Do it for you

As my involvements in adventurers and expeditions, through FEAT, grows, I keep asking, "What is so wrong with doing something for yourself, because you want to?". I keep getting emails about doing this for some or other cause or "to raise awareness". Very few - if any, actually - say anything like, "I'm running from A to B because it has always been something I've wanted to do".

I think what makes me even more antsy is the 'air of entitlement' that comes with it: "Because I'm doing this for orphans you must sponsor me" and "I'm riding my bike from here to there so you must donate to XYZ organisation". If you say to me, "My dream has been to spend five days pioneering a new route on ABC cliff face, would you sponsor R1/metre?", I'd probably do it. And if you give those Rands collected to the SPCA, that's your call. I'd do it because you're sincere and passionate and doing this because it is something you want to do for you.

I'm not saying that adventures undertaken with causes on board are done even if the person doesn't want to. Of course they do want to. But it almost feels like the cause is the focus and not the person or their physical undertaking. There seems to be so little enthusiasm coming across about the actual expedition, which is really what this is all about.

Here's another thing... friends and relations are the ones most preyed upon and most likely to contribute. They'd be happy to support you by sponsoring so many cents or Rands per kilometre/day/hour because it is you. And if you donate the funds collected to a cause of your choosing, fine. Sure, I'm in the firing line so I get many more donation requests than most, but I also think there are far more effective ways to do good than spending months on your bike 'for a cause'. Peeps, adventures should be about you, first, and causes, second.

Also, if people don't have specific organisation that they support, they'd probably be happy to put money towards someone else's cause. Me? I have organisations that I like to support so I'd prefer to put my R100 into their account, not that of another. Resources just get spread too thin.

Would it be more beneficial for you to organise a fund-raising bingo evening? Let's say your trip takes you away for three months. Would the organisation benefit more from you volunteering to manage their accounts for a year or to spend an hour a day cleaning animal cages or taking a week off work to help to build a house? How about purchasing a couple of cans of paint and organising a team of friends to paint rooms or the exterior over a weekend? Pull together some hot friends to do a car wash at a local mall (with the mall's permission) on a weekend. Or ask friends to put money towards your cause in lieu of wedding, birthday and Christmas gifts.

Consider of the hours you're spending writing emails to people to ask them to donate; when you could raise money more effectively in other ways.

How, outside of a small group of followers, do you raise awareness effectively around cancer (this is being done very well by many organisations), AIDS orphans and the plight of dolphins by walking from Cape Town to Timbuktu. A carefully-crafted expedition can achieve specific objectives but it is not going to improve international relations nor economic investment between India and South Africa.

Without leaving home you can rally support from friend and relations around causes. I've gotten friends to become regular blood donors just by speaking about it; I haven't had to run a kilometre.

When I think of people like Sir Ranulph Fiennes, I think first of his incredible expeditions - physical feats. Many of these have been fund raising initiatives in support of cancer organisations, multiple sclerosis and British Heart Foundation. He has raised millions of Pounds. But, this is Ran we're talking about and his reputation, built over more than four decades, makes him a fund raising success (announced as top celebrity fundraiser by JustGiving in Jan this year). His breakfast/lunch/dinner talks are booked out at x-hundred (or thousand) Pounds a table; the auction of signed memorabilia or used gear can fetch even more.

It saddens me that adventurers - first-timers, many of them - are not focusing on themselves and on enjoying the experience of their adventure because they're so caught up in causes and publicity and Twitter and Facebook and trying to get free stuff from here, there and everywhere.

It makes me think of how, traditionally, girls should be demure; they shouldn't display too much intelligence or independance or capability; definitely shouldn't tell a boy that she likes him and shouldn't whistle. Going after what you want - career, promotion - is still a bit of a no-no (in that telly programme - Cashmere Mafia the one lass gets dumped by her fiance when she gets the publisher position over him; it is not unrealistic).

And so I see this same behaviour when it is 'socially unacceptable' to climb a mountain, run the length of a country or to bike across a continent just because you want to, sans cause.

Finally, I come back to a wonderful question by UK adventurer Alastair Humphreys: 

Would you do this trip if nobody ever knew 

that you had done it?

Adventurers - do it for you.