These 8 most successful GoFundMe campaigns of all time will surely return your faith in humanity. They show that there are still good people out there, ready to help others in need.
GoFundMe is a crowdfunding site, but has one important distinction from other crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. While the latter two give you an opportunity to seek funds for almost everything, from a potato salad to finishing your music album, GoFundMe is there to help you get funds for another kind of need. This crowdfunding site is dedicated to helping people with some life problems like inability to pay scholarship, medical bills, or just help someone lead a better life. If you are more interested in starting a campaign that will help you achieve your life goal, check our 7 most successful Kickstarter categories to fund your project.
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GoFundMe enables its users to create their own page on the site, describe the thing they are trying to fund and upload pictures or videos. The page can be shared on social media to increase the exposure. Those who seek funds are entitled to withdraw any amount that is being donated to their cause, without reaching a goal they have set. After the goal is reached, the donors can still continue to donate, and the campaign will stay alive until the person that posted it decides to stop it. GoFundMe takes 5% of each donated amount, and that’s the way they gain revenue.
To find out the 8 most successful GoFundMe campaigns of all time, we went to the GoFundMe official page and under “success section” browsed through the most successful campaigns to date. The 8 ones that collected the most funding entered our list.
8. Love for Liza
Raised: $566,344
The campaign was created by Ann Marie Haynie on December 17, 2014. She wanted to raise the awareness about Synovial Sarcoma, one of the rarest and most dangerous cancer forms, a disease that affected her sister Liza. All the donated money is going to Love for Liza fund that is dedicated to finding new ways to treat this disease. The amount of $566,344 was raised by 3,585 people in 22 months.
7. Memory Eternal to Fr. Matthew Baker
Raised: $781,500
Seraphim Danckaert created the campaign on March 1, 2015, in order to help Fr. Matthew Baker’s wife and their six children. Matthew Baker died in a car crash, leaving his family without any incomes. 6,760 people raised $781,500 in 20 months for this cause.
6. Celeste & Sydney Recovery Fund
Raised: $797,235
Celeste and Sydney were among the injured people during Boston Marathon bombing. Both women endured severe injuries with Celeste losing both of her legs, and the funding campaign that ranks 6th in our list of most successful GoFundMe campaigns of all time is created by Alyssa Carter on April 16, 2013. It was aimed towards helping Celeste and Sydney during their recovery. $797,235 was raised in 42 months seeing donations from 11,301 donors.
5. BUCKS FOR BAUMAN!
Raised: $810,000
BUCKS FOR BAUMAN! campaign is the second one on our list of 8 most successful GoFundMe campaigns of all time dedicated to people injured during Boston Marathon bombing. Jeff Bauman lost both of his legs during the bombing and his childhood friends Brooke and John created the campaign trying to collect funds and help him with the medical bills. The campaign was supported by 16,520 people who donated $810,000 in 42 months.
4. Chris Mintz – UCC Shooting Survivor
Raised: $819,477
Derek Bourgeo created the campaign for his cousin Chris, who was badly injured in the Umpqua Community College shooting. Chris had to go through the excessive amount of physical therapy, and the funds received through campaign supposed to help him with medical bills and other needs. 24,210 people responded, donating $819,477 in total over the course of 12 months, although the initial goal was just $10,000. And now, let’s see the top three most successful GoFundMe campaigns of all time.
3. Saving Eliza
Raised: $2.05 million
Eliza is a little girl diagnosed with Sanfilippo Syndrom, a disease that causes severe dementia and problems with motor skills. In despair, her parents decided to ask for donations on GoFundMe, so they would be able to finance her treatment. The world responded and Eliza was the first child to receive a new experimental treatment. The goal of the campaign expanded, now collecting the funds to help other children with the same disease.
2. Jo Cox’s Fund
Raised: $2.3 million (£1.9 million)
Jo Cox was a member of British Parliament, who was shot and stabbed in June 2016 by an extremist. After Jo’s death, her husband Brendan started the campaign to preserve the memory of Jo and raise funds for three charities: The Royal Voluntary Service, HOPE not hate and The White Helmets. 44,668 people contributed $2.3 million in 4 months.
1. Support Victims of Pulse Shooting
Raised: $7.85 million
By far the most successful campaign on our list of 8 most successful GoFundMe campaigns of all time is aimed towards helping the families of victims that died in shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando called Pulse. 49 people were killed and 53 wounded, causing it to be one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the U.S. In 4 months, more than 119,000 donated and gathered an amount larger than $7.85 million.
