Raising money for a personal cause has become as simple as hitting ‘share.’
GoFundMe has become one of the most popular sources for crowdfunding. Crowdfunding is a form of personal fundraising through the collective effort of friends, family and other individuals willing to donate. The site allows anyone with internet access to raise money for a cause.
After creating a campaign, users are prompted to share the donation page on social media. The idea is that through reposting, donations will begin to flood in from relatives, friends, followers or even your grandmother’s Farmville friend from Utah.
While the site is known to raise money for people during times of extreme financial crisis and medical need, GoFundMe’s categories cover a wide range of causes, including event and wish funding. According to the site’s homepage, over 10,000 people start campaigns on GoFundMe every day.
Brooke Derouchie of Malone, NY, used GoFundMe to help pay for her dog’s surgery. In July 2017, Derouchie’s great-aunt passed away, leaving behind two Cockapoos, Gracie and Darcie. Not wanting to abandon the dogs, Derouchie adopted them into her family.
After adding the two dogs to her family, Derouchie began to notice that one of the dogs, Gracie, was having trouble using the bathroom, so Derouchie decided to take her to the vet.
Gracie’s bladder was completely packed with stones and was going to rupture. The veterinarian told Derouchie the removal surgery would cost no less than $500.
Without the extra cash lying around, Brooke Derouchie turned to GoFundMe for help.
“I just explained the situation and shared it to my Instagram and Facebook pages,” Derouchie said. “After a short time, my friends and followers donated at least half of the money we needed, which made it easier.”
After raising your desired amount of money, you can request that GoFundMe sends you a check.
Kaitlyn Hubbard of Malone, NY used the site in October 2017 to help aid her pregnancy. After a premature water break at 16 weeks, Hubbard had to travel two hours to Burlington, VT, once a week to see a specialist. Hubbard also shared her donation page through Facebook.
GoFundMe previously took a 5 percent cut of the received donations, but in November 2017, the site removed the platform fee in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. However, the payment processors charge 2.9 percent, plus 30 cents.
Crowdfunding sites work best when they are shared and re-shared often. The more people who share, the better the outcome will be. GoFundMe’s most popular campaigns have become successful through the power of sharing.
GoFundMe is not the only site to become popular by using the crowdfunding technique. Like GoFundMe, YouCaring is a crowdfunding site for personal causes and nonprofits. Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Patreon allow users to raise money for creative projects. Some crowdfunding sites are niche-based, like Honeyfund, a site used by newlyweds to raise funds for a wedding, honeymoon or even a down payment.
With the plethora of crowdfunding sites that can be found on the internet, there’s a good chance one will fit your fundraising needs, you just have to be ready to press ‘share.’
APN 