What are your thoughts on this?

[miasmum]

This dreadful senseless murder happened Wednesday

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21814555/ ... n-tribute/

Its absolutely shocking and so sad

But what I am stunned by is his aunt set up a go fund me page to 'give him the send off he deserves' so far so pretty normal these days, but that fund in less than 48 hours is now £17,000

If I were his aunt I would be thanking people but saying no more now. What is the point of this fund raising?

[saundra]

So what happens to the money after the good send of?
That's why I don't ever even look at them
Be better to give to a charity

[cromwell]

I am struck by the generosity of ordinary people. Perhaps what is left over after the funeral expenses will be donated to charity.

[miasmum]

That bit Cromwell I get, people want to help and what is amazing about this is that the amounts are all £10 and £5 I presume given by his school friends, there are a few £20 but no big donations.

But yes what happens to it afterwards is my big concern. Please give it to a charity fighting knife crime is what I would say.

I dont get why there always has to be one though? There was house fire last year. The family were Eastern Europeans and I suppose dodgy landlord no insurance, as the house is still standing as it was. But a Go Fund Me was set up for them and raised thousands. The local authority would have helped them too I presume, so what happened to that money?

[TheOstrich]

I have mixed views over this.

I can understand in the circumstances of a senseless murder that people would want to show support and the £17k doesn't surprise me, in the same way that there were no doubt masses of flowers at the scene of the crime. I would be pretty sure that any excess funds would go to an appropriate charity - I know you can get the odd rogue cases where that doesn't happen, but I hope they are very rare.

Following on from this, recently, a local guy passed away leaving a wife and six children. One of the daughters has started a gofundme page for the funeral and so far raised just over £3k towards a £5k target. Some of the donations are in excess of £50. This is one of a number of fundraising events.

I'm just not sure about the ethics of this; on the one hand people may have a genuine desire to help the family; on the other hand a gofundme page always seems to me like public begging. A bingo night has also been arranged to raise funds and I can understand this much better, it's community and friends coming together to commemorate a life.

But the online fundraising? It leaves me a bit non-plussed.

[miasmum]

Me too, and its a common occurrence now

[Suff]

This upsets me less than the constant harassing for "charity" half the time I go to pay for something. Or the constant, or make that incessant, pleas to set up a direct debit for "only" £5 a month. When does only stop being a small amount? 5 subscriptions? 10? Is it unreasonable to say no to any of them? Or only after you have beggared yourself? I am totally even handed. Nobody gets any subscription.

We live in a society of public begging on all sides. The sheer cost of funerals drives it in the case of deaths, I know, but the rest of it?

At least with this people can look at it and say "my £10 will be well used". All this just pay 75p or 50p? How many millionaire directors of charities am I funding?

My view on charity is that I choose who I want to pay and when. Everyone else can get out of my face.

[cruiser2]

I contribute each month to two local hospices. I have won in the raffles which they organise.
I will not give to any other charities.
I am sure I saw several year ago that Gofunding gets a perecentage of the money which is donated.

[miasmum]

It’s now at £21000 and his football club have just put a link up asking people to give what they can to show their love and respect.