You love your friends, of course you do. You support them in any way you can. You throw a few bucks at their ubiquitous 5K runs and buy their daughters' Girl Guide cookies. You donate to charities that have touched their lives.
But would you open your purse to a friend saving up for adoption or for in vitro fertilization (IVF)? Is that any different? Everyone knows just how
financially draining reproductive assistance can be. (I know of one couple at least, who had to forgo buying a house in order to bankroll a few rounds of IVF. They are still without child.)
Your heart bleeds for friends who can't have what nature gave you so willingly, right? But the latest trend—known as crowdfunding—which involves putting your hopes and dreams on a website such as Indiegogo.com that allows the public to donate to your 'cause,' is bound to rub some people the wrong way.
“I knew by going public with my story that it would provide an easy avenue for family and friends to donate if they saw fit," says Kimberly Sparkman, who
went public about her infertility. "It’s easier to read our story online than it is to hear it face to face, for both parties.”
Great, provided the donations come from nears and dears. But how would you feel about asking for money from former colleagues, acquaintances?
We donate all the time to 'faceless' charities, to virtual strangers, all the time. Shouldn't charity start at home, as the saying goes? Or are couples who ask for reproductive assistance simply being cheeky?
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