Online fundraisers: the new spaghetti dinner?
The Internet continues to add conveniences to everyday life – and fundraising is no exception. Thanks to websites like Go Fund Me, Kiskstarter, Indiegogo and YouCaring, raising funds is as simple as a few clicks of a mouse.
In recent weeks, The Almanac has written several touching stories that have included online fundraising links.
In a brief about proceeds from collegiate basketball games benefitting medical bills for 2-year-old leukemia patient Aiden Zangrilli, a Go Fund Me link was also provided for those who couldn’t attend the games.
In a story about the Fabus family establishing the Joey Fabus Childhood Cancer Foundation, a Go Fund Me link was provided – and in previous stories about Fabus’ fight, links were provided to help with medical bills and, ultimately, funeral expenses.
When Bethel Park resident Deborah Johnson lost her home to a fire in January, a neighbor set up a Go Fund Me page to help her rebuild.
In this week’s issue, in the story “Local series on Freemasons seeks backers” on page 22, an Indiegogo link appears at the end of the piece.
The links are easily sharable on social media, allowing the potential for far more visibility and less overhead than a spaghetti dinner fundraiser.
In theory.
A quick glance at the frequently asked questions on Go Fund Me’s website – arguably one of the most popular online fundraising sites – notes that a five percent Go Fund Me fee is deducted from each donation automatically, and another three percent processing fee is deducted from each online donation.
And, while all of the above causes are legit, beware of those who set up an online fundraiser to take advantage of giving people, or to poke fun. For example, earlier this month, a campaign by an Arizona woman to fix a crack in her in-ground swimming pool – her personal, in-ground swimming pool – went viral. She received so much backlash for the campaign that she removed the post.
We are all for making it easy and convenient to help out those in need, but before you break out your credit card online, be sure you are donating to a worthy cause.