True Confession: Why I did not give to your Crowdfunding

August 4, 2015 by  
Filed under Crowd Funding, Front Page

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This has been on my heart for a while now and it seems like the right time to share it. I get 5 requests a day, sometimes more from people asking for Crowdfunding money for something personal. They can’t afford to pay for my help and they are desperate. They usually state that in all caps, that’s how I know. Here are 5 reasons why I do not give to Crowdfunding projects. I feel like I am always teaching how to get people to give and what makes you successful. But perhaps people need to see the other side too. Why I DON’T give:

1) I can’t confirm your story. When you say you are losing your house, or have a disease or need to fix your car, and I don’t know you personally, I have no way of knowing if that is true or not. I have no idea if you even know the person you claim to be raising money for. No matter how good your story is, without documentation, it means nothing.

2) Your “proof” is not very good. If I don’t know you, I really have no idea if that is really your father in a wheel chair or if those are your CT scans. The worst part is the person who sent me CT scans to prove there was a tumor, forgetting (or perhaps they never knew) that I am a physician who can read x-rays, CT scan and MRI’s. The one they were showing me was of a healthy liver. I am still not sure how to feel about that.

3) I don’t know how you got to this point. Yes, everyone tells a sad story about all the bad things that are happening to him or her, and I get that. But some of the bad things that happen are consequences of bad choices you may have made. I don’t know if you party your money away and don’t pay your bills. I don’t know if you have a drug addiction and that’s where all you money goes. I don’t know if you spend all your time in casinos spending money you don’t have. Maybe you are an extremely poor money manager and more money is not really the answer to your problem.

4) You send me mixed messages. When you are posting about your success in business or as an author or whatever it is you do to bring an income and then send me notes to help you pay for something personal, I am confused. Why are posting about how successful you are when you can’t get $5,000 for a car? You just injured your business reputation. If you are raising money for a cause that is not your personal funds, that is different. But I am talking about when it’s for YOU because YOU can’t afford it, I begin to wonder.

5) It’s just ridiculous. I don’t care about that particular cause. I don’t think that invention is that great. Your book, show or movie sounds boring to me. It’s not me “hating” on you; it’s my personal taste. It does not mean your work sucks, it just means, I am not interested. Besides, if you didn’t work a zombie into it, you are out of luck if you are trying to get money from me! But seriously, it’s mostly because your work sucks.

So if you are ever wondering why I didn’t Retweet, repost, share, or give, these are just a few reasons why. Take the hint.