made out like a bandit on go fund me [ think it was like half a million last count ] . :rolleyes: Just one of the stories. Still don't know how that soldier go so far from his conrads. :dunno:. Soon as questions started getting ask up comes another tragedy on the news. :huh:
 
I think if people have money and want to give it, that's entirely up to them. If it goes to a good cause or is thrown away, it's their money to do with as they please (right up until they give it away).
 
High tech panhandling.
If someone is asking for money for themselves it's no different than standing at an off-ramp with a sign.
I have donated to a couple of people but I am very selective as to who and what for.
My wife's niece set up a gofundme page for her dad, my wife's brother.
We gave directly to him and not through the site.
 
The concept itself I am neutral on. If it works for others that's fine with me.

Personally, I won't give to a" go fund me" page. I don't particularly like tech and I don't feel comfortable sending money online to a site I'm not familiar with. I'm sure there is a potential for fraud so I would rather give how I do it now. If I know someone who I want to help, I give them cash or send them a check. Many times around here if there is a local tragedy, the local news covers it and they list a bank that you can send a donation to in their name. I've done that.

Some of the things I've read of people requesting money for is absurd. But hey, if it works for them, then go for it.
 
Sentry18 said:
I think if people have money and want to give it, that's entirely up to them. If it goes to a good cause or is thrown away, it's their money to do with as they please (right up until they give it away).
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I feel that way about people on the street but not so much about go fund me. At least the bum is working even if he is clipping us. He is standing outside begging not sitting home watching the bucks roll in .. BUT like you some I would give to if I had time to investigate. I know the homeless professing person is not going to get but a couple dollars from me. And we are to be care-full to entertain strangers,may be an angel unaware. Paraphrase.
 
@Meerkat I am not on FB , Twitter etc but I would say it depends on the situation such as loss of income and real need as to whether I would donate personally. I already do donate 10% of my income to a church charity who distributes the funds donated to humanitarian aid around the world to I stick to that mostly and do occasionally donate money, goods and or clothing to Salvos, Lifeline etc if I see them in the shopping centres.

Here is something that someone I know did and created a go fund me page on FB for putting in a bore on his property. Now in this instance this unnamed person had just got 2 big court payouts for injuries and harassment in the work place. He went on 2 overseas trips, bought $10,000 worth of star wars Lego and bought a block of land and blew the rest of the money.

So how the heck do we know whether any of these people lived similar lifestyles and just blew all their money? and then pleaded that they were poor and needed assistance ?. Most people should have some savings is how I look at it and live under what their wages bring in is my opinion.

I know there are genuine cases out there but personally I am wary of things like this.
 
Sewingcreations15 said:
Here is something that someone I know did and created a go fund me page on FB for putting in a bore on his property. Now in this instance this unnamed person had just got 2 big court payouts for injuries and harassment in the work place. He went on 2 overseas trips, bought $10,000 worth of star wars Lego and bought a block of land and blew the rest of the money.
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Those kind of people, I won't give a plugged nickel to them.
 
My wife and I have never given a penny to a go fund me or any other crowd funding website, to include the United Way, Red Cross, Susan G. Koman, or other professional fund raisers. We have also never given a penny to a homeless person or pan handler. That is just not in our nature.

However just this month we were made aware of an older single man who lost his job do to an injury he sustained on one of his days off. He has taken every temp job and minimum wage job he can physically do to make ends meet and he has never asked anyone for a penny or accepted any 'entitlements'. We took what was the equivalent of 50% of our Christmas budget and provided it to him anonymously. He will never know where it came from. It was not a hand out, it was a blessing.
 
I do like to read the "go fund me" requests, but have never donated to any. I have seen that were requests for people I knew, not that that has to be the case, but I am cautious about who and what I donate to.

I have seen some pretty ridiculous "go fund me" requests. I saw one posted by an 18 year old who was trying to get donations so she and her boyfriend could get an apartment and furnish it. I did notice that no one made any donations.

I went to church with a woman who was a retired army nurse. Her family was always in need, always asking for money from her and others. There are a whole bunch of descendants in her family that had their hand in her pocket. When she died, she wanted to be buried with the rest of her family in South Carolina. When she was dying, her insurance did not get paid, so funeral costs were on the family. They set up a go fund me account to ask for money to send her to South Carolina, and did not get near enough money to cover that. My daughter was going to donate and I suggested to her that the money would not go for her intentions, IMO.

I have been a giver and taken advantage of more than once in my life. I am no longer generous with people, except for my child and her family and I am most generous with my time for them.

There are people who are in need, and some of those people are always in need, because they never make wise decisions or care about their money. That is totally on them and I have no one in particular in mind. I do know people who are always willing for someone else to pay for their meal, or anything, but never offer to have a turn.

It is not in my nature to ask people for help, but you never know.
 
My opinion is I like the concept as it pertains to funding a business start up like Kickstarter. The donators get back their investment either in product or their cash once the goal is met. A buddy of mine used it to get the last bit of money he needed for his indie movie. Panhandling I don't like.
 
When I was a kid mama would see beggars on the street many were sitting on boards with roller skates because they had lost their legs in WW11, Korean War. Some were blind, others just mental from the war . Mama would drive around the corner in mid downtown Atlanta so she could get change ready and tell me to run and give them money. People would be blowing the horn behind us. Most sold pencils or little dolls. Mama said don't take the pencils or dolls they will have to buy more.
When I was grown e went to homeless shelters when cold weather came seeing people with black fingers from frostbite, many were veterans we gave food and blankets. Hubby was standing outside and his pants were dirty up to his thighs from people fighting over can tuna.
charity corp.s we don't give to. We like to know who got the little we gave. Red Cross is a scam IMO. Many churches do good but not all.
If they are lying the sin is on them, if not it is on me. I don't judge them for their predicument. I have seen some really great people go down coming back from Viet Nam a couple in my family and some go down just from life .
I do not believe in these wars but I will always help the warriors if I can. And the homeless.
Read a book once, years ago about a rich man who kept losing his loved ones from accidents, he lost his mind and joined homeless. Gave away all his money he felt quilty being alive.
I don't go to church but I beleive what the Bible says.
 
Cnsper said:
Depends but it feels like cyber begging.
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Sure it's begging. Sometimes it's for a worthy cause, but much (most?) of the time it isn't. I don't frequent any crowdfunding sites because reading about people who are either lazy or impatient does nothing to lower my blood pressure.
 
Not for me. I agree with a few others on here, high-tech pan handling. I donate our extra chicken and pork to local families that need it. If people need money then get a job or contact the government, they love to give out money. I pay taxes so i already feel like i donate enough money. Only food or labor from me, no money.
 
Side note we have pan handlers here that sit on the side of the rd right next to "now hiring " signs. I freaked out on one that thought he was going to stare at my wife and daughter. When i jumped out of the car he took off. So i did a loop and watched him get into his 40 thousand dollar truck! I turned red, more red than i normally am. The wife talked me out of doing what i wanted to do. So i went back a few days later an stood right next to him witb my own sign, it read "this piece of **** drives a 40 thousand dollar truck"! 10 minutes of that and a near me smashing his head i to the pavement he left and from what i have heard is now panhandling 45 mins away. Been tempted to go and find him, but the local LEO's informed me that could be taken as harassment and supposedly im not allowed to say the things i said to him. I have found that most of the garbage on the street are just lazy piles of crap. The real needy people are at places that are put there to help them in their time of need. Needy people tend to help themselves get help, waste of space beggers are just lazy!
 
There use to be vacrancy laws that kept people off the streets. Don't know what happened to them.
There are low income housing but waiting list is 3 years in most. Plus it is a fact that these are run by radicals and groups that favor certain individuals, this is fact not opinion. EVERYTHING is political now and liberals run most social services. Plus many are crime infested ghettos.
People standing outside of shelters that have filled up are not living high on the hog .
IMO there should be work farms for those who can't live in society . No work no eat. But till there is a place for the mentally ill and help besides Mental Health Facilities and doctors drugging them up then I will give to whoever ask of me the few dollars a year we give. We are a drugged nation and this is not helpful,imo.
Go Fund Me is one I haven't given to yet. I don't want my personal info out there exposed to those groups.
 
Meerkat said:
There use to be vacrancy laws that kept people off the streets. Don't know what happened to them.
There are low income housing but waiting list is 3 years in most. Plus it is a fact that these are run by radicals and groups that favor certain individuals, this is fact not opinion. EVERYTHING is political now and liberals run most social services. Plus many are crime infested ghettos.
People standing outside of shelters that have filled up are not living high on the hog .
IMO there should be work farms for those who can't live in society . No work no eat. But till there is a place for the mentally ill and help besides Mental Health Facilities and doctors drugging them up then I will give to whoever ask of me the few dollars a year we give. We are a drugged nation and this is not helpful,imo.
Go Fund Me is one I haven't given to yet. I don't want my personal info out there exposed to those groups.
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It seems as though poverty is encouraged and endorsed with welfare and begging and wanting and asking.
 
Weedygarden said:
It seems as though poverty is encouraged and endorsed with welfare and begging and wanting and asking.
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Up to the mid 60s and even later begging was the worst thing you could do. You'd much rather go hungry and even see your kids go hungry before you'd ask anyone for anything . Families if you had one would help but not outsiders so much except at church. That all changed when the family came under attack. Men are no longer MADE to support their offspring unless they are rich. Women no longer have self respect enough to marry and the sons they raised have no respect for women.
Like the old song says ' Respect Yourself'.:cool:


 
A guy in Seattle came up with the idea of paying those street corner beggars to put stickers on their sign advertising his .com business.
He would pay them $5 a day just to add the sticker.
The homeless advocates had a fit and got it stopped.
They claimed he was taking advantage of them and he should pay them minimum wage.
You just can't make some people happy.
 
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