Charity: generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless. We donate clothes that no longer fit. We give up our time to help raise awareness within the community. Fund-raising gigs, marathons, volunteer work, Samaritans. There’s a stack of stuff we can do to support charities, local, national or global. Having just sponsored our editor to take part in a Race For Life event (happening throughout the summer across the UK), raising money to support Cancer Research, I was somewhat loathed to receive an email from a past acquaintance requesting me to sponsor her to skydive. Yes, it’s time to rant.

Skydiving is something I’ve always wanted to do. In fact, I had arranged to do it at the end of my travels through southern Australian. I arrived, adrenaline pumping, but the weather conditions weren’t quite right and we were refunded and walked away, adrenaline turning to weighty disappointment. I had put aside $350 to allow myself the experience, but sunk it all in beer and tequilas that night instead, making for a largely forgettable but otherwise uncomfortable flight back home the following morning.

And so, here I am checking my Facebook account, several years later, and still a little part of me is still left raw from my travels ending in disappointment. I feel anger when I click on my inbox only to see yet another sponsor request for something ridiculous:

“Hi guys!!!! Pleeeeeease please please sponser me!!! I’ll be going sky diving!!!! I need at least £300 or I can’t do it!”

What?! Where is this sponsorship money going? To a charity? Probably not. Surely a large portion will go to the company who are flying you two miles into the air and throwing you out of a plane? Which is certainly what I’d like to do (minus parachute) with your audacity. Oh to hell, and the rest of you too.

Surely doing something to raise money should involve a bit of difficulty, thought or strength. To run 27miles in the marathon requires months of training. Even to walk it requires stamina and determination. That’s something worth sponsoring. To the next person who asks me to fork out so they can get their kicks skydiving, abseiling, or any other five minute thrill which they can’t afford to pay for themselves, remember the meaning of charity and think before asking. Who are you helping? What are you achieving? Don’t use the guise of ‘charity’ for your own benefit; don’t cheapen the work others do.

– Joe McLean

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