Crowd funding: Yay or Nay?

Nurses General Nursing

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Over the last couple of years I have donated to 2 crowd-funding appeals. Both were folks that I (somewhat) knew and both were for dire, life-altering reasons.

Lately, these types of "give me $$" appeals seem to be multiplying like crazy. Folks are asking for money for any and everything. I saw one on Facebook recently that was asking strangers to pay her entire way through nursing school :yes:

I don't know why this bothers me. Maybe it's the unspoken assumption that if I've worked my way into a position in life where I might have a few bucks to spare, I'd be happy to part with that money to help someone else not have to work as hard as I did. Obviously, I don't have to pay any attention to the appeals if I don't want to. It just seems so......nervy, I guess. As in, it takes a lot of.

What does everyone else think?

Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I'm crowd funding. I work. I'm drowning but I don't want to quit school. It's a last ditch effort to not go on government aid. I'm not asking for my full costs, just enough to finish my last semester. I'm sorry if my struggle offends someone, if you don't like it scroll right past.

Is taking a semester off and working more hours to make the money not an option? Sorry, but I have to disagree with what you are doing. Asking family or friends for help is one thing, but crowd funding and expecting people- including complete strangers- to donate their hard earned money for a non-necessity is just mind boggling. There have got to be other ways to cut costs and save money. What would you have done in the era before social media that made this sort of thing possible existed?

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
You might think differently if you were in my area- the people standing on the street corner appearing homeless work the corners in shifts and get picked up/dropped off in nice cars. My charity goes through vetted organizations who vet the recipients, not the random people asking for money.

I was just having this conversation on another message board the other day. You may think I'm naive to the scams, but I'm not. I work with the homeless, the drug addicted, the mentally ill. Every day - these people comprise about 80% of the patients I work with daily. And I know there are those who scam the system and the generosity of others. But for every one who does that, I know there are 5 others who are truly just homeless, mentally ill, and addicted. It's not like they just woke up one morning and said "you know what? I think spending the day on the corner in 30-degree weather begging for money sounds like a GREAT way to make a living!" Regardless of if they're scamming me, or they're planning on taking that $5 I gave them and buy meth with it, or whatever - they need that $5 WAAAAY more than I do. So I give to the panhandlers on the street corner with a kind heart, and gratitude that I don't have a drug addiction, that I have a roof over my head, and that I have friends and family who would do anything for me if I needed help. I have way more than they ever will.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

If someone I work with, whom I trust, came to me and said "my sister and her family lost everything in a house fire; will you make a donation to help them?" Then, yes, I would make a small donation. However, there are times when I go to a coffee shop, convenience store, supermarket, etc. and there is a container there for donations with a sign that reads "This family just lost it all in a house fire…please donate what you can to help them." I'm sorry, but unless I know that the money is in fact going to help that family with expenses from the, I'm not going to donate in that container. It is very sad that honest people cannot raise money this way, but, unfortunately, con artists ruined it for everyone.

As for the issue with donating to help with someone's tuition--I can't even imagine if someone I work with were to come up to me and say "I'm struggling to pay for this semester in my BSN program. Can you donate to me so I can pay my tuition?" That is not to even mention a stranger who wants me to donate money blindly to some fund raising site. Plus, who is to say that money is actually going toward that person's tuition?

Finally--and I apologize in advance for being all right wing about it--I pay taxes. A portion of those taxes--both federal and state--help to fund colleges and universities. Some of my tax money goes for grants/scholarships for students. My employer offers scholarships for people going back to school (while it is barely a drop in the bucket, that comes out of my pay too). In other words, I, and every other tax payer, is helping students pay for school and their other expenses. If you need money to complete school, get the government aid. It is out there, and this is a very justified use of government assistance!

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm ok with giving if it is some devastating catastrophe type need, especially for someone I know. I'm pretty wary of anything else as I don't like the scam risk. I had a coworker's son die recently, gave money to them, but a friend set up an account for people to donate to pay for her wedding! Uh, no. If you can't afford the elaborate wedding you want, tone it down or elope.

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Specializes in LTC.
Is taking a semester off and working more hours to make the money not an option? Sorry, but I have to disagree with what you are doing. Asking family or friends for help is one thing, but crowd funding and expecting people- including complete strangers- to donate their hard earned money for a non-necessity is just mind boggling. There have got to be other ways to cut costs and save money. What would you have done in the era before social media that made this sort of thing possible existed?

No its not an option. It's my final semester. I do work. I work as many hours as I can. I have cut costs. I'm applying for additional scholarships. I'm doing everything in my power to finish this last semester not on WELFARE. I'm very surprised at how judgemental this site has been over it. My Facebook friends aren't actually strangers last time I checked. I don't friend people I don't know. If people share it, that's their choice, I'm sorry my need is offensive to you.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Welfare is there for a reason. I think yours would be a very valid reason to accept government assistance temporarily.

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Specializes in ER.

I knew of a woman with cancer. Her church raised tens of thousands of dollars for medical expenses. She blew it all on alternative, fringe treatments and was even non-compliant with those. Naturally, the cancer continued. She did go to standard doctors for the large doses of opioid pain killers she was on.

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Specializes in ICU.

Google what some of the top people running charities, such as the American Cancer Society, make per year; you will be astonished.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.
I'm very surprised at how judgemental this site has been over it.

I'm sorry my need is offensive to you.

So someone expresses an opinion opposite from yours and they are automatically judgmental (left unsaid: they are rude and insensitive). I'll be blunt about it--even if the person is not a stranger, I would be off put if they asked for me to give them money. If anyone is being insensitive, I would think it would be them for thinking that they should ask friends for money while I work hard to pay off my own student loans.

Your need is not offensive at all. We have all been there to some degree or another when it comes to paying for school while paying for everything else in life. I would be a bit offended if a Facebook friend posted that they want me to give them (with no promise of paying it back) a sum of money so that they can go to school. Even if it is the last semester, that student certain does have the option of taking a semester off to earn/save money.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Agreed. Crowd funding is not appropriate for school when government aid is available. I took government aid and so have millions of other people. It isn't the responsibility of strangers to fund non-essentials. We pay high taxes as it is.

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Specializes in ICU.

When I lived in Houston, I was shocked to see so many standing at street corners, asking for handouts. We always whipped out 20-30 bucks, but then we began to notice a pattern. People getting into brand, spanking new automobiles, etc. Or see them taking a break, smoking $5 per pack cigarettes. We don't see this much in Florida; it was an everyday thing in Houston. I try not to judge, though, because you may be giving to someone in dire need~ better for me to give to someone who is scamming me, I guess, rather than not give to someone desperate.

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Specializes in MDS/ UR.

There is no shame in general assistance.

The only shame is when it becomes fraudulent.

I am not offended by your struggle.

However, I am put off that you would think I am offended by your struggle because I or other folks don't particularly agree with your strategies.

Frankly, you can beat the money bush anyway you want too for anything you want. It's not a thing to me.

Most of us are not rolling in the dough, I could fund raise for any number of things I need or want too.

Good luck.

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