Givealittle fee ‘out of the blue’
The father of a young girl who is battling advanced cancer says Givealittle’s decision to start charging a fee will probably add more stress and worry to families going through difficult times.
Five-year-old Wellingtonian Saoirse Gaffney was diagnosed with rare bilateral kidney cancer earlier this year, and her parents started a Givealittle page to help them financially support their daughter at her bedside.
Saoirse’s father, David Gaffney, said Givealittle’s decision to charge a 5 per cent fee from September 1 was ‘‘strange and a bit out of the blue’’.
‘‘If someone is in need of immediate treatment, it makes it difficult . . . It means extra effort, which adds worry and stress, and that extra added pressure.’’
In terms of their campaign, any funds raised for Saoirse, after September 1, would incur a fee.
Gaffney said Givealittle should exclude campaigns for the terminally ill, or those in need of immediate treatment, he said.
‘‘It would have been a bit better for the families.’’
Without the generosity of New Zealanders, they would not have been able to research treatment for their daughter’s rare cancer, Gaffney said.
‘‘There are still lots of people out there that want to help, that want to give.’’
Givealittle is often used to help raise money for families in need and charities, among other causes.
Over the past month, the generosity of Kiwis has helped raise $1.6 million.
To date, the largest campaign run on Givealittle was for the Awaroa Inlet beach in the Abel Tasman, which raised $2.28m.
Givealittle’s fee would have been $114,000 if the charge had been in place at the time.
One of the men behind the Givealittle campaign to restore the beach to public ownership, Duane Major, said they were fortunate to run a campaign without a having to pay a fee, but understood why it was needed.
‘‘I think that we’ve been enjoying a very privileged space but it sounds like it couldn’t con- tinue like that. I know they wouldn’t have taken that decision lightly.’’
He hoped it would not deter people starting campaigns or donating. ‘‘I hope this doesn’t stop people having ideas and helping others. It just means people need to give a little bit extra to get over that 5 per cent. It would be nice if people continued chipping in to help aspirations occur.’’
Major believed it was an opportunity for another, similar site to be set up, he said.
As well as charging a fee, Givealittle will also launch a new feature called a ‘‘top-up donation’’, which gives a donor the option to make an extra donation to the campaign specifically for the purpose of off-setting fees.