Number of the Day
Americans Crowdfunding Food and Rent, by the Numbers
GoFundMe introduced a separate category for rent and monthly bills
At least $100 million: That’s how much money individuals have raised on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe to cover basic living expenses like rent and food so far this year, according to the Wall Street Journal.
That’s a 150% increase from 2019, and a greater increase than in any previous year. While GoFundMe has long had fundraiser categories for medical and emergency expenses, the platform in October recognized the surge in people asking for help covering basic expenses by introducing a category for rent and monthly bills.
As the economic recovery from the pandemic-induced recession slows, the flood of fundraising for basic needs on GoFundMe reflects the depths of desperation that many Americans have faced this year, and will likely continue to face through this winter.
Times of desperation also create opportunities for scammers. And as with other platforms that allow financial transactions, scammers have used GoFundMe to dupe people out of money. In October, Sarah Treleaven wrote for OneZero about one GoFundMe scam in which a friend of hers raised more than $100,000 for nonexistent medical issues. While GoFundMe…
