Caporegime
- Joined
- 13 May 2003
- Posts
- 34,562
- Location
- Warwickshire
I am 
.
I get about five per week at work. They're like permissible spam, but no-one says anything 'cause they know they'll look like a tightwad if they do. Much as I am looking like a tightwad right now.
I give to quite a few of them, but I sort of begrudge it especially when the challenge is actually quite fun for them. Like sponsor me to bungee jump or sky dive. I'd like to hope that they're paying for the jump and that all proceeds go to the charity, but you never really know unless they publish the thank you letter from the charity after the event.
If you're going to do something for charity, do something useful that will actually help like spend a day in a cancer hospice running errands etc., not doing a half marathon with your mates, which won't help a terminally ill child much but will be a flipping good laugh for you and your buddies, or having your own life experience that you pretend will be really terrible for you but that you're secretly really looking forward to.
Every time one comes through into my inbox saying 'sponsor me to make love to Anne Hathaway' or the like I inwardly roll my eyes then sulk at the pressure I feel to stump up yet again. They're no better in my eyes than the plastic bags that get put through my door every day asking for clothes etc. that I have to walk to the bin with (though these can be quite useful if you're having a clear out).
I must stress that I am not against charitable donation. I also understand that people's main goal is to maximise donations not to minimise my butthurt...emails and forum posts, Facebook messages etc., being the best way to achieve this. But the world and his wife now has a JustGiving page that they forward to an ever increasing number of people with an ever increasing frequency and with an ever decreasing sense that they're actually doing some helpful for the people that they care about.
I'm obviously going to come across as a giant meanie with this post, but in fact I give a lot to the health service and regularly donate a tenner here and there (to cancer charities especially), but I hate the constant bombarding of my work inbox with them.
Recommendation: imo there should be a central notice board in offices to which all such charity requests are restricted, or on internet forums, a max of one pinned thread per forum, etc.
BAH HUMBUG!
.I get about five per week at work. They're like permissible spam, but no-one says anything 'cause they know they'll look like a tightwad if they do. Much as I am looking like a tightwad right now.
I give to quite a few of them, but I sort of begrudge it especially when the challenge is actually quite fun for them. Like sponsor me to bungee jump or sky dive. I'd like to hope that they're paying for the jump and that all proceeds go to the charity, but you never really know unless they publish the thank you letter from the charity after the event.
If you're going to do something for charity, do something useful that will actually help like spend a day in a cancer hospice running errands etc., not doing a half marathon with your mates, which won't help a terminally ill child much but will be a flipping good laugh for you and your buddies, or having your own life experience that you pretend will be really terrible for you but that you're secretly really looking forward to.
Every time one comes through into my inbox saying 'sponsor me to make love to Anne Hathaway' or the like I inwardly roll my eyes then sulk at the pressure I feel to stump up yet again. They're no better in my eyes than the plastic bags that get put through my door every day asking for clothes etc. that I have to walk to the bin with (though these can be quite useful if you're having a clear out
).I must stress that I am not against charitable donation. I also understand that people's main goal is to maximise donations not to minimise my butthurt...emails and forum posts, Facebook messages etc., being the best way to achieve this. But the world and his wife now has a JustGiving page that they forward to an ever increasing number of people with an ever increasing frequency and with an ever decreasing sense that they're actually doing some helpful for the people that they care about.
I'm obviously going to come across as a giant meanie with this post, but in fact I give a lot to the health service and regularly donate a tenner here and there (to cancer charities especially), but I hate the constant bombarding of my work inbox with them.
Recommendation: imo there should be a central notice board in offices to which all such charity requests are restricted, or on internet forums, a max of one pinned thread per forum, etc.
BAH HUMBUG!
