Photo: Screenshot from GoFundMe/Back to Belfast
A GoFundMe campaign appeared online today depicting a DMC DeLorean aficionado’s attempt to purchase and restore this model in Belfast.
On the crowdfunding campaign page, the Irish DeLorean fan named Clark Wilson claims it’s time to “bring these magnificent machines back home to Northern Ireland,” without specifying how many DeLoreans he plans to buy and restore in the long run. We do know that he wants to raise £ 25,000 for the first car. In seven hours, his campaign only got a backer, who donated £10.
Clark Wilson claims that the restoration process will take place in Belfast and will support local businesses. In return for their donations, the backers will get to follow the progress on social media. Wilson hasn’t specified what he intends to do with the first car once it’s finished and whether he plans to do all the work himself or he expects to start another funding campaign to finance the restoration as well.
Wilson’s goal is to “bring these cars back to life for future generations to enjoy,” but this statement doesn’t really mean much more than what a car museum could do. The legacy of John DeLorean and the only model his company managed to build will surely live on through the Back To The Future series that made this car as famous as it is today.
What we don’t like about this campaign is the limited information provided by the person requesting £25,000 regarding his future intentions and current plans. We don’t think that it’s okay to just ask strangers on the Internet to fund your dream with nothing more in return than just some pictures of your work progress.
In the case of personal fundraising campaigns, GoFundMe’s policy doesn’t include a refund clause in case the project doesn’t pan out as promised or if the amount requested never gets raised. This happens for several reasons: the terms of service on GoFundMe don’t include any deadlines or goal requirements, no penalties for missing the goal, and the requester gets to keep every donation received. Even GoFundMe specifies the following on the donate page: “All payments are final and cannot be refunded. Only give to people you know and trust.”
Since the withdrawal process doesn’t affect the campaign’s progress meter, the person requesting funding for a project can always take money from backers without any justification or sign in front of them. The only limit is that withdrawals take between five and seven business days and GoFundMe automatically deducts a 5% fee from each donation received.
Our opinion is that such projects shouldn’t start without a clear direction and transparent spending. The starter of this project didn’t bother mentioning any particular skills he has in restoring a car, any experience in this area of expertise or anything that qualifies him to buy and restore a car. And no, a Facebook page started the same day as the campaign doesn't count.
Clark Wilson claims that the restoration process will take place in Belfast and will support local businesses. In return for their donations, the backers will get to follow the progress on social media. Wilson hasn’t specified what he intends to do with the first car once it’s finished and whether he plans to do all the work himself or he expects to start another funding campaign to finance the restoration as well.
Wilson’s goal is to “bring these cars back to life for future generations to enjoy,” but this statement doesn’t really mean much more than what a car museum could do. The legacy of John DeLorean and the only model his company managed to build will surely live on through the Back To The Future series that made this car as famous as it is today.
What we don’t like about this campaign is the limited information provided by the person requesting £25,000 regarding his future intentions and current plans. We don’t think that it’s okay to just ask strangers on the Internet to fund your dream with nothing more in return than just some pictures of your work progress.
In the case of personal fundraising campaigns, GoFundMe’s policy doesn’t include a refund clause in case the project doesn’t pan out as promised or if the amount requested never gets raised. This happens for several reasons: the terms of service on GoFundMe don’t include any deadlines or goal requirements, no penalties for missing the goal, and the requester gets to keep every donation received. Even GoFundMe specifies the following on the donate page: “All payments are final and cannot be refunded. Only give to people you know and trust.”
Since the withdrawal process doesn’t affect the campaign’s progress meter, the person requesting funding for a project can always take money from backers without any justification or sign in front of them. The only limit is that withdrawals take between five and seven business days and GoFundMe automatically deducts a 5% fee from each donation received.
Our opinion is that such projects shouldn’t start without a clear direction and transparent spending. The starter of this project didn’t bother mentioning any particular skills he has in restoring a car, any experience in this area of expertise or anything that qualifies him to buy and restore a car. And no, a Facebook page started the same day as the campaign doesn't count.
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