I whitnessed it once, a donativo albergue driving up the camino and giving out flyers. Even leaving the car to build up a more convicing personal contact. And I got told that the same person was as well sitting beside his entrance, waiting for pilgrims and trying to convince them to stay at his place. And I was really surprised, I didn't expect such competetive behaviour from a Donativo-Albergue. And it made me think, what could be the motivation? But I noticed as well that there are pilgrims who don't question such behaviour. For them it's authentic pilgrims spirit, a wonderful guy, who offers shelter, only for a donation, no business, pure altruism. Is it? I doubt it.
A Donativo Albergue is categorically defined as a non profit business "albergue sin fines de lucro". I leave you here 2 links to local spanish newspapers.
https://www.europapress.es/asturias...rinos-animo-lucro-otra-no-20200205163818.html
Castilla y León cuenta con 286 alojamientos privados de este tipo y otros 66 hospitalarios
www.elnortedecastilla.es
The "donativo" is donated to maintain the albergue, not to make business. Donativo Albergues are only allowed to host pilgrims. Because of the charity character they enjoy certain advantages: lower taxes, less till zero requirements. But it's as well a legal greyzone, that leads to abuse and competitive distortion. That is why Spain (and Portugal?) tries to regulate the sector better, but very slowly. A question here was, why should a Donativo-Albergue not advertise? My answer is, why should a Donativo-Albergue advertise, when it is a non profit business! And when a Donativo Albergue advertises, what's the reason? Economical benefit? The Donativo Albergue as a business model? Turning up side down the original idea of Donativo. Particulary competing with other Albergues nearby, "Donativo" can make the difference as a unique feature. But Donativo Albergues also attract pilgrims who have no money or take the opportunity to skip out of the bill. To compensate the loss and to gain benefit, the commercially orientaded Donativo Albergue tries to fill the house with as many pilgrims as possible and looks particularly for pilgrims with money, pilgrims who usually book common Albergues. There is no better prey as a pilgrim, who already calculated, for example, 20 Euros for the night in the next Hostel and posts this money now in the Donativo Box. Where do you catch those pilgrims? On the road, distributing flyers camino up and down, lurking at the entrance or using the internet, advertising in social media. How do you make such guests happy? Offering perfect service and installations exceeding the donativo standard. It might be rewarded with a bigger donation and glorious reviews. With other words, a comercially oriented Donativo-Albergue is well equipped and highly competitive. Competitive and non profit is a contradiction. Why don't they simply run a common Albergue? Possibly because Donativos are cheaper to run, less taxes, less regulated, more benefit (when you ignore the original purpose). You might say what does it matter to me? Determining is wether I enjoyd the stay or not. For me hypocrisy and recklessness matters. Particulary because it is not just any camino it is the camino with it's very special ethical background and features such as the Donativo Albergues, whose purpose is not business.
P.S. I am happy to hear that the behaviour of this particular Donativo Albergue is not common on the camino and that mostly of the Donativo Albergues seem to be what they are meant to be: non profit businesses.
I know that my post will cause opposition. But perhaps it is as well a cause for thought.