GoFundMe, the world’s largest social fundraising platform, today announced it has raised more than £2.5 billion through its giving community of over 25 million donors.
This fundraising milestone comes on the heels of record-breaking campaigns that have touched the hearts of people around the world and have delivered help to educators and their classrooms, families affected by illness or disaster and community members in need.
Rob Solomon, CEO of GoFundMe.com, said: “I’m excited to announce that another billion dollars has been raised on GoFundMe. That is an astounding amount of help given and help received — everyday people getting the assistance they need for their classrooms, their families, their favourite charities, their houses hit by storms, their community members in need.
“One of the most thrilling trends to emerge since our last billion dollar milestone is the virality of our campaigns. I don’t just mean one campaign going viral — I mean people catching the giving spirit and being inspired to start campaigns to help other people all around the world.”
A campaign set up in memory of Labour MP Jo Cox by her family and friends, following her death in June 2016, became the largest and fastest growing UK GoFundMe campaign of all time after raising over £62,000 in just four hours, more than doubling to over £150,000 in seven hours. In just one day the campaign raised over £506,000 and within three days it surpassed £1 million. The funds will support causes and charities close to Jo’s heart, including The Royal Voluntary Service, HOPE not hate and The White Helmets.
GoFundMe has also helped save lives, as shown when Kate Brandon, from Bristol, set up an urgent fundraising campaign for her husband Mike after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The ‘Donate4Mike’ campaign raised £400,000, making it the second-largest ever GoFundMe campaign in the UK and allowing Mike to undergo ‘last-hope’ treatment through a clinical trial in the United States.
Following the success of the campaign, Kate set up an additional campaign, Donate4TCells, allowing others battling cancer to undergo T-Cell Therapy in the UK in the future.
GoFundMe also made headlines in October 2016 after former Emmerdale actress, Leah Bracknell, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. A campaign set up by her husband Jez surpassed its £50,000 target as members of the public donated more than £61,000 in a matter of weeks as Leah hopes to travel to Germany for treatment.
Olympic hopefuls have also used GoFundMe to support with training and travel in preparation for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In June 2016 GoFundMe launched a hub to showcase athletes training to compete in the games.
Overseas, GoFundMe’s giving community has come together to support those who need help time and again, including raising more than $11 million for those affected by the Louisiana floods and $7.8 million for the victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando.
-Ends-
For further press information, please contact:
Jane Eggleton/Natalie Garland/Melissa Hobson
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0)20 3440 8927
E: [email protected]
About GoFundMe
GoFundMe was launched on 10 May 2010 and has quickly become the world’s largest social fundraising platform for personal causes and life events, raising £2.5 billion dollars since launch!
With a community of more than 25 million donors, GoFundMe is changing the way the world gives.
GoFundMe provides an ideal platform for people to organise their own campaign to raise money and invite those in their community to support their fundraising. People can use GoFundMe to raise money for themselves, a friend or loved one during life’s important moments. They can also share their campaign with my built-in connections via Facebook, Twitter or email.
People can use GoFundMe for things like medical expenses, education costs, volunteer programmes, youth sports, funerals & memorials – even animals and pets.
For more information, or to set up a fundraising page, visit www.gofundme.com or follow GoFundMe on Twitter or Facebook.
