Modern Fundraising

By Bob Branco

Many people use social media in order to raise money for personal and professional reasons. Fundraising sites such as Indiegogo and GoFundMe are very popular and sometimes controversial. I have known people who use these types of accounts in order to raise money for charity, a personal debt, business startups, etc. The question is simple. Is this type of fundraising appropriate?

I see no problem with it. In the past, and even now, money was and is raised through simple cash transactions such as ticket sales or the sale of raffle tickets. If you transfer funds electronically, it amounts to the same thing, as long as it’s done legally, and as far as I know, there is nothing illegal about the use of these social media fundraising methods.

I suppose the biggest criticism I’ve heard about the use of Indiegogo or GoFundMe is that some people get carried away and use these resources selfishly. I suppose it’s almost like panhandling if you keep the money for personal reasons; but again, if it’s not illegal, who cares?

I never felt the need to use these fundraising sources, so I won’t judge them one way or the other. Through social media, the trend in modern society, many lifestyles are embellished or altered, and that includes how we raise money. As with panhandlers or anyone who raises money for important causes, they will be successful as long as the population continues to donate.

Too often, I hear how politicians and pro athletes make more money than they will ever need in a hundred lifetimes. Therefore, when people use Indiegogo or GoFundMe for their own personal and professional needs, I honestly don’t think much about it. With that said, I have some advice for those people. They can simply ask the athletes and politicians to donate.

(Originally published in Word Matters)