Doing stuff for charity... am I missing the point?

[d000hg]

About 30 people, around half from my church, successfully completed the 3 Peaks this weekend in support for the local Food Bank. It's a great cause and I admire their dedication but according to their JustGiving page they have raised £650 - let's say £1500 with other pledges included.

To take part, each person had to pay £120 towards accommodation and extensive travel costs. So after slogging their guts out and giving up time training, if each of them had just given (hah!) £120 to charity they would have raised £2000 more, i.e. double. Not excluding money spent on kit for the event.

Now to me, it seems that if they really cared about the cause they would have been better off not doing the 3P at all. Of course we can talk about them spreading the word but if we assumed that has negligible effect, am I missing the point or are they?

[shaunbhoy]

About 30 people, around half from my church, successfully completed the 3 Peaks this weekend in support for the local Food Bank. It's a great cause and I admire their dedication but according to their JustGiving page they have raised £650 - let's say £1500 with other pledges included.

To take part, each person had to pay £120 towards accommodation and extensive travel costs. So after slogging their guts out and giving up time training, if each of them had just given (hah!) £120 to charity they would have raised £2000 more, i.e. double. Not excluding money spent on kit for the event.

Now to me, it seems that if they really cared about the cause they would have been better off not doing the 3P at all. Of course we can talk about them spreading the word but if we assumed that has negligible effect, am I missing the point or are they?

In a word, YES!

HTH

[SueEllen]

You are missing the point.

Some people like doing challenges like that anyway. Collecting money for a charity is just a perk of doing the challenge.

In addition the threat that some of their donors won't pay up if they don't finish helps them to finish.

[Mich the Tester]

About 30 people, around half from my church, successfully completed the 3 Peaks this weekend in support for the local Food Bank. It's a great cause and I admire their dedication but according to their JustGiving page they have raised £650 - let's say £1500 with other pledges included.

To take part, each person had to pay £120 towards accommodation and extensive travel costs. So after slogging their guts out and giving up time training, if each of them had just given (hah!) £120 to charity they would have raised £2000 more, i.e. double. Not excluding money spent on kit for the event.

Now to me, it seems that if they really cared about the cause they would have been better off not doing the 3P at all. Of course we can talk about them spreading the word but if we assumed that has negligible effect, am I missing the point or are they?

Yeah, I see the point; they could just give the money or better still turn up at the food bank and offer to help, but perhaps the 3P gives them a feeling of having taken on a challenge together and actually done something difficult in order to give to charity; that benefits both the donators and the charity receiving the funds, and that's perhaps a good thing all round; giving doesn't just need to be about helping the people who need it, but helping oneself by doing something decent for others and with others.

[DimPrawn]

Which one are you?

Smashie or Nicey?

[suityou01]

I once had a crazy notion to go to Africa to help them dig wells and build houses / walls etc.

Until some on here pointed out my plane ticket there and back would probably pay for an army of builders for a months work and that I was being a

[northernladuk]

I once had a crazy notion to go to Africa to help them dig wells and build houses / walls etc.

Until some on here pointed out my plane ticket there and back would probably line the pocket of some third world dictator with a fleet of Mercs and 300 wives with about £20 actually being used to help the poor and that I was being a

FTFY....

[Mich the Tester]

I once had a crazy notion to go to Africa to help them dig wells and build houses / walls etc.

They can do that stuff, in fact they've been doing it for a lot longer than Europeans. Problem is that the water in the wells is often infected or polluted with nastiness or that they don't have any rights to the land where they want to build houses. Your money is probably better spent on water purification and land rights lawyers.

[d000hg]

Yeah, I see the point; they could just give the money or better still turn up at the food bank and offer to help, but perhaps the 3P gives them a feeling of having taken on a challenge together and actually done something difficult in order to give to charity; that benefits both the donators and the charity receiving the funds, and that's perhaps a good thing all round; giving doesn't just need to be about helping the people who need it, but helping oneself by doing something decent for others and with others.

You are missing the point.

Some people like doing challenges like that anyway. Collecting money for a charity is just a perk of doing the challenge.

In addition the threat that some of their donors won't pay up if they don't finish helps them to finish.

OK so why should I pay for a bunch of white middle class people to feel like they've achieved something with their lives? I'm not interested in rewarding them for beating a challenge, surely their real challenge is getting the will-power to do these things without needing someone pushing them!

[DimPrawn]

are you thick or just trolling?

Just asking like.