Time to halt the donations?

[Mozziephotography]

There's a guy I watch on YouTube from time to time. Puts out some decent vlogs and has captured some great images. He had his camera gear nicked while snapping some street scenes in London. Sat in a pub having some refreshment, someone managed to distract him and took his bag of gear which was by his feet. He put out an appeal on the recommendation of one of his followers. He set up a go fund me page with a target of £1.6k. The response has been amazing, with nearly £5,500 raised so far. If people are happy to keep donating, I have no problem with this. Part of me says that I'd stop the donations at the target amount. Thoughts? I'm sure that he'll put it to good use and his channel will benefit from the generosity of his followers.

 

[ecoleman]

Part of me says that I'd stop the donations at the target amount.

Do what you want to do.
As for this other photographer, I'd say mind your business. If people are happy to donate and continue donating past the target then that's on them.

 

[mj4456]

Whatever amount he eventually gets I hope he spends some of it on insurance for the new kit!

 

[Cagey75]

Can those donating can see the amount already raised? [I'm not at all familiar with GFM]

If so, and they continue to donate, then they're doing so because they want to help the guy not just re-buy his gear, but also they enjoy the channel and just want it to continue?

 

[cambsno]

Things like this pee me off. See some on local FB groups, some are scams no doubt but some are genuine - like being abroad and having to pay for medical, or relative dies and need money for funeral... sorry but thats what insurance is for. I hate buying insurance and must have spent almost £2k in total over last 20 years in annual policies for travel and never used it... but what if I had have needed to claim for travel, or had a medical emergency costing tens of thousands of dollars... Very little sympathy with these people.

 

[lindsay]

I'm afraid I'm with Simon on this. It sickens me that people are so ready to ask other people to pay for things that are their personal responsibility, and I'm even sicker at those who are so willing to be seen to donate to all these Go Fund Me's when they are very likely the same ones moaning about the cost of living or getting their veg from a food bank. Ditto all the flowers and teddy bears placed by the roadside at shrines for people who've been killed in some way - why, when mostly they never knew the person? It's the hysteria that was started when Diana died, and has just expanded.
However, more fool they who fall for this stuff. I thought of doing one saying that I'd always dreamed of owning my own aeroplane and wanted 30k to fulfil that dream. I wouldn't be surprised if it raised a decent sum if I wrote the right words, but I just couldn't bring myself to beg like that.

 

[Cagey75]

I'm on the fence. I don't think there should be such a platform for people to basically beg for help - I mean, My mountain bike was stolen last year, I had it locked but not insured - should I have posted up a GFM for €600 to help replace it? On the other hand, if I had done, and people did donate, I'd have been very grateful - but I would have ended it at the target

 

[Plain Nev]

Tricky one this. I have every sympathy with someone who has had their gear stolen I'm not sure I could do it. Because it's my responsibility at the end of the day. Plus which anything above the cost of replacement becomes a bit of a grey area morally.

 

[mj4456]

Insurance is available for almost everything, brides who book weddings through my daughters work can insure for bad weather!

 

[gman]

I can understand when it's for crazy expensive life saving treatment, especially for children, that the NHS or insurance may not cover, or is only available in another country, but for consumer items, well it's certainly debatable.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

It's the hysteria that was started when Diana died, and has just expanded.

Strangely enough, it's got a much longer history than that.

When I started my first full time job, in the 1960s, as the junior advertising salesman on a local London newspaper, one of my regular tasks was to check the copy file for any such adverts that had slipped past the front desk, along with other forbidden communications. To be fair, the ladies on the counter were pretty good at their jobs but the occasional one would have to be weeded out.

Mind you, it was the announcements from "ladies of negotiable virtue" that got my fullest attention, then again, I was just 17 at the time!

 

[JohnMcL7]

Can those donating can see the amount already raised? [I'm not at all familiar with GFM]

If so, and they continue to donate, then they're doing so because they want to help the guy not just re-buy his gear, but also they enjoy the channel and just want it to continue?

While I don't agree with a lot of e-begging I think ultimately it's people's choice what they spend their money on and if they want to support someone whose work they like that's up to them. There's plenty of other more questionable e-begging especially some of the high profile streamers who are doing very little to justify it but again it's their viewer's choice to support them.

 

[cambsno]

While I don't agree with a lot of e-begging I think ultimately it's people's choice what they spend their money on and if they want to support someone whose work they like that's up to them. There's plenty of other more questionable e-begging especially some of the high profile streamers who are doing very little to justify it but again it's their viewer's choice to support them.

For me it's the "woe is me" bit when the situation is totally preventable. Have 5ks worth of camera gear, get it insured. Going abroad, have adequate travel insurance. Ok, if you are in your 30s or 40s I guess funeral expenses are the last thing on your mind but again, have life insurance / critical illness (especially if self employed) or savings to cover it.

 

[JohnC6]

I'm afraid I'm with Simon on this. It sickens me that people are so ready to ask other people to pay for things that are their personal responsibility, and I'm even sicker at those who are so willing to be seen to donate to all these Go Fund Me's when they are very likely the same ones moaning about the cost of living or getting their veg from a food bank. Ditto all the flowers and teddy bears placed by the roadside at shrines for people who've been killed in some way - why, when mostly they never knew the person? It's the hysteria that was started when Diana died, and has just expanded.
However, more fool they who fall for this stuff. I thought of doing one saying that I'd always dreamed of owning my own aeroplane and wanted 30k to fulfil that dream. I wouldn't be surprised if it raised a decent sum if I wrote the right words, but I just couldn't bring myself to beg like that.

I recall that years ago a car left the road..a local A road, on a tight bend, went through wooden fencing and down into a field and killed the two occupants, 17/18 year olds and within a couple of days there were lots of flowers and messages tied to the fence..what was left of it. They'd not long stolen the car.

 

[JohnMcL7]

For me it's the "woe is me" bit when the situation is totally preventable. Have 5ks worth of camera gear, get it insured. Going abroad, have adequate travel insurance. Ok, if you are in your 30s or 40s I guess funeral expenses are the last thing on your mind but again, have life insurance / critical illness (especially if self employed) or savings to cover it.

Personally I agree and absolutely would not donate money to such people plus I wouldn't be comfortable taking such money either especially when it's gone so much over what was asked for, to me that creates an expectation I'd be concerned I can't meet.

 

[JohnC6]

I think there's a reasonable case for crowd-funding a child to have an operation in, say, the US, when the NHS (NICE,infact) won't authorise payment ? It depends on a few factors,though. If an operation that wasn't available in this country was always successful there then that seems to be a reasonable case for fund-raising. I've seen other parents on TV fund-raising when the quality of life for their child, severly disabled one way or another, would barely be improved.. I recall one such case that made it into the national media..it went through the courts and appeals but the parents lost. Should NICE pay, in such cases, or can't the high cost be justified when it could be spent on more appropriate cases. I thought at the time that it's better to let the child go. Fine for me to say but that was the reality.

I've seen fundraisers on TV say they have enough funds and no longer need donations. I've seen others raising money for something like that ,as opposed to camera equipment as mentioned by the OP, and have donated the extra received to a charity connected to their fund raising. Sometimes people donate so a disabled person who has had their mobilty scooter stolen can get a new one but,as pointed out by Cambsno....there's insurance available. I suppose if a scooter was stolen away from the home then it wouldn't be covered by contents unless specifically insured away from home.....like my camera equipment is.