Sometimes it takes a village, or the Web, to raise cash
By Nancy McLaughlin, News & Record, Greensboro, N.C. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
"For all the reasons you would think -- It will never work, it's embarrassing to put yourself out there, what will people think of us?" said
"However, in a moment of desperation, I thought, 'What's to lose?'?"
GoFundMe, a crowdfunding website, lets people pitch an idea or need, such as funeral costs, and ask others to donate money -- such as "Save T's tatas" or "Marko's Green Card!!!"
Each participant lists a dollar goal and just why the help is needed.
Brieaddy, 37, of Kerners ville ended her "Healing4Rebekah" introduction with: "I am praying for a miracle." Brieaddy mentioned the five children, ages 4 to 18, in her blended family; how she dislocated her right knee nine times and her left knee six times, with doctors having successfully operated on the right knee in October; and how she still needs the left one done.
In two days, she raised
GoFundMe has produced more than
Company officials declined to comment for this article, but GoFundMe notes on its website that contributions are not tax deductible unless the money goes to a charity with a tax identification number. People setting up an account are required to use their real names, and the site prominently displays a "report a fraud" link.
The group has an "A" rating with the
Potential problems
Crowdfunding "has the potential to do a lot of good and a lot of great things; unfortunately, there's also the potential for fraud," said
Some people, for example, will read about real tragedies and set up fund raisers that simply line their own pockets. Hinterberger encourages people to do as much research as possible.
"For some folks -- like in the situation of the dog -- it's 'I'll donate
"Think of the days when it was much more common to see, at a checkout counter, a can for collecting money for someone," Iltis said. "You never knew for sure where that money was going. This is a high-tech version of that."
Iltis said it raises issues of fairness and justice but possibly reflects a longing for community that no longer exists for some people. Once, when people weren't as mobile, they found that sense of community in neighborhoods or religious congregations.
"People used to belong to churches and synagogues, and if someone died or fell ill and needed money to pay for a surgery, by God, the people in the church would figure it out," Iltis said. "So many people have lost those moral communities that maybe these step in.
"There's something about that that's mattered to us in the past," Iltis said of banding together to try to solve problems.
Some are just fun, Iltis said: "True panhandling -- 'I want to go on a trip. Help me pay for it.' "
Current pitches from the Triad area include "Teacher's In Vitro Fertilization" in
Donated money goes directly into a savings account, except for GoFundMe's 5 percent processing fee. The money is accessible in about a week.
"We thought about that fee, but it's an amazing way to help people who couldn't otherwise get the help," said
Strangers have encouraged
"You find people who don't have any connection to you or your family, but they've been through the struggle or there are those who went on the site and just decided to help out that day,"
"We took out a check the other day, and it paid off the first two installments of her mastectomy,"
Not all succeed
All donations made through GoFundMe are posted, along with optional notes from donors. Some are listed as anonymous.
Wishes can be tracked by category (accidents and emergencies), ZIP code (near me) and newest posts.
Among the site's most popular: "Support for the Andy Kargel Family," which raised more than
Many of the pitches are far from their goals.
Quick response
While waiting for her daughter to fall asleep one night, Brieaddy, the preacher's wife, sat on the bedroom floor with the family laptop, and within five minutes, had gone through all the steps to set up her account.
Brieaddy once owned a house-cleaning company while juggling the schedules of five children, but she no longer can get down on her hands and knees. The family had been in constant prayer about her knee problems and the two torn tendons in her foot, the result of being rear-ended in a car accident. A friend suggested GoFundMe.
"I was a little embarrassed, but chronic pain for two years can change your attitude about some things," Brieaddy said. "There are a lot of nights you can't see my ankle bone it is so swollen."
She also thought of her tired husband, in the other room.
"Here's my poor husband working three jobs trying to make up for the income I wasn't able to bring in any more," Brieaddy said. "He tries so hard to take care of our family."
So,
As with Brieaddy's, people use sentimental photos with their pleas, such as pets in need of surgery. Brieaddy posted pictures of herself and her family.
Ten minutes later, while still on the floor of her daughter's room, Brieaddy got the first text alert on her telephone.
It was a friend of her mom's in another state who had donated
The third donation, posted as anonymous, deposited
When the woman later identified herself to Brieaddy, it was someone she had seen in passing in recent years. The woman told a bawling Brieaddy that she had recalled all Brieaddy had done to help others, even when it meant doing without herself.
"Literally 48 hours later, there was
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