Spin off: Have you ever given money via crowdfunding?

Yes. Unfortunately, I think a few of us here got suckered into one here last summer...

Other than that, I've donate to two others. One was to a neighborhood family that lost everything in a fire and the other was to a help with funeral cost for a neighborhood boy who died from cancer.

Yes, I gave for the friend of a woman I know who was a victim of CDV. She had her front teeth knocked out by her husband and our mutual friend set up a fund for her to get dental work done.

I DECLINED to give to the one my best friend set up so she could hire a personal trainer for another year.

Yes. I gave money to a very cool food mag startup (Cherry Bombe...still publishing I think) and more recently to two dogs that friends of mine posted on FB. They both needed major operations and the owners couldn't afford the bucks. Microfunded a couple of other seriously flawed but artistically enthusiastic endeavors.

Not shark tank. Goldfish tank....

I'd like to think that we don't get so cynical and jaded out by requests for stuff no one really needs that we don't give money for the stuff that people do need. That probably sounds like a real bi polar opposite to my dislike of donations in place of favors, but it's really not. Just give to what you believe in. It's more fun than it sounds.

I have seen a few but never donated. Planning a wedding and all doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room in the budget.

We had a gofundme account when my Dad passed away - but it was more because we asked for donations to his favourite dog charity instead of flowers and it was the easiest way to collect the donations and pay them into the charity's account. We managed to fund some new kennels at the dog shelter which was awesome. But that's the only time, and the only time I've donated to one.

Via kick starter and other methods I have supported friends biz ventures.

I donated for my nephew-in-laws brother who passed and didn't have enough money for a funeral. Thats about all that gets me. My best friend made a fund to get her "side jewelry job" started.. i was like what are you doing? Your hobby isn't something people are join got fund

FH and I have given money to a friend who was involved in a hit and run. Our friend was walking home from school when a car hit her on the sidewalk. Driver of the car kept going and came back to check on our friend 30 min later.

Our friend is still recovering. This happened last summer.

Nope but they are everywhere. I saw a fb post on one because she couldn't pay her rent. I feel yes it is hard asking for help, but when you really need it I dont fault you. (Having a honeymoon or even a wedding is not a necessity so I wont go there). But im the type of person I will help if I can just ask. I have a number of ppl in my life who aren't ashamed to ask.

I guess I forgot to include the ones I've given to: A family member who was in a horrible bike accident and needed reconstructive dental work, and surgery for a very close friend's much-loved young dog. My OP reads as though I might be totally against them, but I think there are circumstances where they are totally appropriate. Just not weddings, vacations and car repairs, among other things. Those are the ones that make me cringe for people.

Is crowd funding like gofundme? If so then yes. I am in the animal rescue community and sometimes the strays or animals in foster care or shelter care need a little extra care so gofundme pages are setup. I have no issues with it because i Know they are legitimate and these animals need all the help they can get...

I have. When my Fraternity brothers Mother passed I donated money to help with her burial. I'll donate to almost any good cause.

There is a wonderful book called 'banker to the poor' by Mohammed Yunis (I'm sure I have at least some of this spelled wrong) that talks about micro funding in (I believe) India and Sri Lanka, how the tiniest amount of money can help little family businesses get off the cycle of high interest borrowing. It's really pretty fascinating.

Part of what is so cool about these 'kickstarted' type things is that what seems like a little amount of money from each donation really adds up. I think it's cool.

I have not but I would if it was for necessary medical costs that could of been prevented or for schools or non profit groups. I have seen the sane person do one on fb to help start up her blinging business and to help with medical bills(the medical bill she put up the day it happened and she was just taken by ambulance to the hospital)

I'm with you, Celia. I'm kind of going off topic here, but in my early 20's, I spent 6 months in the golden triangle (Thailand, Burma, Laos) volunteering for an NGO that kept poor hill tribe girls from being sold into sexual slavery. I still contribute to them, and saw first hand how many lives can be drastically changed by what seems like very little money to most Americans. It was an incredible experience.

Depends on what you mean by crowd funding.

Help us pay for our wedding? No.

Help us pay for our honeymoon? No.

Help me by something useless that I shouldn't be asking money for, but i'll post it on your fb page every week? No.

Help pay for this stray dogs surgery after she got his by a car and the person who hit her drove off without even looking back? Yes.

Help me afford basic supplies for my class room. I teach in an area where its mostly underprivileged kids, and there is not enough funding to go around? Yes.

Help us kickstart our company because we just made this really cool product that we will send you if we raise enough money? Yes.

I will not donate to anything people should pay for themselves: student loans, cars, weddings, honeymoons, pet care, millionaires that want to record an album/make a movie, idiots that want to start a business, etc.

I will donate to things (sometimes) like unexpected medical care/loss, classrooms.

Nope. I'm among the too jaded.

One my BMs actually posted two gofundme accounts at one point... one was to help pay for her personal trainer and the other for BM expenses (she's in three weddings this year). When I saw that, I was shocked. It took everything I had to just not say anything to her. Our friendship is on it's last thread as it is.

I usually eye roll when I see them. I am paying for my own wedding, car repairs, student loans, medical expenses, etc why should I pay for yours. However I have contributed to a few businesses that I thought could be successful. I also would consider contributing to someone that had been affected by a disaster: fire, natural disaster, etc.