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That's exactly how it should be.Yes, I ended up giving double at some donativo albergues because I knew a couple pilgrims were not giving money. Donation should be equivalent to at least what you would pay for a bed municipal elsewhere and if a meal provided, should include at least the equivalent for a meal you would pay for a similar meal elsewhere. Donations given today provide meals for tomorrow.
There are a few exceptions to the rule.Everyone can afford to donate something.
Well said !!Most pilgrims can afford to donate at least as much as they would pay in another albergue.
So please think carefully about your donation and don't think of them as free!
Paying more for better service encourages better service....and vice versa. I am happy to donate more if they have made more effort.Truly, if the donativo doesn’t meet one’s expectations, then the pilgrim should be motivated to give more so that it meets the expectations of the next pilgrims…. THAT is the Way.
I even can tell you a worse experience.The other day I made a critical comment about food at an albergue. Another pilgrim said I should not complain as it was free.
If donativos are treated as free then there will be no more donativos.
Everyone can afford to donate something. Most pilgrims can afford to donate at least as much as they would pay in another albergue.
So please think carefully about your donation and don't think of them as free!
But if one albergue provides welcoming tea and biscuits and a communal meal and another provides no food and lacks toilet paper in the washroom, the difference may not be in the amount of effort on the part of the volunteers but rather on the funding they have to work with. Donating less because one has received less doesn't motivate them to do more. It just continues to prevent it.Paying more for better service encourages better service....and vice versa. I am happy to donate more if they have made more effort.
They are not worthy to be called Pilgrims , they are just common thieves.Disgusting these “ pilgrims”
I also tend not to think as my donation as paying for what I have received but rather as paying for what I want tomorrow's pilgrims to receive.
Some people were quite generous and others left nothing. It is better on the hospitalero side not to know how much is given each day. It encourages you to treat each pilgrim with the same hospitality.
Yah, I just don't look to see if people are putting money in and unless we are required to count it daily, I just don't count it.I commend those who are capable of offering hospitality with grace and kindness, and without judgement. I have to admit I didn't find this easy when I volunteered at a Donativo last year. I think now, I would prefer not to know what individuals give for the reason you mention.
I also tend not to think as my donation as paying for what I have received but rather as paying for what I want tomorrow's pilgrims to receive.
If we think about our donations as payments for what we ourselves received, there is an unfortunate chance that a downward spiral could develop. You get some people with the misconception that it is free, leading to less funding to provide for the next day's pilgrims. Those pilgrims receive less, and so donate less, meaning that the albergue continues to have to provide less. And so on.
On the other hand, given the benevolence with which most pilgrims consider fellow pilgrims, if we consider ourselves as wanting to pay for the next, we are likely to want to contribute more so that they can receive even more than we have. And donativo albergues being the non-profit entities they are, our generous donations will ensure that future pilgrims can receive even more than we did.
Many Hospitalero's pay to be your host. Thank them by helping to sponsor these places. As Pilgrims we are part of a community, when you need help, someone will step forward. Be the guide and help when you can. Be gracious .The other day I made a critical comment about food at an albergue. Another pilgrim said I should not complain as it was free.
If donativos are treated as free then there will be no more donativos.
Everyone can afford to donate something. Most pilgrims can afford to donate at least as much as they would pay in another albergue.
So please think carefully about your donation and don't think of them as free!
I don't know if I can judge. If a "budget tourist" is willing to sleep on a thin mattress on the floor and share a very simple meal, perhaps he or she can learn something from the atmosphere at the donativos. Many of us who call ourselves pilgrims will acknowledge that we have learned much along the Way, perhaps especially at the donativos. But I hope that there will always be places at donativos for those who need them to make their pilgrimage.Me thinks donavitos is to enable pilgrims, not budget tourists, who could not afford lodging or food, to continue their pilgrimages.
Users of donavitos who could afford to "donate" a bit more than usual to support fellow pilgrims in need, not to mention the fund required to upkeep them.
David this is on of the best posts I have read here in a long time. Thank you.But if one albergue provides welcoming tea and biscuits and a communal meal and another provides no food and lacks toilet paper in the washroom, the difference may not be in the amount of effort on the part of the volunteers but rather on the funding they have to work with. Donating less because one has received less doesn't motivate them to do more. It just continues to prevent it.
just saw your post I posted almost the same thing. His post is the bottom line.Can't say it better than this. Thank you, David - exactly.
I can honestly say some of my best shared pilgrim experiences have been some of my most uncomfortable nights on a colchoneta wedged between numerous other pilgrims on a tile floor. Although the donativo albergue is a draw for those with little means, it should also be a draw for any pilgrim looking for hospitality, friendship, and a sense of belonging.I don't know if I can judge. If a "budget tourist" is willing to sleep on a thin mattress on the floor and share a very simple meal, perhaps he or she can learn something from the atmosphere at the donativos. Many of us who call ourselves pilgrims will acknowledge that we have learned much along the Way, perhaps especially at the donativos. But I hope that there will always be places at donativos for those who need them to make their pilgrimage.
Can you explain, please?Maybe about a month.
You pay what you can afford for the goods/services you have received. If you cannot pay, then perhaps you can exchange work or services for what you need. Regardless, the amount you pay is truly just a donation and is unregulated.What is the essential concept of a donativo?
I would not call this example a donativo that we are talking about here. There are fruit stands and places along the way that offer refreshment for a donation, but we have been talking in this thread about donativo albergues. They are albergues what are often staffed by volunteers and owned by an association/confraternity, church, or municipal organization. I volunteer for two organizations that staff a number of these albergues. Normally they are quite simple and provide a bed/place to sleep, shower, a place to do your laundry, and sometimes meals like breakfast or supper. Some also offer other optional activities such as meditation services, pilgrim blessings. Pilgrims may leave a donation or not.Q2. What is the essential concept of a donativo? I paid 2€ for a coffee which is more than I would be charged in a local cafe in Spain. The owner remained with her hand open for more. I was very embarrassed. Why can’t donativos publish a list of recommended prices? I would happily pay what they ask in the knowledge that my “full price” payment might help another who pays less.
Great explanation. Thank you. But why not list the recommended prices in all donativos? It would give the owners more control of income, remove embarrassment for those who wish to pay a “good and fair” price, and still make it possible for those who cannot afford to pay to offer their services in exchange.You pay what you can afford for the goods/services you have received. If you cannot pay, then perhaps you can exchange work or services for what you need. Regardless, the amount you pay is truly just a donation and is unregulated.
Sadly, there are some places that claim “donativo” but actually are not, because they expect a payment of a certain amount. Those places can be simply looking to profit or may have had poor experiences in the past with pilgrims not paying, so they give folks an extra nudge or list the expected donation. In these examples where they might demand more than what one gives, the owners truly should list a price. It is their hope, though, that you’ll give more than what they would have asked. This is NOT in the donativo spirit and should not be confused with true donativos.
I think what @Albertagirl means is that many people may start out as tourists on an exciting travel trip and during the walk and over the course days the journey becomes a pilgrimage. You have a lot of time to think about things that you maybe didn't have time for in the past you begin to find meaning in what you are doing that maybe was not there before.Can you explain, please?
@MaxHelado this is actually one of the more debated questions on the Camino like whether one should take a rain poncho or a rain coat. Some organizations just believe in the spirit of the donativo albergues. There are a few of them along the various Camino routes. They are not in every town, but if you have a chance to stay one and you feel comfortable doing so, I would invite you to share in this type of hospitality.Great explanation. Thank you. But why not list the recommended prices in all donativos? It would give the owners more control of income, remove embarrassment for those who wish to pay a “good and fair” price, and still make it possible for those who cannot afford to pay to offer their services in exchange.
For me, economically comfortable and at liberty to squander my generous pension as I see fit, the concept of a price list in a Donativo is anathema.Great explanation. Thank you. But why not list the recommended prices in all donativos? It would give the owners more control of income, remove embarrassment for those who wish to pay a “good and fair” price, and still make it possible for those who cannot afford to pay to offer their services in exchange.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!We explain the donativo as "giving what your heart and your pocketbook may allow". This may mean helping to wash dishes or providing a kindness to others or helping to prepare the meal or providing music/song for others. For those who can and want to, a donation box is available. For others, there is no pressure or need to give. We are to show the pilgrim where donations can be shared and nothing more. We do explain that today's donations help tomorrow's pilgrims. We are not to say how much or how little to contribute or that you must give anything at all. Pilgrims decide on their own what they can and cannot do. No one is shamed or held up in greatness because they gave too little or too much. Hospitality is shared with all who stay.
How does one get on the list to volunteer at one of the donativos?
I’m volunteering at the pilgrims office again this summer, but would like to maybe be a hospitalera next summer or the summer after that.
Ruth
One way, contact Rebekah on the forum: she organises volunteers in some donativos.How does one get on the list to volunteer at one of the donativos?
I’m volunteering at the pilgrims office again this summer, but would like to maybe be a hospitalera next summer or the summer after that.
Ruth
Most volunteers won't know the overall cost for the albergue functioning. There is usually a committee or person who manages the "books" for the facility and makes sure utilities etc. get paid. Only If you own the albergue personally/privately would you know.At least once on a Camino, I will ask a donativa how much it costs them to operate their albergue for one day. I will donate that amount; not every time, but at least one time. Any other stays, I will donate what I would pay at a casa rural. I worked hard - and still work hard - to earn my good fortune, and love being able to share it as I see a need.
Most volunteers won't know the overall cost for the albergue functioning. There is usually a committee or person who manages the "books" for the facility and makes sure utilities etc. get paid. Only If you own the albergue personally/privately would you know.
There is no significant difference that is agreed upon and that can be identified. In general, a pilgrim is someone travelling to a holy site; a tourist is someone visiting other places to see the sights. Obviously, on the Camino one can be both simultaneously.Q1. Can someone please explain the difference between a pilgrim and a tourist walking the Camino?
A donativo is a place where one pays "by donation". There isn't a specified cost. I have been to donativos where recommended donations are suggested (although not required). Others are very careful not to.Q2. What is the essential concept of a donativo? I paid 2€ for a coffee which is more than I would be charged in a local cafe in Spain. The owner remained with her hand open for more. I was very embarrassed. Why can’t donativos publish a list of recommended prices? I would happily pay what they ask in the knowledge that my “full price” payment might help another who pays less.
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