Let’s admit it: on average, you scroll across at least one
Go Fund Me campaign a day via social media.
The stories can be heart wrenching.
A family is dealing with the sudden passing of a loved one and need assistance
with a funeral. A college student needs
a little bit more money to cover the semester’s tuition. Both needy causes, right?
Then, there are the ones that are absolutely insane: a woman
asking for donations to cover her wedding expenses (Girl, bye!) I believe there
was another campaign to help fund a young woman’s weekend in Vegas (Playa,
please!) Both of these causes are not nearly as noble, but at least they are
honest, right?! (*insert sarcasm*)
I can argue that it is quite humbling to share such personal
information and be vulnerable to judgments when setting up a Go Fund Me
campaign. Questions about life insurance
policies, or the lack thereof when a loved one passes away, can arise from
Facebook friends. There might even be
questions about the legitimacy of it all.
Of course, it sounds good to say that once you give someone a gift, such
as money, it is up to the person on how to spend it. However, if you’ve asked for medical bill
support, I might be salty if you use my money for an outfit…just sayin’!
There are some stories that make great fundraising stories,
such as the father in Seattle who wanted to help with eliminating school lunch
debt for kids at his child’s school. He
ended up surpassing that goal and even got more people to support the
elimination of debt for students in the entire district. I don’t claim to know why some campaigns are
able to reach or exceed goals than others, but there is something to be said
about causes that benefit a larger group of people versus one individual or
family.
Finally, sharing a Go Fund Me page that you have not
personally contributed to is something like a party foul. No matter how many times you say it is a
great cause, I don’t believe you until you put your money where your mouth
is.
All in all, I know that life happens and because of that, we
have to deal with it in ways that we know how.
For some, that might include setting up a Go Fund Me campaign. The way my account is set up, I couldn’t
possible donate to each one that I see, even if my heart says otherwise.
What I do know for sure is, everybody got choices (*E-40 voice*), so you
decide whether you can spare a few dollars for the cause or if you’ll keep
scrolling the next time you see a campaign.
