Being sponsored for not doing much.

[Dave Davenport]

I was perusing the Wetherspoons magazine whilst enjoying a couple of pints of Ringwood Boondoggle (£1.99 in the January sale), there was an article about a group of people (young and able bodied) who had raised some money by doing a sponsored bike ride........8 miles around a park!

On a similar vein, we recently visited some friends whose 25 year old daughter was having a lie down as she'd done a sponsored walk with friends that day and was worn out, well she had walked 5km.

Fair play for doing something for charity and all that, but surely you ought to be putting a bit of effort in if you're asking people to sponsor you.

Don't get me started on sponsoring people to go on holiday (walk the great wall of China etc.).

 

[BrumJim]

It must be my age, but I'm tending towards agreeing with you too.

Although there are some charities (such as Breast Cancer and Sport Relief) that do mass participation minor challenges. So I'm happy to donate a small amount if the participant asks.

But yes, if you are doing a challenge with friends and want a decent amount of money from me, show that you are committed to it, please!

 

[TissoT]

I could sponsored you to see how many pints of ringwood you could drink... (Nice Pint )

some people look at it different ... To you and me the athletes we are it does nt sound to exciting !

To some one who does nt participate much in sport it seems a challenging ....

 

[ColinJ]

I agree with you!

I remember my sister doing a charity walk when she was a teenager. It was a full Marathon distance - 26+ miles / 42+ km. She arrived home with heavily blistered feet and could hardly get upstairs. That was a decent effort.

I have done a few sponsored 100 mile rides for charity.

TBH though - if people want to give to charity, they should just give. If people want to ride/walk/swim they should just go ahead and do that. I don't really see the point in combining the two. There is confusion e.g. people taking part in 'charity' rides not realising that all of their entry fees go to the organiser and any money for the charity has to be collected separately.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

It always surprises me how many people ask if I am doing a charity ride when I mention that I'll be going out cycling - it's as if they can't comprehend people doing things for fun.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

you should try going on a long cycle tour. people really could not understand that we were not getting sponsored (trying to) cycle around the world. For some reason everyone thought we should be and as for our attempt on JOGLE/LEJOG apparently that must be sponsored and the idea of it being a holiday for us was beyond everyone we met (except the odd cyclist!)

 

[mattobrien]

I once did a 100km non stop walk for charidy over the South Downs. Imagine my horror, residing in Suffolk, when we found there were these things called hills in the South Downs!

 

[cosmicbike]

Sad state really, mind you, I bet most do many virtual miles on playstation etc etc. I'd be disappointed if either of my kids suggested such distances which are what they would consider a walk in the park.
Back in my Cub Scout days we used to do a 10 mile sponsored walk around the lakes at the Royal Landscape, that was 8 to 10 yr olds...

 

[slowmotion]

It always surprises me how many people ask if I am doing a charity ride when I mention that I'll be going out cycling - it's as if they can't comprehend people doing things for fun.

That happens quite a bit on the FNRttCs

 

[MontyVeda]

a few years ago a friend rode across Ireland and Scotland in something daft like 48hrs for charity. I sponsored him £20. A couple of years ago a colleague did the Gt North Run for charity, i sponsored her for £25. Last year some colleagues did a sponsored reverse bungee jump (aka, a fairground ride), i sponsored one of them £3.

 

[MontyVeda]

...

TBH though - if people want to give to charity, they should just give. If people want to ride/walk/swim they should just go ahead and do that. I don't really see the point in combining the two. ...

it's about arm twisting*. I tend to ignore most charity boxes in shops, but should my niece, cousin or a pal be part of the fund raising effort, I'll generally sponsor them**. That's my arm twisted.

*and raising awareness of said charity
**on the proviso its something decent, as the OP mentions.

 

[Saluki]

I walked 26.2 miles for charity when I was at school. We were raising money for the local blind school. I could barely walk the next day and my poor feet were in flitters.
Needing a lie down after walking 5km is a bit shocking for a 25 year old. If it had been a 6 year old, they might have needed a bit of a breather but what sort of rubbish condition must that person be in to be knackered after 5km. I walk that every morning with my dogs, come rain come shine.

 

[buggi]

i agree. I'm sick of being asked to sponsor someone to walk a mile every year. That cancer charity thing? You can run it or walk it and most people i know walk it. WTF??

 

[ColinJ]

it's about arm twisting*. I tend to ignore most charity boxes in shops, but should my niece, cousin or a pal be part of the fund raising effort, I'll generally sponsor them**. That's my arm twisted.

*and raising awareness of said charity
**on the proviso its something decent, as the OP mentions.

Ha ha - my MD did that once for a charity walk he was going to do across Morecambe Bay. I sponsored him for £5. I then whipped out my Manchester 100 sponsorship form and made him sponsor me for £5. I paid him the cash after his walk and then asked him for £5 for completing my ride. He said that he didn't have any money on him! After 3 weeks of asking, he finally got his secretary to pay me out of petty cash ...

 

[cyberknight]

When i did my 1st sportive i was asked if i was doing it for charity and got looks of disbelief when i said i was doing 72 miles for fun .