Sponsor meeeee. :(

ScumLord wrote: »

You're not paying for other people's hobbies and sports, you're paying for community amenities like GAA grounds and their maintenance, soccer grounds and there maintenance

Would it be crazy for the people who do these hobbies and sports to pay for the amenities?

My point (which I feel you still haven't overturned) would be that they are only community amenities in so far as they are amenities for people in the community who do those sports.

For example, what effect does it have on my life quality as a non-snooker player if the local snooker hall tables have a worn baize?

You want to hurl and need a field? Get together with other people who hurl and lease a field from your own earnings. There is no responsibility on others to fund your hobby - none whatsoever. Even if the local GAA club have a field that is as good as Croke Park, that doesn't improve life any for locals who do not hurl. It has absolutely no value or return for them. It is not a charitable cause.

That has become very muddled in Ireland over the last few decades. I am quite clear personally.

T-Maxx wrote: »

Eye contact.

"Hi, my name is T-Maxx, I'm in School Boards.ie and we're trying to raise funds for a new so-and-so. The fundraiser will be in the form of a whatever and I was hoping that you might sponsor me please? Any amount will do, even if it's only a few coins."

Not too difficult and skills that might come in handy elsewhere down the line as well.

I also hate asking others for money for anything including charity donations.

So i just don't do it.

I will of course ask the bank for money on a regular basis..

@Scumlord

Seems reading this that we may agree on a lot more than we disagree on.

I am not against clubs/hobbies/sports. I'm all for them. I'm aware of their social benefit. I partake myself with a few things locally.

Clubs need funds yes. Sometimes the combined pockets of the members fall short of what is needed of course. Fundraising is required on some basis. I accept that reality. The nature of that though is critical. Sponsor meeeee, harrassing non-members to stump up what should be your cash, is not good enough.

A quiz night is legit. They are often a tenner in and a tenner's worth of craic is usually provided. Bob-a-job, God rest it (Saville, Glitter and co. have a lot to answer for), was great and again nothing to do with sponsor meeeee as the payee's garden was tidied, car washed etc. - totally different to the 5km walk/parachute jump/bagpack/trafficlight bucket shake nonsense.

The demand that the general community fund the pursuit of the few though by obligation is a bit much. By that logic, I could establish a flying club and keep shaking tins in peoples' faces in the street until I have bought a few light aircraft. I have seen a few clubs in my region (not falling into the crevasse on here of naming the offending sports/hobbies with the partly built eyesores! :-)) try to bite off a lot more than they can chew through arrogantly assuming that the community was lucky to have them.

In short - you play, you pay. Nothing wrong with that.

topper75 wrote: »

In short - you play, you pay. Nothing wrong with that.

Individuals using charities to fund trips to poorer countries are a complete joke. Send the money to the people in the country, they'll make much better use of it and won't have to waste their time babysitting a pasty rich kid.

I don't encounter those people at all anymore. I've seen parachuting type fundraisers but generally they only work if they're sending someone who genuinely doesn't want to do it. Pretty much all the charity work around here (and it's like a hobby to some people, as soon as they've done one event they're planning the next one) are a night out, strictly come dancing, you're a star type stuff. Typically the charity is a localish cancer care group.

I don't mind these kind of things at all, it's killing two birds with one stone. Raises money for groups that will put it to good use and gives everyone a night out.

Seems I was wrong with those things being history so.

Audacity of privilege lives and breathes. Kelly and Console didn't come from nowhere I suppose.

topper75 wrote: »

Audacity of privilege lives and breathes. Kelly and Console didn't come from nowhere I suppose.

Drive to S Africa? FFS. The cost of that is astronomical as presumably he will either leave the car there or ship it home. Never mind the cost of the drive and accomodation on the way.

I would lay bets he doesn't make it too and has a very expensive 'rescue' along the way.
Money raised €10,000
Donated to charity after expenses €100.

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

The parachute jumps or Kilimanjaro exhibitions are the ones which really push it.

It's actually quite disgusting using charitable donation to fund such activities. If you want to do a climb or a jump to raise money for a charitable cause fine but pay for it out your own pocket and donate 100% of whats collected.

When I was at university I was occasionally approached about such things, but I never took part because I could not afford it i.e. I always assumed I would be expected to pay for it myself, before donations cam in to play. If people are really funding such activities from the donations - getting the experience without having to pay for it - then that's reprehensible. It never occurred to me, till now, that anyone might be doing that.