05/04/2026
****Cross post from Personal page*******
⁉️ Fundraiser SCAM or not SCAM - We have all seen and probably voted in these "fundraisers" - e.g "America's Favorite Pet", .....1 Vote for Free, then Buy Additional Votes...or on a certain day, 1/2 price today to buy additional votes which folks do so that their fav dog can move up among the contenders, and it keeps going and going and then crickets at the end...
Now, this company, that hosts these have expanded "their fundraiser topics beyond pets"....
💁 I did a little research on this gimmick and asked ChatGPT about the corporate charity behind these fundraisers, Colossal.org.
ChatGPT response:
The “Colossal fundraiser” you’re seeing pop up all over social media is real—but it’s not a typical charity fundraiser, and that’s where a lot of the confusion (and skepticism) comes from.
Here’s the straight scoop:
🧠 What Colossal actually is
Colossal is a for-profit professional fundraiser, not a charity itself.
It runs online competitions (think: “America’s Favorite Pet,” “Favorite Chef,” “Baby of the Year,” etc.).
People enter and then compete for votes—often promoted heavily on social media.
👉 The hook:
Winners get prizes (cash, media exposure, experiences).
Votes can be free… but also purchased as “donations.”
💸 Where the money goes
Donations don’t go directly to the featured charity.
They go through an intermediary nonprofit (like DTCare), which then distributes funds after fees and costs are taken out.
Colossal says this model has generated hundreds of millions for charities since 2022.
👉 Translation:
Yes, charities do benefit.
But it’s a commercial fundraising model with overhead, not a pure direct donation.
⚙️ How the competitions work
Tournament-style brackets (people get grouped, then narrowed down).
Advancement depends heavily on number of votes (including paid votes).
Heavy emphasis on viral sharing + “vote for me!” campaigns.
🤔 Why people get skeptical
You’ll see mixed opinions online for a reason:
Common concerns:
People don’t always realize it’s a paid-vote fundraising system, not just a simple contest
Confusion about how much of each dollar actually reaches the charity
The bracket system can feel misleading (lots of “groups” and rounds)
Emotional/social pressure to donate for votes
Some complaints say the process isn’t always clearly explained upfront, even if it’s technically disclosed in rules.
👍 The upside (fair perspective)
It does raise serious money for causes (millions per campaign in some cases)
It leverages social media better than traditional fundraisers
Small donations (“$5 votes”) can add up quickly at scale
🧾 Bottom line (no fluff)
Not a scam—but not a traditional charity drive either.
It’s basically gamified crowdfunding with prizes, run by a for-profit company.
Good for awareness and fundraising—but you should go in eyes wide open about the model and fees.
💁My personal conclusion - I will vote but only the free vote....not buying votes that go to a corporation, whereby they determine the prize money and not 100% goes to the winners...to me this is pretty shady.
