I actually deal with this stuff all time as the head of a ball association. I don't understand a lot of "charity" and "fund raising" stuff. By the time you get done donating not just your time, but gas and other stuff to get the fund raising done, you truly would be ahead to just give money or goods, whatever. I spend a lot of my own money on stuff simply because it's easier. Not to mention the fact that it eliminates having to beg people to get stuff done. Not being obligated to somebody for them having helped somebody or some thing at my behest is actually worth something to me. I think about this stuff a lot and still never come up with a viable answer.
At any rate, in this case, wouldn't a $40 scope be cheaper, in the end, than all the back-and-forth on the internet, emails, endless PM's and especially all the bad publicity for SM? It's astonishing actually.
