Fundraising Section Rules

[happybunny22000]

generally speaking, not many people join to fundraise, the come, join, learn then maybe fundraise so I thinj the 100 post is a good idea

[Tamsin]

How do we know it's your passport/driving licence though and not your mums?

We can introduce a minimum post count if that would make people feel more comfortable. I think there are times when there would be exceptions though. Eg what if someone from a rescue asked for a fundraising event to be highlighted but didn't have time to be posting online or didn't have internet access. Perhaps someone from an RSPCA branch asked for an event to be highlighted but wasn't a forum member. I know some users highlight events for rescues they help out at offline.

[TeflonsShadow]

How do we know it's your passport/driving licence though and not your mums?

We can introduce a minimum post count if that would make people feel more comfortable. I think there are times when there would be exceptions though. Eg what if someone from a rescue asked for a fundraising event to be highlighted but didn't have time to be posting online or didn't have internet access. Perhaps someone from an RSPCA branch asked for an event to be highlighted but wasn't a forum member. I know some users highlight events for rescues they help out at offline.

Excluding actual rescues that you know are genuine, I know that Alice (windwhistle warren) doesnt have a lot of time to post as she has 150 odd animals to clean out and care for every day...... so that works well

[elve_mk2]

well someone COULD scan their mum's driving license, but again it's asking someone to go to some trouble, which is all offputting to fraudsters who prefer to leave no tracks at all, not even a scan of their mother's driving license (which would be pretty easy to nab someone with let's face it!)

I'm not talking of rescues finding time to post either, since most fundraising is done by forum members who support rescues local to them or dear to them in some way - but if said forum member had to have notched up at least 50 posts before they could do this, then that would surely weed out someone looking for a wiiiiide open, soft target, as this forum clearly was before 'maggie' scammed us - I mean really it was just too easy, and that's the point I'm trying to make - New regulations don't have to be FAILSAFE - because ANYTHING that makes it less easy for a criminal to take advantage has to be an improvement.

[kitschkitty]

How do we know it's your passport/driving licence though and not your mums?

We can introduce a minimum post count if that would make people feel more comfortable. I think there are times when there would be exceptions though. Eg what if someone from a rescue asked for a fundraising event to be highlighted but didn't have time to be posting online or didn't have internet access. Perhaps someone from an RSPCA branch asked for an event to be highlighted but wasn't a forum member. I know some users highlight events for rescues they help out at offline.

Wouldn't they then be asking you to look at a link to another site where the event was being advertised though? If so you could simply let them post include their link and lock the thread so that any business is conducted outside the forum and direct with the organisation. I can't imagine a situation where an already organised fundraising event/thing would only be advertised on RU by someone who doesn't have the time or resources to advertise it online via one source being RU.

But if I were wrong then I'd expect there to already be members here who support that rescue and who would be willing (and able to be approved) to post in the forum on their behalf if really necessary.


I still don't think that you can prove someones age and identity fully, and I like lots of people wouldn't be willing (nor advocate) to send personal info like copies of a birth cert. driving licence or passport over the Internet. I think you have to be very careful with those particular documents.

[lottielouise]

I have read through parts of this, 'Maggie' has 151 posts in one thread, may be the person running the fundraiser needs to show 'a serious commitment to rabbits' in general, rather than a certain post numbers.

I do think that fundraising to a rescue appointed paypal address will be a good idea.

As to the rescue s adding to the Op'S fundraisng thread, I think a large degree of rescue participation will hinder fundraising. Maybe the rescue fundraising for should just confirm that the amount had been donated by email addresses/ people, and that rescues only need to confirm within one week. yes it will mean that fundraisers will run longer (can that only be a good thing?), but it will mean that rescue, fundraiser and donator will all be safe.

[The Duchess]

On the subject of posting photos of the item available for raffle for example. I am just about to take delivery of some new hand build hutches, so I could in theory take a photo, here in my garden showing the hutches and say that they are for raffle, then sell tickets and do a draw just as Maggie did, but then noone you know win - photos don't actually do anything do they?

As far as we know, Maggiethomas could have just bought a hutch from Forsham, but was going to keep it herself. She could very easily have taken a photo and put it up on here, it wouldn't have stopped her/him/it from ripping people off.

I don't know what the answer is with regard to there actually being an item available to win.

I do however think that all funds should be held in escrow for the charity/organisation who is due to be given it. In other words - no private pay pal accounts unless someone we trust is a joint account holder of the only holder.

[holidayhutch]

Having funds go direct to the rescue would mean that we would no longer be able to run any fundraisers for BARC or any other rescue on here, as for e.g the Easter Hay Fundraiser we did meant people bought sample bags from our online shop and that was converted into full sized bags for BARC. We hoped to repeat this again for them at Xmas and it would mean we wouldn't be able to.

Surely if the rescue you are fundraising for knows about it and posts the original thread and are happy for funding to go through another channel (e.g via the fundraiser) then there isn't a problem

[Tamsin]

It's fun trying to writes rules isn't it

I think the key thing is to get the rescue to approve the person fundraising for them. If they already know the person and are happy for the to collect money on their behalf that's fine. Otherwise they can ask the person to send money direct.

I can see why people want to collect the money themselves though, it's difficult to organise things like tickets and monitor who has paid if you have to keep going back to the rescue to get the info - makes more work for the rescues.

[elve_mk2]

yes I agree that insisting rescues participate in the thread, and that there is a paypal just for the rescue, means that fundraising will be hindered. Neither are really necessary for security, assuming the fundraising person is an established forum member, and the rescue just verifies they know of the fundraising.

I do think the person who runs the rescue or manages a larger one like Wood Green, should verify the fundraiser is authentic though. As someone pointed out to me, it would be easy for a person who volunteers in the admin of a larger rescue, such as Wood Green, to send an email verifying they have received funds. Maybe 'maggie' was even a volunteer for Wood Green - who knows?

Really unless someone audits every sale of fundraising crafts for instance, the crafter could easily cream off some of the money raised - even £10 is an incentive for a child at school for example - there's no way to ensure honesty unless someone logs every sale.

And if 'maggie' had bought a hutch for herself, and was just using the photo to scam some money, then obviously Forsham would have her address! Yes someone could buy a hutch from a shop and take it home in their own car, but again even if the shop had no address records for all their customers, they would have a log of what was sold, when, and it would narrow the area down considerably and increase the criminal's risk of being caught - I just don't think anyone with cash to buy a hutch, and a car big enough to put it in, would be prepared to risk that much just to make £200, which would barely cover the cost of the hutch.

'maggie' only had over 100 posts on her fundraising thread BY THE END OF IT - when she posted it it was just her 2nd post on the forum!