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GoFundMe - "you want money for what?"

BIScom Subsection: 
Author: 
Editorial Staff

GoFundMe is a crowdfunding platform where people post requests for money for a variety of reasons. It's not Kickstarter which has a specific business model and relates solely to businesses wanting a little bit of help with the development of a product. Some of the things that appear on GoFundMe are brilliant. Some are, well, not. Here are some of the nots.

1. Money to start my own company :)

Hi! My name is Fazry and I interested to have own company. I need some money to do this because I doesn't have enough money to start my own business. I hope that this website can help me to find out money to start my own businesses. Thanks to all donor. I appreciate it :)

Created: Created 12 October 2018
Target: USD100,000
Commitments: nil

2. Borneo Cat Island

The cat island is an idea of which helping the strays...

Target : USD500,000
Launched : no data
Commitments: nil

3. Delivery money for my gift

Hi, my name is sara and I need your help" I have ..

Target : USD10
Date issued: no data - the page has disappeared
Commitments: nil

4. Need help for my life

Hello sir..
I am from Bangladesh. I am 28 years old and I am married man. We are the love married, Already 8 years to go we are married but I can't to do anything for my family. Even I can't take a baby because money is problem. If we take a baby after how can control baby's cost. Here very difficult to collecting to food, rich, my wife also dream a good life but I can't. Me and my wife also searching good place & good life . But we are very tired to searching. Then now time is enough to take a baby but how can, here I have no money, if we take baby after how can control hospital cost, baby's cost. I know & believe god once day we are find a way to go good life& good place. Sir please help me , help my future baby, minimum $1 dollar donate me. Here your $1 dollar make me happy, your $1 dollar make our good family. Please sir request, here $1 dollar nothing to you. But here $1dollar for me much. I hope you help me..

(the system shows the location as USA)

Target USD500
created: 23 January 2018
Commitments: nil.

5. Helpp

I need halp

(yes, that is all it says)

Target: USD100
Campaign created: October 2018
Commitments: nil

6. Money to buy a cousin for Emma

There are thousands of problems on this planet. Hunger, wars, poverty, cancer,hurricanes. But have you thought what one dollar of your donation could do? It could buy this poor girl a cousin. Contribute now and help out a fellow human.

[While in this article we have avoided identifying the fund raiser, this one who claims to be from Malaysia but with a fictitious postcode is using the name "Parth Vaidya" Come on, at least pretend to be serious ]

Target USD35
Campaign started: October 2018
Commitments: nil

7. I want to go to a bts concert

I’m raising money bc I’m broke af and I’ve been a fan of bts for so long and I rrly want to be able to meet them:( you all don’t have to actually donate but it would mean the world to me.

Target: USD1,000
Campaign created: August 2018
Commitments: nil

8. Support after Lombok earthquake.

Last year, the Island of Lombok, near Bali and often seen as a quieter alternative, suffered a series of large earthquakes. We stopped counting at 27 appeals: a GoFundMe search says there are almost 900 appeals that, in some way, related to Lombok but whether they all relate to last year's earthquake is beyond our call of duty to check. Suffice it to say that some appeals are looking for a few dollars (one says the fundraiser is leaving the island the next day and wants to get USD100 to buy basic supplies for a guide) and other are looking for hundreds of thousands. Between them, the amounts sought are well into seven figures. Most do not reach their targets, some missing by a country mile and others falling just short.

The major question here is why, after the first two or three, so many people would want to set up their own fund-raiser and then have to manage either transfer of funds (and find someone trustworthy to collect them) or buy things and have them delivered to.. where, when half the known addresses aren't homes any more. Surely it would make more sense to make a donation to the International Red Cross / Red Crescent appeals?

Some of the larger appeals are structured by businesses who are were, in the immediate aftermath, working to provide aid and relief. They are verifiable. Many, however, are by individuals. It is inevitable that some of these will be less than honest.