BajaNomad - Worthy Topics - and how BajaNomad can help

Worthy Topics - and how BajaNomad can help

Roberto - 4-14-2008 at 07:38 PM

The recent thread initiated by Grover regarding getting help for the bike-to-kids effort makes me think:

How can the board help? Obviously, there are members willing to participate in these and other, similar, efforts.

Here are a couple of suggestions (off the top of my head).

1. Create a forum for this kind of thing. People would know that any post in that forum is related to some kind of charitable initiative down south.

2. Can BajaNomad function as a kind of "clearing house" for contributions? I realize that would be an additional effort and burden for Doug, but I'm guessing that there are those who would be willing to volunteer and reduce or eliminate said burden. And I'm guessing the board is equipped to take Credit Card, PayPal and possibly other forms of payment.

So, what's the thinking on this? Up, Down?

CaboMagic - 4-14-2008 at 07:55 PM

Roberto if I had more than two thumbs they would be up now too ..

A forum dedicated to charitable events/requests etc would be great.

As far as the clearing house idea I would say better for event coordinator/requestor to set up paypal for their specific thing ..

Buenos noches amigos and amigas .. Lori

edited to thank Roberto for the post!

[Edited on 4-15-2008 by CaboMagic]

DENNIS - 4-14-2008 at 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Roberto
And I'm guessing the board is equipped to take Credit Card, PayPal and possibly other forms of payment.

So, what's the thinking on this? Up, Down?

I think the board takes payments for The Tienda.

Good idea, Roberto. I could only imagine one drawback and that would be if the forum got overloaded with requests, in which case it would lose viewers. Donor Fatigue as my friend Bajamigo once called it.
It certainly deserves an in-depth discussion.

[Edited on 4-15-2008 by DENNIS]

BAJACAT - 4-14-2008 at 08:49 PM

I agree with Dennis,even do is a good idea Roberto,but right now Grover has over 20 bikes and we can get them across .Not that I can fit all 20 in my ram,the thing is getting them at one time is the problem.Mexican customs,may think we want them for resale in mexico.We may have the means to help this people but we do not have the ways to get this item's effectivly to the recipients.What we need is a permit from the Mexican customs, to freely get this items across.I talk to them already,they want proff,of the event, original papers from the club,but BN is not a club is a website I told then officer,and he said that my be a problem,because we have to be register.And on and on.I don't know were to start looking,maybe FDT knows more about this.

Roberto - 4-14-2008 at 11:40 PM

Cat, I understand that. This post is more concerned with future efforts than the one currently underway.

Paulina - 4-15-2008 at 09:13 AM

I like the idea. I picture something like a Nomadslist of whats needed and where, as well as what others may have to donate. This would have been a helpful forum for the mudslide victims in Mulege as well as the more recent tragedy in Punta Banda, just to name two.

I also agree with Dennis regarding the overloading of requests, hopefully the forum would be used for charitable needs and not by those who might need a new fishing reel, hypothetically speaking. Regarding donor fatigue, readers would not have to open the forum if they were feeling overloaded.

It could also afford donor anonymity by using the u2u function.

Good idea Roberto.

P.<*)))><

BajaGeoff - 4-15-2008 at 09:47 AM

I think this is a great idea. Hopefully we can talk Doug into creating a new section exclusively for donating and helping people in Baja. We definitely have great people and resources here to get this going!

DianaT - 4-15-2008 at 09:48 AM

Like the idea a lot. Do agree, however, that it could result in overload---but may be worth a try.

Lots of good projects in which nomads are involved. We, like others, have our favorite one and if there was a separate forum, we would post there four our bike team :yes:

I agree with Paulina, should not be for individual requests --- that should stay in General Discussion and if they showed up in this new forum, the "overpaid" moderator- :lol:

could move them.

Diane

wilderone - 4-15-2008 at 10:04 AM

I went through this very thing when Schools for Chiapas tried to export a truck load of bicycles. We would have had to use a broker and pay a small sum, and we were a bonafide charitable organization. Maybe someone would need to spearhead the creation of a charitable organization, as an umbrella and avenue for all donation projects. Include a PayPal mechanism (like for Manolo), for a secure account for money to flow in and out, and everyone donating could even have the benefit of a tangible tax deductible charitable donation. I would comment too, that I would agree with the donor fatigue syndrome - and hope that "causes" and "projects" would be limited somewhat for effectiveness. At my office where I work, there are waaaay too many, especially around Christmas, and I have a few of my own causes that I support. There are limits to time, money and energy. On the other hand, would this be passing the buck to a few and burden them?

Gadget - 4-15-2008 at 10:53 AM

I think its a great idea also.

And this forum is already a great tool for doing such things.
As an example to the above referenced mud slide, Hurricane Juan, deal in Mulege. I Googled Hurricane Juan reliefe and one of the first links was BajaNomad.com. I found out all the contacts and information, photos etc that allowed my son Ryan (a firefighter) and I to head down and volunteered with the Bomberos for a week doing all manner of projects.

I was so impressed with the quality and amount of Baja info on this site that I signed on and the rest is history.

Bet some of you wish that day never happened :lol:

[Edited on 4-15-2008 by Gadget]

Roberto - 4-15-2008 at 05:26 PM

Doug, Hose_A, what say you?

A heck of a good concept

Sharksbaja - 4-15-2008 at 06:21 PM

Quite frankly Roberto, while giving from the heart is what many can and many more can't do but manage anyway, the thrill(if you can call it that) would or could be deminished by saturation.
I would like to see it stand as it is, primarily because when the topic is highlighted here, it gets more scrutiny, attention and appeal. Just me 2 centavos.

BajaNomad - 4-16-2008 at 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Roberto
Doug, Hose_A, what say you?

I'm following the thread - thought I'd await more comments.

Setting up another forum isn't the big deal - it's everything else that comes with it, and deciding if there's a way to have it continue to be a "good idea" over time.

Hope that made sense.

--
Doug

DENNIS - 4-16-2008 at 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaNomad

Hope that made sense.

Makes a lot of sense to me. I think Roberto has a great idea but I think it would detract from the unique, sponanaity of the meaning of "giving and helping."
I believe that the element of shock is a large part of participation. The new, instant awareness that there is a need. It moves people to react.
A forum of "need" would eventually be ignored, just as every charitable need in Mexico woud be if they all gathered with their cans at the same corner.
I like Roberto's idea of calling attention to causes but, I think it would defeat itself.

Paulina - 4-16-2008 at 07:24 PM

Sorry Dennis, but I don't agree. Let me start off by saying that I don't like discussing the subject with my fingers. I'd rather this be a free exchange of ideas, person to person, between those of us who are interested, but right now that's not going to happen.

Having said that, I don't think the forum would be ignored by those who lean towards the act of giving. If one had it in their person to give or have goods to give, they would be active on the forum. The activity would show up on the "today's posts" and could be clicked or ignored. And, as I said, people who care will click.

Holding cans out on the corner is ok. Eventually you learn which cans to pass up and which ones to drop the coins into.

If worse came to worse and the cause did defeat itself, then all Doug has to do is his magic and delete the forum.

One example would be our storeroom that is full of children's clothing ready to donate. If I start a thread on the subject and no one replies, then it is lost to those who click on todays posts, which I would think most readers do. If there were a forum dedicated to charity, then my offering would be there instantly for those who have need.

We've given to the same charities, people in the desert, small towns over and over again to the point where enough is enough. It would be nice to have a place to say, hey, we've got it, who needs it. Our plea might be lost on the General discussion board.

My two centavos, and like I said, would have been better shared in person, say at Sharkeys!

P<*)))><

BajaGeoff - 4-17-2008 at 02:11 PM

On a related note, a friend heard on the radio that Mexico was easing regulations on donations being brought across the border. Apparently the Mexican government is working on a online form that you could print and fill out.

I googled around a bit but did not find anything.....anyone else hear about this?

Roberto - 4-17-2008 at 05:58 PM

The primary reasons for suggesting this are:

1. Having a separate forum for requests like Grover's would, I think, attract more attention, as it would be clear what is needed, if posted in a separate forum.

2. I suspect there are lots of people who have a hard time participating in person, for one reason or another, but are willing to contribute otherwise and making it easier would ... make it easier. The "clearinghouse" concept.

Those that are more inclined to one-on-one efforts (I am one of those, as it turns out), will not be affected one way or another.

Doug, I understand your "concern", for lack of a better term. As I said, I think that there would be people willing to volunteer their time to keep the forum going, so that the additional burden on you and Hose_A would be minimized. This forum already gets enough traffic that it could make a difference.

Roberto - 4-17-2008 at 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hose A
I can see both good and not so good about this and that is the reason I have not posted an opinion.

Would still appreciate an opinion, though. You have a unique perspective on this, so I think it would be valuable. I may be all wet. Wouldn't be the first time.

Wingnut - 4-18-2008 at 04:54 PM

This idea is intriguing to say the least but actually making it happen may be more than just setting up a forum. The idea of becoming a charitable organization may be a problem. If I am not mistaken, the website is actually in the US and US laws would be easy enough to deal with but will Mexico allow you to become a charitable organization. Then you need to have someone in charge of the organization to approve all the charitable happenings. If you register to bring items into Mexico would the individual group at the location be required to register as a member of the charitable organization. All in all it sounds like a lot of headache for someone. I think the forum is easily done and then the person setting up request for help can deal with Paypal and leave Doug out of it.

DianaT - 4-18-2008 at 05:03 PM

I really agree with what Paulina said and it could also work in reverse. There are things our bike team always needs and it would be there for anyone who is interested and has goods they want to donate.

I don't think anyone wants to keep posting new threads asking for help over and over again and this way it would not be necessary.

[Edited on 4-19-2008 by jdtrotter]

Iflyfish - 4-18-2008 at 05:11 PM

I like to know what the real needs are that real Nomads identify. It is important for me to move my energy in a positive way in the world. I am also aware that there are scam artists and others who would take advantage of the generosity of the Nomads. It is a dillema. I am interested in hearing about projects that are supported by Nomads. I am not interested in an open request for help. There is simply too much need.

A year or so ago I posted on the subject of small business loans, something that has become very popular in the world. Direct people to peole investing in local projects vetted by local people. Unfortunately I was not able to identify an organization in the Baja that seemed sufficiently up to speed on the issue, so dropped it.

I was able to donate to some projects in Baja and found it very easy if the poster set up a PayPal account. I don't think it is the business nor should it be for the moderator to take on the task of vetting these projects. I do think that these potential sources of help for locals aught to be initiated directly by Nomads and PayPal accounts established. It is the credibility of the Nomads and their local knowledge that is essential for me.

Iflyfish