Online Fundraising Voting

[Nielk]

There are so many opportunities out there to raise funds for the ME/CFS community via
online contests.

See video below:

There seems to be a disconnect between the desire to have funds for ME/CFS and the actual
participation of the big part of the patient community.

I received an e-mail this morning from CFS Knowledge Center which was sent out to all their members.
They failed to win the Citgo Fueling Good contest of $5,000 by 200 votes.
They went on to explain that they received daily votes from about 3% of their total membership.

I was surprised to hear this because they had sent out daily reminders for this and one did not even need a Facebook account for this contest.

I know that $5,000 does not seem like such a big deal but, it is $5,000 that we don't have and as you can see on the video above, these amounts really add up.

I started this thread in order to seek advice as to how to galvanize people to become more involved and to join the "voting pool" when it comes to these online fundraiser opportunities.

 

[*GG*]

I voted in that contest almost every day, I might have missed a couple, but if we had a better participation rate, that would not have mattered!

GG

PS I know this illness is challenging, but it only takes a couple of minutes, if that and there are ways to remind yourself, if you need ideas, ask, people have ways to remind themselves.

 

[Little Bluestem]

I am confounded by how few members voted in such a minimal time/minimal intrusion contest. I use the 'What's New?' option to access the message board. Seeing the thread about the contest each day helped me remember to vote, but I guess it didn't help too many others.

Do you know how CFS Solutions came out?

 

[*GG*]

Saw on Facebook,, that they are awaiting an answer could be a couple more days. And the contest was not only based on voting, so CFS Knowledge might have won. Time will tell!

GG

 

[Nielk]

I would really welcome any advice or thoughts about this topic.

Why do you think that there is such a lack of response to to these contests?

Is it just lack of interest? Do people just not want to bother? Is it fear of privacy? Do some think that this just doesn't affect them? Is it that they think the charities are not worthy?

In order to try to improve our chances, it would help to find out where the problems lie.

 

[Little Bluestem]

If you did a poll on why members don't vote in contests maybe the moderators would put a banner at the top of the page about it for a few days to get as many members to participate as possible.

I do not vote in Facebook contests because of fear of privacy invasion. Of course anyone who is more fearful than I is paranoid and anyone who is less fearful is foolish.

 

[*GG*]

If you did a poll on why members don't vote in contests maybe the moderators would put a banner at the top of the page about it for a few days to get as many members to participate as possible.

I do not vote in Facebook contests because of fear of privacy invasion. Of course anyone who is more fearful than I is paranoid and anyone who is less fearful is foolish.

Kina etc...

Like

GG

 

[Undisclosed]

Some of our members are working very hard right now on an article for the front page and there will be a notice at the top of the forums too -- wait for them and VOTE. VOTE, VOTE.

 

[*GG*]

thanks for the info, lets do the best we can for our fellow Canadian sufferers!

GG

PS Will this clinic be open to all Canadians? Not sure how health care works exactly in Canada.

 

[K2 for Hope]

Neilk,

I'm glad you are posting this question as I wonder sometimes why simple things like "voting" for money for CFS help, no matter what organization it benefits, is not done. It is simply asking for people to click the buttons on the PC a few times.

I do not know an answer, but would like to hear what other members have to say.

And, Little Bluestream, I'm glad you are coming up with solutions to find out why.

Thanks for the post and some options.

K2

 

[Purple]

I would like to know the answers to this too. To me, it's like someone says: "I would like to give you LOTS of money for your illness that desperately needs funding. All you have to do is click the mouse a few times, a few times a year."

Perhaps this idea of 'winning' funds is still too new and alternative or people may object to choosing a deserving cause based on 'popularity'. Also, I have come across people saying "what is the point of voting, there won't be a cure in my lifetime anyway".

 

[L'engle]

thanks for the info, lets do the best we can for our fellow Canadian sufferers!

GG

PS Will this clinic be open to all Canadians? Not sure how health care works exactly in Canada.

It's by province. People in British Columbia have not had proper access to a specialist. British Columbians could not go to Bested's practice when she was in Ontario, as far as I know. Unfortunately, people in Ontario will be losing her serivces, AFAIK. Hopefully she was able to train some doctors over there to at least care about CFS...

 

[SpecialK82]

I completely agree that we all need to stand together for everyone of these contests. It is really so, so easy to make lots of money doing these contests, and for any one person doesn't take much time. We have already made about $370,000 in the last couple of years. They are highly worth it!

I agree with Litte Bluestem - we should do a poll soon and really ask people to participate, even ask people from other forums to do it. We need to find out what the problems are so that we can address them.

 

[Hope123]

Here's what I try to do when I send out e-mails to our local support group about ME/CFS;

1) Tell them how much we've won in the past -- i.e.. it's not a futile effort

2) Tell them the slim margins by which charities have won so every vote counts -- during the first Chase contest 3 years ago, PANDORA made the top 100 by only 25 votes

3) I've talked to them about my experiences working with HIV patients and how it was a total turnaround when the drugs came out in the late 1990s. People who were preparing wills and thinking they would die soon are now still alive and, many, in fact, are living close to normal lives with treatment.

4) I tell people they can make a "throwaway e-mail" through various sites. This is legal-- it just means an e-mail you don't use for other purposes and just use for containing e-mails from contests, etc.

It is hard to get people to take action I agree but inaction = potentially many more years of sickness and disability. You can't control the illness necessarily but you can control how you respond to it.

 

[Nielk]

Hope123 - These are all great, valid points. Thank you!