Go Fund Me for College Fund?

[descovy]

Just curious if this is a new thing?

A girl I know (and am FB Friends with) has created a Go Fund Me for College expenses. She's graduating High School this Spring.

Her note is very sweet, and isn't expressing any sort of hardship. Like any middle class family, money would help! She didn't pick an extravagant school either.

At first I cringed at the thought. Like it was impolite or something.

But the more I think about it, is it just the wave of the new times? Adult friends and family gifted me with $20 checks at High School Graduation 20 years ago. When I receive a graduation announcement, I can't help but send a card with a check in it ($20.15 it will be for this year) Maybe if we had Go Fund Me back then it wouldn't be such a big deal? We would have all used it if given the chance? Thoughts? The donations she's received so far, are similar to what I received just by graduating High School in the 90's... Maybe $100 from a family member, $25 from a family friend.

 

[Laura66]

Just curious if this is a new thing?

A girl I know (and am FB Friends with) has created a Go Fund Me for College expenses. She's graduating High School this Spring.

Her note is very sweet, and isn't expressing any sort of hardship. Like any middle class family, money would help! She didn't pick an extravagant school either.

At first I cringed at the thought. Like it was impolite or something.

But the more I think about it, is it just the wave of the new times? Adult friends and family gifted me with $20 checks at High School Graduation 20 years ago. When I receive a graduation announcement, I can't help but send a card with a check in it ($20.15 it will be for this year) Maybe if we had Go Fund Me back then it wouldn't be such a big deal? We would have all used it if given the chance? Thoughts? The donations she's received so far, are similar to what I received just by graduating High School in the 90's... Maybe $100 from a family member, $25 from a family friend.

Nope nope nope!!
If you know her well and wanna give her a gift - fine.
But it's not other peoples job to find things - college, trips, vacations, etc.
I find go fund me pages for anything other than extreme situations - like terminal diseases- absolutely vulgar.

 

[SLP958]

Amen Laura66!!!!

 

[Kbee]

Oh boy I would strangle my kid if they set up one of these accounts asking people to help them pay for college.
ETA- No if I had the chance to use one of these I wouldn't have. If I needed money, I would have worked and saved, or take out a loan. I wouldn't beg other people to help me pay for my own college education.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

I think it is the new norm, and I don't see ANYTHING wrong with it as long as the person/people are being honest about the use of funds. Whether one CHOOSES to donate or not is the donors business, and if that's how they want to spend their money, then that is their choice.

My only issue with "Go Fund Me" is they take 5% of each donation and an additional 3% for a "processing fee". I think that's kinda high.

 

[Laura66]

I think it is the new norm, and I don't see ANYTHING wrong with it as long as the person/people are being honest about the use of funds. Whether one CHOOSES to donate or not is the donors business, and if that's how they want to spend their money, then that is their choice.

My only issue with "Go Fund Me" is they take 5% of each donation and an additional 3% for a "processing fee". I think that's kinda high.

See - I disagree! Once you put it out there you are putting people on the spot! Rude.
Gramma or an aunt - anyone - maybe they are on a fixed income but they feel compelled to help. Wrong!
What's wrong with people living within their budget. Going without extras and working towards what you want!
Bet me this sweet girl has a cell phone and all kinds of other things that many others do without.

 

[Mizzoufan]

If this is the only way she has a chance to go to school. I don't see any harm. There is no way she will get enough to pay for a 4 year education.

 

[jrmasm]

Begging, unless your life depends on it, will always be bad manners.

 

[LBIJim]

Some acquaintance of DW sent a gofundme request for her daughter's college tuition. We just went, "yeah, sure" and deleted it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Taking it further....I wonder if there is a "gift" site? You know, you send out a digitial announcement and then you are given a digital card with "cash". Then you send a digital thank you.

I would probably do that to be honest.

 

[mousehockey37]

IMO, this is pathetic by the student.

If you're looking for sponsorship to march drum corps, go to a certain camp, etc, that's one thing... But to put one out there to pay for your college education? Get a work study position, stop taking the easy way out.

The only good that might come out of this is that the kid will learn real quick that the only person that you can 100% rely on is yourself.

The kid is trying to do college debt free, and while a noble concept, it's not very attainable in today's education world. Student loans and scholarships are available for just about anything, get in line with the rest of the world and get ready to start in debt...

I agree with others that it does put extended family in an awkward spot, and with all the scams and everything else out there today, people are cautious with what they sign up for.

 

[declansdad]

No one is being forced to donate. If she is able to pay for part of her education this way, great for her.

 

[low-key]

it all started when people who hand you your pizza in the shop wanted a tip

 

[IDoDis]

There's a girl in my city who is a sophomore in college who is getting married in less than a year. Her fiancé is also in college. They want to honeymoon in Hawaii, but can't afford it, so she started a go fund me page to pay for her honeymoon. She posted a link to the go fund me page on some type of public Facebook page and people were outraged. The story ended up on the local news. Before the story made the news she had received around $200 in donations. Two days after the news story she had $1400 mostly from strangers who were upset with the haters who said she should not be asking for money to go to Hawaii if they couldn't afford it.

 

[mousehockey37]

There's a girl in my city who is a sophomore in college who is getting married in less than a year. Her fiancé is also in college. They want to honeymoon in Hawaii, but can't afford it, so she started a go fund me page to pay for her honeymoon. She posted a link to the go fund me page on some type of public Facebook page and people were outraged. The story ended up on the local news. Before the story made the news she had received around $200 in donations. Two days after the news story she had $1400 mostly from strangers who were upset with the haters who said she should not be asking for money to go to Hawaii if they couldn't afford it.

Something like a honeymoon in Hawaii is different than funding your college education.

First, for the 2 getting married, make the honeymoon the WEDDING REGISTRY!!!! My girlfriend and I have enough kitchen gadgets and gizmos, minus the big KitchenAid mixer, lol, that we really don't need those things. So what are we looking at doing? A registry for a Disneymoon. Tickets, dining plan, Illuminations Cruise, flights, etc... Put it in the registry and let the guests have at it. No need for a Go Fund Me.

Keep the Go Fund Me for noble causes, not things that you're hoping someone with a bunch of money just wants to "write off" as a gift of charity and picks yours to do it with. If you can't afford a Hawaii honeymoon right away, well, that's tough, but some people never get a honeymoon either. It's not a requirement that you go on a honeymoon.

I don't care how hard you do or don't work, this type of behavior is wrong. The people with insurmountable medical bills, yes, that's understandable. An individual who has this crafty idea to "make money for college" could sit back, let the money roll in, and after the money is donated, it's not traceable. They could go buy a car, down payment on a home, etc... I'm sure there's probably people out there who in some way shape or form, are figuring out ways to live well and get rich off of sites like Go Fund Me and such... A couple pictures, good sob story and there ya go, in comes the $$, all the while, the person behind it, is using the money for nothing related to the "cause".

 

[xlsm]

I was having a similar conversation the other day. I personally don't see it any differently than just walking up to someone and saying, "hey, can I have $20 for college?" Most people would think that was incredibly presumptuous and rude.
But I was raised to never ask others for help in that way. You own your own life. My family would have told me to get a job, get a scholarship, or get a student loan, lol. (so that's what I did!)

I guess the upside to this over asking face-to-face is you don't have to see the people who say no??

I can't imagine asking anyone to help pay for my honeymoon, or anything even remotely personal like that. I understand the people who do it for outstanding medical bills or something, but I could never do it myself. I'd have to be in a really bad situation.

When my mom was going through cancer treatment, her friends set up this kind of thing for her, sold t-shirts, had a fundraiser, etc...my parents never asked for this, their friends just did it out of the kindness of their hearts. But it ended up making my parents really uncomfortable, because my mom has good insurance and it wasn't necessary. They felt like they had to justify anything they did after that. They bought a boat and took a trip, completely independent of the money they received from their friends, but it made them feel weird, like they thought everyone was going to think they were taking the money and using it irresponsibly. My parents ended up making a donation to St. Jude with the funds raised.

 

[JanaDee]

The only time I would support a Go Fund Me page is for a situation similar to the one I mentioned earlier this week about the man who was killed on his way to taking his pregnant wife to the hospital to deliver their 8th child. Their GFM account has over $400,000 in the span of a couple weeks. *That* is what Go Fund Me should be about.

 

[bcwife76]

If this is the only way she has a chance to go to school. I don't see any harm. There is no way she will get enough to pay for a 4 year education.

Of course there's other ways for her to go to school - they are called 'getting a job' and 'student loan.'

 

[declansdad]

The only time I would support a Go Fund Me page is for a situation similar to the one I mentioned earlier this week about the man who was killed on his way to taking his pregnant wife to the hospital to deliver their 8th child. Their GFM account has over $400,000 in the span of a couple weeks. *That* is what Go Fund Me should be about.

A Go Fund Me page should be about anything at all. Nobody is being forced to look at it and make a donation.

 

[JanaDee]

A Go Fund Me page should be about anything at all. Nobody is being forced to look at it and make a donation.

You apparently missed all the *I's* in my post.