Charity Outfit Moray has accused social media giant Facebook of “stealing” donations pledged to help youngsters.
The Lossiemouth-based group raised thousands of pounds from their annual Cairngorm to Coast 62-mile hike and bike challenge in 2019.
A call to support the Outfit Moray fundraisers after the endurance event generated an extra £35 of donations through Facebook.
However, the cash has since become locked in one of the tech firm’s accounts without being passed to the outdoor learning charity or returned to the original donors.
I know £35 may not seem like much, but for a charity like ours that can pay for an outdoor activity for one young person – £35 doesn’t mean anything to Facebook.
The charity is among countless others across the world struggling for cash at the moment while almost all fundraising opportunities have ceased due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fundraiser Karen Cox said: “We only did the Facebook donations as a way for people to congratulate friends of family who did the Cairngorm to Coast.
“It was years ago and I’d forgotten all about it until I was reviewing our accounts and noticed it said it was ‘not paid’ because it didn’t reach £100.
“It’s not going to go over £100 now, so Facebook has essentially stolen those donations from us.”
The social media giant’s fundraising rules require campaigns to reach the £100 threshold in order to qualify for payment.
Meanwhile, Outfit Moray has since closed the bank account used in 2019, meaning even if the donations reached three figures, Facebook would not have anywhere to send the money to.
Mrs Cox has repeatedly attempted to amend the account details on the online fundraiser in an attempt to unlock the money without success.
Outfit Moray aims to enhance the life opportunities for youngsters by running outdoor adventures including rock climbing, mountain biking and kayaking among others.
Mrs Cox said: “I know £35 may not seem like much, but for a charity like ours that can pay for an outdoor activity for one young person – £35 doesn’t mean anything to Facebook.
“I’ve tried every way I can to try and access the money but each time I try they just come back and say ‘case closed’.”
A message to Mrs Cox from Facebook, seen by the Press and Journal, explained that the social media firm was “unable to provide a refund” on the donations.
It added: “All donations will still go towards the charity. Once money raised reaches $100, or the equivalent minimum donation payout amount, it becomes eligible for payout.”
Facebook did not respond to requests to comment from the Press and Journal.