General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhen GoFundMe is Used to Make a Political or Social Statement...
I want to vomit. A lot.
I see people falling all over themselves, on both sides of the political fence to donate in order to make a statement. I see fans raising money to help a team that really (let's be honest) doesn't care pay a fine. That stupid Patriots fund is raising dollars by the second thanks to the publicity it's been given.
And then I see this:
A woman who simply wants to bury her son:
http://www.gofundme.com/Hector_Morejon-- $5178 in 12 (TWELVE) days. At over $3K, I'm pretty sure the Patriots will surpass that by 5 on an account opened today.
And this:
http://www.gofundme.com/supportthewalkers--$16,800 in 4 months to support this boy's unborn child. He was a friend of my son's who was killed in a car accident on I-45. He was rear-ended when he stopped for a flat tire. (donations closed)
And this:
http://www.gofundme.com/o3pq04 $320 in 2 months so that a granddaughter could make it home to see her grandmother before she died. (Her grandmother has passed away, and she did get home to see her--donations closed).
...
I see these things, and I don't wonder what the hell is wrong with America anymore. I KNOW what the hell is wrong with America.
Have a good afternoon, DU.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)FYI
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)The U.S. happens to be where I live, so it is what I choose to speak about. Thank you.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)I applaud the fact that we have a way to do it now. Why should I care if the fans are raising money for the Patriots or a business? It really isn't my business what people do with their money. I don't want to be criticized for who I donate too and won't criticize others. I do find it funny that the fans think the Patriots need the money but whatever. The only thing I would say is at least wait until after the appeal where most likely the punishment will be reduced.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)That's what we do here. Thanks for your input.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)That's how discussion boards work. Still doesn't change the fact that I haven't asked you to do anything.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)NobodyHere
(2,810 posts)"I don't want to be criticized for who I donate too and won't criticize others. "
"I do find it funny that the fans think the Patriots need the money but whatever"
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)For the record, I'm fine with people doing gofundme on DU. However, one must be aware of the fact that people want to make sure their donation is going to a truly needy person. That sociopathic 1 or 2% ruins it for everyone. Way too easy to lie on the internet.
again, good op.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)That is why I chose to use the accounts that were closed already and one that is well covered in the news (so that the inevitable alert would not claim I was using DU to fundraise--and that's sad).
The second was also in the news: http://www.11alive.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/01/09/father-to-be-killed-in-crash/21531711/ If you look at the story, I imagine you'll be able to guess why a whole lot of money wasn't raised here in TX.
The third is a personal family friend.
The fact that these "big-name grab-the-media-attention raise-money-in-protest" accounts can and have shed such a bad light on such a great idea is depressing.
MineralMan
(146,325 posts)If a fundraiser gets lots of social media traffic, the amounts go up quickly. Virtually nobody goes to the site to search for someone to donate to. People go there in response to links posted on other sites. No social media, no donations.
Facebook is a big source of donors. People post something about a GoFundMe campaign. It gets shared. If it is seen by enough people and the cause is good, donations come in. Without that, or other social media exposure, the campaign goes stagnant quickly.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)The second account I posted was shared on Facebook and covered in local ( and a few national) media outlets.
MineralMan
(146,325 posts)Not every campaign works, though. Even publicized campaigns can flop. A lot depends on what people write on GoFundMe. A lot depends on the nature of the request. Still, the ones that generate a lot of donations get good social media exposure. That's how people find out about them.
Those right wing ones get picked up and posted on countless right-wing sites and blogs, too. They get a huge number of views and often appeal to prejudices and other knee-jerk issues.
I rarely donate to any online fundraising campaigns. There are so many excellent causes right where I live that I can check out. I make donations to them.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)We'll have to disagree. It has to do with a person's gut feelings on a political/social happening of the moment. So many "non excitable" causes are not "attended to" because they don't, to put it bluntly, piss someone off.