Walks for This, Walks for That

I may be off base here, but I thought I would post this and see if anybody else ever had the same feeling.

I was looking at the bulletin in church last Sunday. In the upcoming events section they listed an American Cancer Society "Relay for Life" one weekend and a "2008 CROP Walk" on behalf of Church World Service the next weekend.

That’s nice, I thought, but how does me going out and walking some long distance help people with cancer or Church World Service? If it was the American Heart Association, I could see it. All that walking would help my heart. But cancer or Church World Service? I don’t understand.

Actually, of course, I do understand. They didn’t say so in the bulletin, but what this is really about is raising money. I am supposed to get people to "sponsor" me, committing to contribute X dollars (or Y cents) for each mile I walk. In other words, it really isn’t about walking, it’s about money. They don’t really need me to walk. They want me to raise money. As long as I sent them the money, they probably wouldn’t care if I walked (except for losing the publicity value of having lots of people show up).

Really, these walks are just another way to try to raise money. It’s sort of the charitable equivalent of a Tupperware® party. Instead of inviting your neighbors in to buy overpriced plastic bowls they don’t really need, you ask them to contribute money to something that they wouldn’t otherwise give to. And to make it easier to ask – and harder for them to say no – you agree to do something, like walk a certain number of miles, to get them to give. If Tupperware parties are selling by guilt, this is fund-raising by guilt.

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Update (4/12/08 11:20 p.m.): Based on comments I have received, I think I may have missed the point on at least some of the various walks out there. I may have been too cynical about them. I stand corrected. But I still say Tupperware® parties are selling by guilt!

Comments

[sue]

thanks for your update. Many people use the walks to honor deceased loved ones. It also helps them get over their lose.