No, not really.
Today, Hugh at Hugh’s Views & News asked me to take a challenge and “change my birthday.” How would I feel if someone asked me to donate money instead of a gift? Give up receiving gifts?
Now I like getting gifts as much as the next person. BUT… I don’t like to get useless “stuff” – I have enough already. And I don’t want something I don’t like or can’t/won’t use. These things make me feel guilty when I get rid of them. And, of course there is the senseless waste of money.
So, Yes Hugh, I would welcome their sensibility and honesty. Quite honestly it is not much of a change for me.
Bud and I stopped buying for each other years ago. We found that, even after 20-30 years, there are things we don’t know about the other. Like the beautiful watch I bought him as a wedding gift, he doesn’t wear a watch, never did and apparently never will, it resides in our safe! So if there is something we want or need, we buy it ourselves.
Neither of our families, or friends, are gift-givers either; so no problem. Birthdays and Christmas are for cards, phone calls and Facebook wishes.
Speaking of Facebook Birthdays
This is rather a pet-peeve of mine as well.
When your friends, on Facebook or other online platform, solicit charitable donations for their birthday fundraiser, do you donate? I don’t. While I may support their charity, it is the principle of the thing. Here’s why:
- I may have already contributed through Bud‘s and my yearly fund.
- I like you my friend, but… Why spend money on a gift for someone I wouldn’t normally buy a gift for?
- Most Important: All of the donation does not go to the charity.
Both the platform (Facebook for example) and the money collection agent (there are several) get a portion of your donation. Using Facebook as an example, their cut in America is 2.6% plus $.30 of each contribution. The rates vary for other countries.
Let’s put that in perspective:
- You invite your FB friends to your birthday fundraiser, a charity you support.
- 24 Friends respond contributing a total of $975 (you have generous friends)
- Calculate:
- $975 x .026 = $25.35
- 24 x $.30 = $7.20
- $25.35 + $7.20 = $32.55 (Facebook’s share)
- $975 – 32.55 = $942.45
- Then deduct percentage for the money handlers ( an undetermined rate) for amount to the charity.
I would prefer to donate direct to the organization. This is my personal preference and I don’t mean to dissuade anyone from donating online; it is quicker and easier.
Continuing Hugh’s Challenge, I ask you,
Will you take up the birthday challenge? How do/would you feel if someone asked for a charitable donation in lieu of a physical gift?
Miss Judy Writes 
Like you, I don’t need to accumulate more stuff so I could definitely embrace this. My daughters did that for their birthdays a couple of times when they were small. We started doing charitable donations instead of teacher gifts years ago when our girls were in elementary school. It was always appreciated. Most teachers don’t need any more chocolates, candles, Christmas ornaments or coffee mugs.
I agree that I’d rather donate directly to the charity instead of these crowdfunding applications.
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I thought about you and your decluttering project. It seems this would help to not accumulate things that contribute to clutter.
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Thanks so much for linking to my recent blog post and for answering the questions I raised, Miss Judy. You know my feelings on this subject from my post, but I will add that I always donate to a charity directly rather than via a third-party. Going forward, I’ll defiantly be asking my family and friends to donate to a charity of their choice rather than buying me more clutter I do not need.
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