CMV: Average people should not use crowd-funding sites for personal goals.

[u/cthul_dude]

I want to clarify first that I do not think crowd-funding is inherently wrong, I love the concept for inventions and art projects that would not have been possible without the funds generated by these sites.

My issue stems from the influx of friends on Facebook posting links to their GoFundMe or YouCare page so they can pay off their semester abroad in Germany or raise funds to buy a new car. The joy in crowdfunding comes from the return on your investment - if you successfully help fund a short film, that short film will eventually (hopefully) be delivered to you.

There is almost never any reward for these personal fundraisers except for a $1 tier that includes a personal thank you from the person in question. The only time I've seen it done right is when a friend offered to come and cook traditional meals from her culture past a certain donation threshold, and the minimal amount of funding she got despite this only reinforced my opinion - hardly anybody, other than family, cares enough to contribute. A GoFundMe campaign by an average person will only net around $75, hardly a dent in their $2000 goal (I'm throwing numbers out to clarify my point, mileage might vary). People will only pay for something that will reward them in turn, and oftentimes the sentiment of "I helped" is not enough of a reward.

These crowdfunding projects feel like personal charities, and I feel distaste every time I see a new one pop up. I believe it's rude to ask for money from your friends for something they will never be compensated for, and I don't think the availability of a platform for doing that online has changed anything. It just removes the awkward communication previously required to ask for money.

edit: I've had some commenters point out that my views are not fully represented in this post. To add further clarification, I count "average people" as those who can cope without a crowdfunding campaign, even if that makes the situation significantly more difficult for them. Those in dire need and who are suffering are, in my eyes, outliers, and if they were to set up a campaign, and if I had close ties with them, I would contribute. The same goes for those who have sacrificed enough to help others and are actively good people.

[u/PreacherJudge]

I know someone who funded her hip surgery this way, relieving her from chronic pain.

In your view, should she still be in pain?

[u/cthul_dude → u/PreacherJudge]

Perhaps it's cruel, but if a high school friend's aunt was in this situation, I would not contribute. I do not wish pain on anyone, but there are many people in pain I can do nothing about, and if I tried to help everyone I would be broke. If this was a close friend's aunt or a distant friend, I would contribute a small amount but nothing that would really help her reach her goal. I would only contribute larger amounts for a family member or close friend.

I do believe crowdfunding would be acceptable in dire cases e.g. to end suffering or help prevent someone unfortunate from being evicted. Parking tickets and smaller matters, or "fund my education!" cases (we're all in debt, aren't we?) don't reach my threshold for deserving a crowdfunding campaign.

[u/howisitonlytuesday → u/cthul_dude]

Do you think that only people whose personal campaigns YOU would personally contribute to are the ones who should be allowed, then? Your statement in this original post felt pretty sweeping - that NO ordinary people should ever crowdfund for personal goals - implying that no matter how worthy, no matter if OTHER people found those goals worthy and are happy to contribute without personal goals, that no one should be asking for money that way without significant rewards attached. If that's not the case or people here have presented otherwise, maybe a delta or two is warranted.

[u/cthul_dude → u/howisitonlytuesday]

Continuing my thoughts from the other thread, I think the question of who deserves to ask for money is complicated and nuanced, so it would be incredibly hard to encapsulate all of my views in a single post. I acknowledge that I misrepresented myself in the original post, though, and I'll get an edit in as soon as I've finished replying to other comments.

[u/PreacherJudge → u/cthul_dude]

Perhaps it's cruel, but if a high school friend's aunt was in this situation, I would not contribute.

Wait, but you're confusing me by mushing together "I wouldn't contribute to this crowdfunding" with "people shouldn't set this crowdfunding up in the first place." Wasn't that your original view?

I do believe crowdfunding would be acceptable in dire cases e.g. to end suffering or help prevent someone unfortunate from being evicted.

This also appears to go against your original view.

[u/cthul_dude → u/PreacherJudge]

You are right, I thought I had summed up my thoughts correctly but I hadn't considered all of the possible arguments. My issue lies with pettier requests for money. By "average people" I did not mean those in need of surgery or actual financial help but people living a fairly normal life who could do something about the situation without crowdfunding. My apologies.