SOS Africa Charity Drive, Kelebogile Updates!

[natty dread]

meanwhile, millions of people are still homeless in the uk, usa, and elsewhere too, but somehow we don't feel bad for them and insist on sending money over-seas.....

Do we need to pay to clean up there mess?

Wow, you two really are prime samples of decent human beings.

[danfrank]

No Gambling allowed.... But, please allow us to provide this tournament for you, that you can pay to enter, and we will give big prizes to the winner after we take our cut.

No Advertisements, that is why we charge a small annual fee... But, please, click on this little "widget" on the side of your screen from a company that we have a contractual agreement with and is interested in getting you to provide something that helps them out.

What's next?

Chuuuuck, you can rain somewhere else. SOS Africa is just a charity we wanted to help out, plain and simple.


--Andy

The video is just propaganda . Is there an actual financial statement showing where money is going I am not against donating to charity , i donated a house full of furniture to Tidewell this past year. I did that as a way to show appreciation for them helping my mother inlaw head home . BUT i must agree with chuck , whats next. And also you helping them for what percent ?

[KoolBak]

I can see the points of all posters; I am unsure how I feel about this. It is inhuman to deny the need for charitable organizations - I give what I can to those that appeal to me. But....when one of my own CC group brothers is going through radical chemo that is half killing him so far and he is struggling to survive, keep a roof over his head, etc.....I feel the need to help him too (our group's new banner sig, showing him our love).....there are so many examples

I am curious, however, HOW "JustGiving" works...they indicate 100% of funds go to charities selected, yet they also indicate they take a 5% cut from somewhere...I didnt quite get it. They claim a FOR PROFIT charitable fund raising company makes sense.....I'd like more info. To date, thats MILLIONS that they have made that DIDNT go to charity.

My background being commercial lending and business controllership, I am VERY skeptical and have seen first hand the woes of human greed and mishandling of money...there is no way around it but for a keen eye and watchers for the watchers for the watchers......

I commend CC for doing its part....I am....slow......to accept this type of change......

[AndyDufresne]

You can read about Just Giving's practices and costs associated with running their website here (and below):

show

--Andy

[KoolBak]

Well that outlines more clearly that they charge 5% off the top....a neccessary evil of doing business. The nice thing about NONPROFITS, however, is that their books are open for public review - a private, FORPROFIT company's, are not.

And that bonus they indicate is only for UK taxpayers donating, I believe, so it is slightly misleading for the rest of us.

*tosses banana to drooling monkey*

[Swimmerdude99]

meanwhile, millions of people are still homeless in the uk, usa, and elsewhere too, but somehow we don't feel bad for them and insist on sending money over-seas.....

There was a homeless guy attending my church and we helped him get a job and a home.... his first paycheck... he sent money to help homeless people in other countries... pretty cool imo. And he said it himself, his position in life isn't near as bad as those in other countries.

[danfrank]

meanwhile, millions of people are still homeless in the uk, usa, and elsewhere too, but somehow we don't feel bad for them and insist on sending money over-seas.....

There was a homeless guy attending my church and we helped him get a job and a home.... his first paycheck... he sent money to help homeless people in other countries... pretty cool imo. And he said it himself, his position in life isn't near as bad as those in other countries.

Why would the man not help the next homeless person next to him , as the church did. Instead he took the gratuity of the church and sent it overseas , imo this situation is hypocritical.

[VicFontaine]

No offence but why bother, Africa has been a bloody mess for thousens of years and always wil be its just one dictator after the other. Do we need to pay to clean up there mess?

Brilliant. Remind me that, if I ever see you on the sidewalk having just been mugged, to not help you. After all, there have always been thieves, and victims. And it would be a waste of my time to help.

[Janomike]

I consider myself to have a good life, there are alot of people that dont have my luck!

Although i know it is not much, i always try to help where i can, already have 2 children from india
where my family pays for the education. To help them get some good education is the best we can do i guess.
This might help them to give their own children a brighter future.

Glad to see CC doing this, hope there are many more who will donate!

Janomike

[natty dread]

meanwhile, millions of people are still homeless in the uk, usa, and elsewhere too, but somehow we don't feel bad for them and insist on sending money over-seas.....

There was a homeless guy attending my church and we helped him get a job and a home.... his first paycheck... he sent money to help homeless people in other countries... pretty cool imo. And he said it himself, his position in life isn't near as bad as those in other countries.

Why would the man not help the next homeless person next to him , as the church did. Instead he took the gratuity of the church and sent it overseas , imo this situation is hypocritical.

A homeless person in any western country still has better living conditions than most people in 3rd world countries. Even if you're homeless, in most western countries you don't have to go hungry - there are shelters that give you food for free or places to stay in. In Africa, there are children dying of hunger. That simply doesn't happen in most western countries.

That said, it's always a bad idea to start comparing people's suffering. Even if people in place A suffer worse than people in place B, it doesn't mean that people in place B should just suck it up. The existence of larger problems doesn't absolve us from the responsibility of addressing smaller ones.

However, the idea that we shouldn't help any 3rd world countries because "people have problems in our own countries too" is even more laughable. The reasons for the poverty of 3rd world countries are complex, but western countries have a large responsibility there - it's partly due to the consumer capitalism of western countries requiring that cheap labour of 3rd world countries to function. Which means that western countries have a vested interest in keeping the 3rd world countries poor...

So, anyone who says that we shouldn't help 3rd world countries is an entitled douchebag in my book. If you can afford to pay $25 for a year's subscription to an online gaming site, you sure as hell can afford to donate a few dollars to help people who are living in horrible conditions due to our unsustainable economic policies.

[AndyDufresne]

Many thanks to the 20 or so people that have donated so far! It's great to see that after only 48 hours or so of being live, that we are nearly half-way there to our goal. Keep the donations coming!


--Andy

[pissedoffsol]

meanwhile, millions of people are still homeless in the uk, usa, and elsewhere too, but somehow we don't feel bad for them and insist on sending money over-seas.....

Do we need to pay to clean up there mess?

Wow, you two really are prime samples of decent human beings.

Who you should be directing your anger at is that child's parents, who knowingly could not afford to feed it, but still decided to have sex and blow internally, fully knowing that a kid is conceived this way.

I have 0 pity for stupidity. If we just stop helping them for 1 generation, all this shit goes away on it's own. AIDS drops by 95%, and Darwin gives a nod from his resting place. Adapt, overcome, or die.


Put me in the desert, and i'm walking out of it or dieing trying. Not staying there like a putz to starve to death. Help themselves first.

[natty dread]

How's the view on top of that high horse?

[army of nobunaga]

i do not need this deleted nor do I need to be slammed.
I come off as a hard ass... but I donate.

My question is this, has this charity been validated by any charitable validation organization? I have seen this for weeks now and I have been tempted to donate... but as someone that gives a fair amount per year I have seen (and unfortunately been suckered into giving) a lot of start up charity orgs that turned out to be a fucking scam. A pure fucking scam.. and there are more than you guys know.

I looked briefly and saw nothing on this charity. I refuse to give money until I know it has some sort of history of regulation and transparency in transaction.


But I applaud CC in pulling its users into action, and I applaud any group giving money to Africa whose people need it perhaps the most.


But I need some sort of authenticity of intention and past.



edit: I just looked again... this appears to just be some dude that says he is a charity. Unless you can prove differently, I will continue to send my money to org.s with a history and transparency in financials... cheers.

on a side note I am sad this was never done for an established cancer org, or something like the cystic fibrosis foundation... Something established.. something proven to help people. I feel we are raising money for Lacks drinking buddy or something.... utterly unacceptable but not surprising.

[AndyDufresne]

Ahoy Army of Nobunaga,

No worries, this is truly a legitimate question. What I can point you towards is the UK's official registry and data collection of UK based charitable organizations:

Check out this link: Charity Commission .gov.uk. Here you can look at information regarding Financial History, Compliance History, and other information such as contact information, trustees, and you can also download the latest copy of "SOS Africa Trustees Annual Report for the Financial Year 2010/11"

I've updated the first post with this information.

And AoN, if you are affiliated with another charity, or know of charity who you would like to pass along to us, just get in touch with me and we'll see what we can do!


--Andy

i do not need this deleted nor do I need to be slammed.
I come off as a hard ass... but I donate.

My question is this, has this charity been validated by any charitable validation organization? I have seen this for weeks now and I have been tempted to donate... but as someone that gives a fair amount per year I have seen (and unfortunately been suckered into giving) a lot of start up charity orgs that turned out to be a fucking scam. A pure fucking scam.. and there are more than you guys know.

I looked briefly and saw nothing on this charity. I refuse to give money until I know it has some sort of history of regulation and transparency in transaction.


But I applaud CC in pulling its users into action, and I applaud any group giving money to Africa whose people need it perhaps the most.


But I need some sort of authenticity of intention and past.



edit: I just looked again... this appears to just be some dude that says he is a charity. Unless you can prove differently, I will continue to send my money to org.s with a history and transparency in financials... cheers.

on a side note I am sad this was never done for an established cancer org, or something like the cystic fibrosis foundation... Something established.. something proven to help people. I feel we are raising money for Lacks drinking buddy or something.... utterly unacceptable but not surprising.

[Roussallier]

Andy, +1 internets to you for staying professional as a representative of the site and setting up this charity. Adding a reward for players shows CC put some thought into it, you didn't just code another link into our interface.

I'm sure this is a legitimate charity. 5-20 percent or so is not unreasonable to pay for the organization's expenses. Do you expect the organizers or actual relief workers to donate their time and resources just because you sent it a few pounds or dollars? 5% is really low, and yes, "Just Giving" may be for profit but this isn't about them - it's about SOS Africa.

Try wiring some money directly to the charity and see if you can send it free since it's for a good cause. Maybe FedEx will deliver it for free instead? Seriously 5% is efficient enough *gives seal of approval*

Children born into poor societies deserve our help more than the homeless in developed nations. Underpriviledged citizens of the USA or UK usually just need a little drive or a little willpower, but they choose not to work because they can survive as it is. Children in poor countries don't have a choice, sometimes no matter what effort they give they can't break out of poverty.

Good job CC and Tactician for making a difference in one girl's life. This is how the world improves. When this girl becomes a teacher, nurse, or doctor who knows how many more kids she will be able to help.

[TheForgivenOne]

Who you should be directing your anger at is that child's parents, who knowingly could not afford to feed it, but still decided to have sex and blow internally, fully knowing that a kid is conceived this way.

You do realize quite a few women over there do get raped by there husband, right? It's at about 40%. They really don't get a choice in the matter of sex or not.

[Qwert]

well if you take one dollar from every player who join Conquer CUp II,you will have quite fast donation.

[AndyDufresne]

Ahoy Everyone,

It is great to see that since our launch one week ago today, we've reached 3/4ths of our target goal, yowza! Thanks to all the contributors who have donated, and additional thanks to all those who are supporting the endeavor even if you haven't donated. I really look forward to 100% funding, and the release of the reward map!

Here's to the next 1/4th of our target goal!

Thanks once again,


--Andy & Team CC

[Chuuuuck]

Can you please take this ADVERTISEMENT off of the side of my game now? I was told I pay a subscription for this site because they don't use advertisements.

I do donate much of my own money to different causes, but I don't need CC to advertise to me which ones they think I should donate to. Especially when there is obviously hidden agendas here.

Anyone else who thinks CC gets zero gain from this being up is foolish, especially soon after we just started a regular tournament that allows you to pay to join, yet gives prizes that don't equal up to near the total value of the purse.

Make suggestions all day long in the forums, or your weekly newsletter or some where else, but quit advertising it while I play a game.

In fact, years ago, I remember Lack using the line (paraphrased) "hate having those annoying banners and popups on your screen." Well, yes, I liked this site not having those things, and I think it is time we quit charging money to play games if you are going to start having them.

[trapyoung]

I DEMAND SATISFACTION!

[chapcrap]

Can you please take this ADVERTISEMENT off of the side of my game now? I was told I pay a subscription for this site because they don't use advertisements.

I don't know who told you that. There weren't ads before you paid. It's the same for freemium and premium.

[macbone]

CC gets zero funds from donating to a charity, Chuuuuck. It's awesome that you contribute in other ways, and there's nothing that says you have to contribute to this charity. There's no hidden agenda here. If you don't want to contribute, no big deal. We'll all still get to play on a new map, whether each of us individually donates or not.

Frankly, I don't see any problem with giving CCers the opportunity to sponsor a kid's education who would otherwise be dying of malaria or AIDS. I think it's great, and I'm happy to see CC take part in something so worthwhile. Again, if you don't like it, no big deal. The donation box will be gone once the donation drive is over.

(If only the NPR telethons were so easily dealt with.)

[Tactician]

Hi everyone, congrats for already raising 77% of your target - only another £138 to secure Kelebogile's education.

I just thought I should write to clear up a few issues about the SOS Africa Charity.

I co-founded SOS Africa on my gap year to South Africa in 2003 - I saw the poverty and poor standard of education and wanted to make a difference. I wanted to do so by designing a charity with a difference - this difference is that 100% of the donations received by SOS Africa are invested in the education of the children we support - all expenses are covered by Gift Aid (tax money we claim back off the UK government). There are very few charities like this around, and we are very proud of this promise. For more information click here: http://www.sosafrica.com/sos-africa-exp ... mation.htm - you will see that the 17.7% expenses are covered by Gift Aid and expenses grants. This is regulated by the UK Charities Commission.

As you have rightly pointed out, JustGiving charge a very small transaction fee - this is necessary to cover their costs.

Therefore out of your donations a minimum of 95% will be invested in the education and care of the SOS Africa children.

Among the many positive comments I have also seen a few negative ones. In response to these I would say that you can only really understand how much these children need our help if you see the conditions in which they live. It is not the fault of the parents - they are also born into poverty and without education and do not know about contraceptives and cannot afford them - by educating Africa's future generations we can ensure that Kelebogile and other children like her do not make the same mistakes and can get decent jobs to allow them to support their own families in the future.

Thanks again to Andy and everyone involved for the support you have all shown Kelebogile and our charity!

Tactician

[Chuuuuck]

Can you please take this ADVERTISEMENT off of the side of my game now? I was told I pay a subscription for this site because they don't use advertisements.

I don't know who told you that. There weren't ads before you paid. It's the same for freemium and premium.

I am well aware there weren't ads before I paid. I am saying from the beginning, they advertised as they don't use ads because they charge for premium membership. All sites have to make revenue, they all do it 1 of 2 ways. They charge their members, or they basically sell access to its members to companies that want to advertise to that demographic.

ConquerClub said that would never put up advertisements. Once upon a time they even had a phrase they posted somewhere about "annoying banners and popups."

To be honest, I don't believe anything a private company says about getting no gain from something they are doing. Short of opening up your entire financial records (which will never happen), I wouldn't believe they aren't gaining from this.

I do think there is a chance they are not gaining from this. In which case, that is great, but it still undermines the entire idea that you charge your members of this site so they DON'T HAVE TO LOOK AT BANNERS AND POPUPS. Yet, now you are putting banners up just because you decide they are worth a good cause. Well, to be blunt, if you think it is a good cause, then you donate or do whatever you want to do. But don't sell us a product of not having banners and then fail to deliver on your end.

To the owner/founder of the SOS program. I think your program is great. I have looked into it and it appears to be a worthwhile endeavor. I am just more concerned with this site selling us out after being founded on and stating to us we wouldn't have to deal with banners and things here.

It can only get worse once it starts...