A Beijing-based internet user, Mr. Wang (pseudonym), recently received an unexpected refund of 100 yuan from the Waterdrop crowdfunding platform. The name of the sender was unfamiliar, so he checked the donation platform and discovered it was a refund from a fundraising campaign he had contributed to seven years ago. To his greater surprise, the total amount raised in that campaign was nearly 270,000 yuan. Now, having overcome his difficulties, the recipient has returned all the donations to every contributor.
On April 2, Mr. Wang recounted that the previous day, he had suddenly received a refund from the Waterdrop platform. Surprised, he investigated and found that the refund came from a beneficiary he had assisted seven years prior. He vaguely recalled donating to help a friend's father-in-law. On the donation page, the beneficiary had left a message: "I sincerely thank you for extending a helping hand during our most difficult time, aiding our family through hardship. We are now returning the full amount of 265,525 yuan in donations to the Waterdrop platform. Wishing all kind-hearted people smooth sailing in everything."
Through screenshots shared by Mr. Wang, it was visible that many people had replied beneath the message with comments such as: "Received the refund. How is your father now? Has he recovered?"; "Got the refund. Didn't remember this, came to check and found it was all returned. That must have been tough; you are so kind. Wishing you all the best!"; and "Received a refund notification; checked and realized it was from seven years ago."
The page also indicated that the total amount withdrawn from that fundraising campaign was 265,525 yuan, with the withdrawal date being March 2, 2019. "When I discussed this with a mutual friend, we were both shocked, as it's the first time we've ever received a donation refund," Mr. Wang said. He emphasized that the donation was originally an act of unconditional goodwill, and he never expected it to be returned. This choice—to act proactively when there was no obligation—made this gesture of gratitude and integrity, spanning seven years, particularly touching.
"Online fundraising can sometimes lead to distrust or a feeling that goodwill is betrayed. But this incident is truly comparable to the 'Righteous Brothers'," Mr. Wang remarked. He specifically checked the fundraising page, which showed that a total of 7,001 people had participated in the donation. He reflected, "For the person involved, this is a significant sum of money, and the pressure to return it must be considerable. Moreover, the process of returning the funds to the platform and having the platform redistribute them to all donors is quite cumbersome."
Efforts were made to contact the beneficiary through Mr. Wang to learn more, but Mr. Wang reported that after reaching out, the individual expressed a desire to handle the matter quietly and politely declined an interview. Mr. Wang's account was confirmed by a staff member of the Waterdrop platform. On the afternoon of April 2, a platform representative verified that the refund incident was genuine. "However, during our communication with him, he clearly stated that he declines all interviews."
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