The extent of Hurricane Irma’s damage was still not fully known before several sites were already running to collect donations.
It seems like human instinct to want to help those in need, and websites like GoFundMe have revolutionized giving. I have personally never witnessed an honest cause fall short of the requested donation amount, but the growing number of ridiculous campaigns may take the positive elements out of crowdsourcing.
No matter how easy donating gets, it is not a sign that your first world problems should become everyone else’s problems. I don't care that you can’t afford to take your boyfriend on a surprise trip to Disney World.
Common sense would say that if a cause does not resonate with people, they will not donate. Obviously a USC student will feel more compelled to send Gamecock Jesus to the Final Four than a Clemson student, and only native Alabama residents would consider donating to the Alabama government. But how many people would consider donating to help a self-proclaimed crystal healer to travel the world?
The Pew Research Center says that crowdfunding donors donate twice as often to those in need rather than to support business start-ups or aspiring artists. Ridiculous campaigns often accumulate no revenue, and while this may seem harmless, it may be taking attention away from the campaigns that need money the most. The same study says over half of crowdfunding donors believe that GoFundMe contains several "frivolous projects," and it only takes a notable few to change the connotation of crowdsourcing.
I laughed the first time I saw someone put their collection of parking tickets on GoFundMe. At the time, it seemed like an innocent joke. But it probably does not seem innocent to the student who is working four jobs and still cannot make ends meet — or to the family that is using the same website as an attempt to save their dying son. To post on the site as a joke is to make light of those who are using it as a lifeline, and to genuinely think that you deserve others’ money for something stupid is an insult.
The perceived wealth of your acquaintances should not pick up where common sense leaves off. Every failure has a lesson and every dream has a journey, and going straight to GoFundMe for superficial ideas takes the life out of both. One is far less likely to appreciate a vacation they did not work for, just as they are likely to repeat mistakes if they are instantly saved from suffering financial burden.
GoFundMe alone claims to have raised over $4 billion for those in need, but before you post, please consider if you are actually someone who is in need.