Trying to Donate but it is a hassle....

[simply B]

All -

I am kind of hoping someone with a bit of time and skill can turn this into a poll so that struggling Camino businesses can get relief without making donors jump through a bunch of hoops. I think that they are not optimizing their support.

Being "the person" who has to get out invoices, troubleshoot computer issues, and reconcile accounts makes me "essential" to the business. While I enjoy the peace and quiet in the office, it leaves me there longer every day, and provides very little time off when I get home to navigate the maze of different ways Camino businesses are requesting funds.

More often than not, I cannot help as I am not on Facebook nor a PayPal account holder. (Past experience leaves me cold as to rejoining either. But maybe that is just me.)

Bank information is useless to me here in the US. I oversee a lot of bank transfers via wire to Europe and cost is generally in the 20-30 $USD range (18-27 euro). So I would be paying a middleman the same (or more) as a donation where it will do some good.

So, while I may be an oddball, the best gateways for me to provide help are two-fold:

1) GoFundMe - I believe that it is low-cost and easy to sign up.

2) PayPal portal with a credit card "bypass", by which I mean a donor does not need a PayPal account, just a valid credit card.

If I am on "the fringe", never mind. On the other hand, if I am not the only one in this situation, can someone figure out a way to spread the message?

Thanks for listening. Gratuitous "introvert humor" provided for my fellow-travelers on Caminos of Quietude. (It goes without saying that the extroverts out there have my deepest sympathies - seriously.)

B

(Mods: Did not know where else to put this...feel free to park it where it fits better.)

 

[VNwalking]

But maybe that is just me

No. Same, on both counts. Very much so.

So thank you for this @simply B . At least there are two of us, and you offer some decent suggestions.

 

[C clearly]

Ivar has posted a number of threads with links to fundraising efforts - they are mostly Go Fund Me projects or Paypal, for the very reasons that you outlined. He is gradually reaching out to Camino albergues and businesses to inform them and he'll post new ones as they come in. However, the fundraising effort must be managed directly by the recipient.

Does this help?

 

[martin1ws]

Ivar has posted a number of threads with links to fundraising efforts - they are mostly Go Fund Me projects or Paypal, for the very reasons that you outlined....

And here is a list of the egeria.house (SYates):

Help for Camino People

Update in progress! There have been a lot of questions how to help people that live on and have their business on the Camino. So I decided to compile a list as those cases come to my attention. Cho…

egeria.house

 

[LTfit]

Ivar has posted a number of threads with links to fundraising efforts - they are mostly Go Fund Me projects or Paypal, for the very reasons that you outlined. He is gradually reaching out to Camino albergues and businesses to inform them and he'll post new ones as they come in. However, the fundraising effort must be managed directly by the recipient.

Does this help?

What she is referring to is that some of us do not have a Gofundme page which makes it difficult for them to donate if they do not want to have a PayPal account or make a bank transfer.

I only can respond in my own case but I chose not to start a Gofundme page because I didn't (and don't) like to put a goal. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I am happy with anything I receive and whoever finds me.

I have investigated if it were possible to accept credit cards on the PayPal page but have been unsuccessful.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Not sure if this helps, but I don't use banks to make transfers, as their fees are very high. When I need to make a payment to an accommodation place, for example, and they don't have credit card facilities, I send funds via transferwise (Admin, please remove this post if this reference is not appropriate). Fees are generally very low, and definitely not as high as the amount I am making, often only around 1 to 2% of the amount.

 

[ivar]

None of the ones I have listed here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/categories/help-a-camino-business-in-these-covid-19-times.210/

...ask for a bank transfer.

If there are more albergues that need help, please let me know and I will post them here.

Thanks,
Ivar

 

[peregrino_tom]

Might be of interest - I've recently signed up to making a monthly donation to an organisation via Patreon.
I found it very easy to get started - took about 2 minutes to register (and I'm slow and cautious) but I did select the PayPal option.
Another thing I like is that they are transparent about their pricing structure https://www.patreon.com/product/pricing
Obviously if you can get people to donate on a monthly basis it's usually more fruitful (as I'm sure Ivar can attest!)
Cheers, tom
EDIT - and just to add, what's clever is it gives the receiving organisation features to engage with the group of regular supporters and keep them interested. For instance, for the organisation I've just signed up with I can see the total level of our monthly donations and I can message the organisation directly etc. I already feel a bond is being built!

 

[Albertagirl]

The only way that I feel comfortable making a donation is through GoFundMe. This is because the information on how much has been donated, as well as the expressed goal, gives me a way to know what is going on and whether I can give further donations to another needy person or organization. I have made two attempts to give a donation to one particular GoFundMe request and after I filled in all the information and hit the Donate button, nothing happened. There does not appear to be any money coming out of my account after I have done this, but I am afraid of the consequences to my budget and my credit rating if they eventually go through, so I cannot attempt this again. I regret that I am unable to help camino organizations further. This is not a matter of my not knowing how to use GoFundMe, as my first attempt to fund an albergue was successful.

 

[simply B]

None of the ones I have listed here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/categories/help-a-camino-business-in-these-covid-19-times.210/

...ask for a bank transfer.

If there are more albergues that need help, please let me know and I will post them here.

Thanks,
Ivar

Ivar, this is true as stated. However, when trying to find a resolution to my problem I have been provided same and asked to follow through in this manner.

Ivar has posted a number of threads with links to fundraising efforts - they are mostly Go Fund Me projects or Paypal, for the very reasons that you outlined. He is gradually reaching out to Camino albergues and businesses to inform them and he'll post new ones as they come in. However, the fundraising effort must be managed directly by the recipient.

Does this help?

Well, I must not be very good at explaining this. The PayPal account links have been typically for "PayPal" member accounts only. That doesn't work for me as I have no time nor inclination to start opening new accounts that want all my bank information.

I guess I will re-scan the list over the next day or two and just donate where possible.

Thanks for comments, all.

B

 

[ivar]

Ivar, this is true as stated. However, when trying to find a resolution to my problem I have been provided same and asked to follow through in this manner.




Well, I must not be very good at explaining this. The PayPal account links have been typically for "PayPal" member accounts only. That doesn't work for me as I have no time nor inclination to start opening new accounts that want all my bank information.

I guess I will re-scan the list over the next day or two and just donate where possible.

Thanks for comments, all.

B

This is fine... they are the ones that have decided to do it like this. There is nothing I can do really... they seem to be receiving some money, and that was the idea with this initiative... I felt I needed to do something instead of doing nothing.

 

[simply B]

@ivar -

I agree. I think that we all agree that you are doing a laudable thing and we appreciate it.

I was hoping, with my message, to stimulate some of the businesses into awareness of a donor pool that resides outside their current payment options.

Maybe that happens, maybe it doesn't.

But, do not for a moment think that I am ungrateful for your efforts on the Forum as nothing could be further than the truth.

B

 

[Anniesantiago]

None of the ones I have listed here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/categories/help-a-camino-business-in-these-covid-19-times.210/

...ask for a bank transfer.

If there are more albergues that need help, please let me know and I will post them here.

Thanks,
Ivar

The problem is, though bank transfers are simple in Spain, they are difficult and VERY expensive in the USA. We just don't use them here. In order for us to get cash to Spain easily, the target needs to have a Paypal or GoFundMe account. I've had to pass making reservations for my group in many places because they don't take Paypal and want a bank transfer. A bank transfer to someone for a 60 euro deposit will cost me half that. Just not feasible.

 

[ivar]

The problem is, though bank transfers are simple in Spain, they are difficult and VERY expensive in the USA. We just don't use them here. In order for us to get cash to Spain easily, the target needs to have a Paypal or GoFundMe account. I've had to pass making reservations for my group in many places because they don't take Paypal and want a bank transfer. A bank transfer to someone for a 60 euro deposit will cost me half that. Just not feasible.

...and that is why none of the ones listed here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/categories/help-a-camino-business-in-these-covid-19-times.210/

...are asking for bank transfers..

 

[IngridF]

My experience has been that I prefer to donate via paypal. It is easy and I am able to talk to the recipient prior to donating, as they need to provide an email. That is how it works for me. Also noting that I have a paypal account alread and so it makes for quick transaction. I can choose what currency I am donating in and if I decide to use anything other then Cdn $$, it gives me an immediate conversion and I know how much comes out of my credit card. I use a credit card that charges no extra fees, it is the one I use to travel with. My account is also set up for direct payment from my authorized bank account with Paypal.

I have send money re facebook fundraiser, but only to very trusted recipients. Benefit is that there are no fees.

I have also contributed to Go Fund Me fundraisers and have no bad experience. It can be a challenge expecially if the amount is high (i.e. for a start up) and their goal can't be reached within the set time frame. I remember one of them did not reach their goal within the allotted time period and I got my refund promptly.

I have also used e-transfers, and/or direct deposit for deposits to secure workshops overseas and the final payment. That is a bit more of a challenge, I needed to call my bank to make sure they authorized the payment.

All these challenges, if any, are minor, IMHO... There is always a way.
Regards Ingrid

 

[mhrheinecker]

All -

I am kind of hoping someone with a bit of time and skill can turn this into a poll so that struggling Camino businesses can get relief without making donors jump through a bunch of hoops. I think that they are not optimizing their support.

Being "the person" who has to get out invoices, troubleshoot computer issues, and reconcile accounts makes me "essential" to the business. While I enjoy the peace and quiet in the office, it leaves me there longer every day, and provides very little time off when I get home to navigate the maze of different ways Camino businesses are requesting funds.

More often than not, I cannot help as I am not on Facebook nor a PayPal account holder. (Past experience leaves me cold as to rejoining either. But maybe that is just me.)

Bank information is useless to me here in the US. I oversee a lot of bank transfers via wire to Europe and cost is generally in the 20-30 $USD range (18-27 euro). So I would be paying a middleman the same (or more) as a donation where it will do some good.

So, while I may be an oddball, the best gateways for me to provide help are two-fold:

1) GoFundMe - I believe that it is low-cost and easy to sign up.

2) PayPal portal with a credit card "bypass", by which I mean a donor does not need a PayPal account, just a valid credit card.

If I am on "the fringe", never mind. On the other hand, if I am not the only one in this situation, can someone figure out a way to spread the message?

Thanks for listening. Gratuitous "introvert humor" provided for my fellow-travelers on Caminos of Quietude. (It goes without saying that the extroverts out there have my deepest sympathies - seriously.)

B

(Mods: Did not know where else to put this...feel free to park it where it fits better.)

From the US I recently used the website Transferwise to send a donation to an albergue in Portugal. The process was intuitive, took 2-3 days tocomplete, and cost was minimal. https://transferwise.com/us

 

[emmanuel]

Really, really, the easiest way to transfer money is by using Paypal. It may not be the cheapest, but it is widely known and trusted.