Crowdfunding simplified is basically raising funds to financially support a cause, this can be for a memorial or for charity. In our digital era, crowdfunding has been transformed to be an online platform now. You don't necessarily need to host a fundraising event anymore, you can create a page on a site like GoFundMe and get your page circulated in hopes of reaching the masses for donations. Crowdfunding is obviously a great solution for people who need support. It's sad to see people so vulnerable about their situation but it's beautiful to see so many willing donors who are taking the time to help them out and bring awareness to their circumstances.

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I went to take a visit on GoFundMe's site and had a lot of mixed feelings. Let's be real. It's definitely a popularity contest in my opinion. Top stories are set to the front page and it filters out all the left behind pages, which is troubling just because everyone on this site deserves equal attention. But I get it, it's an algorithm thing and they want to be organized and concise. It just rubs me the wrong way, it's still a great site though. (Above is a screenshot of what I saw at the time)

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When I first went on this site on (5/22/19) I saw a disparity. I feel like I definitely trained my eye to seek diversity and there was a lack of it on GoFundMe. I don't know if I'm being overly critical but on the home page all the top stories were of caucasian causes. I wish I would've screenshot the page so that I have evidence to back up my claim but I don't. As of now they've sprinkled three P.O.C stories on the home page out of 12. I don't know it's kind of sketch and worth looking into. I had to click onto the set categories to finally see P.O.C causes. But hey, this isn't my place. I thought maybe I was being dramatic and jumping onto this social justice bandwagon but other peers in my class felt the same way which further validated my stance. So there's that. 

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To investigate further I chose a cause that caught my attention because of its relatability and overwhelming support. 

This campaign (above & below) is for Lisa Fierro who had birth complications with her C-Section and unfortunately passed away from it. The bio of her page is very minimal. I'm talking about stating the facts of their situation and letting it speak for itself. They have received tremendous support with 5.2k shares and raising double their goal. 

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I think Lisa’s story is very relatable to many. She had a C-section for her fourth child and was experiencing difficulties. I’m not an Obstetrician but I do know C-sections can be high risk for mothers as it’s a surgical procedure under extreme pressure. I think that’s the main “hook” or “strategy” to her story. I feel like the public has heard of successful C-sections before without any complications but the fact Lisa is one of the few who has passed away from it is alarming and truly saddening. (TMI, but I was a C-Section baby and my mom told me how hard it was for her so I know that this a common medical issue)

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Now her husband is left to take care of their three children and newborn. Not only is that unfortunate but it is extremely laborious as the only parent/caregiver since their kids are relatively young. It’s very common for one parent to pass away and all the duties are carried over to the other parent. I think Lisa’s story is very easy for users to empathize with as they’ve probably experienced something similar or have had the same situation as to why there were so many donations for her.

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Surprising enough, Lisa’s GoFundMe isn’t embellished with extra details to be persuasive. I feel her story page is very standard to what I have seen in other pages. There’s an image of her family as the cover and another image of Lisa and her husband embedded in the description as a closing visual. There isn’t a collage of photos to gain greater sympathy and donations. In relation to text, the description is short, concise, and honest. It doesn’t go into detail of what her specific complications were, what her family members’ names are, or even a general bio of her life. It’s really straightforward. It solely focuses on Lisa’s passing and how they need funds to support the newborn and three kids, without going into great detail of what their living situation is. In my opinion it’s very private, which I respect.

 

I found some pages on this site will fill out their description section to get noticed. I get it. You want to be able to persuade strangers to donate to your cause. It's like beating out competition because there are so many families and people you can donate to. It's really up to the page editor to figure out what approach they want to go for, informative or brief. 

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I have many thoughts on crowdfunding. In general, I approve of crowdfunding as it’s a great choice for those who don’t have the finances to support themselves. We should never bash people for asking donations. That's the point of being a community, is to help others out when they are in need as you would want them to do the same for you when times get hard. It helps highlights those who are underprivileged and struggling. Struggling should not be a looked down upon, it's a part of life. If there are strangers/family/friends/mutuals online who have the means to donate, I think it’s great and it shows compassion for others besides yourself. Donations for memorials, community, awareness, charities, and anything of that sort I approve of and have no problem with. It's justified. 

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On the other hand, I hate to police anyone’s crowdfund as it serves a purpose and I’m okay with most causes. So far, I haven’t come across a page where I’m like “you’re being ridiculous”. But if your page is a mockery and posting trivial things like “I need funds to feed my coffee addiction”, then you have no right to be on there. I think this should be reserved for urgent needs like medical and memorial. I feel those two are the ones most people have trouble with. GoFundMe’s spectrum of categories are justified and I appreciate them, like they have: Wishes, Non-Profit, Community Trips, and more.

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But to get really critical, crowdfunding is really reflective of our society, specifically in relation to medical and education expenses. I hate to read that people aren’t able to have two basic necessities fulfilled because the way our medical care and education system is set up. I really don’t have the range to speak on the reasons why our government can’t aid these folks, but I know it has to do with tax money not being allocated appropriately for the greater good. It’s genuinely hard to see people so vulnerable, as most times these problems are greater than them. For example, not having access to higher education, not being able to afford high risk surgeries, or cancer treatment. Like those things are something that should be taken care of by the government and not expect people to have the funds to do that. It’s almost like “Get the money now or your loss”. Not everyone makes enough money to have access to resources. I don’t know if I’m asking for too much or it’s the work of capitalism. (Idk I see people blame capitalism all the time, so I’ll be doing the same lol). 

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I hate to say this but I'll say it again, it looks like a competition. A lot of these fund pages are in fact competing against each other to get the most donors. GoFundMe has feature of "trending" or "likes" to quantify their popularity which can be seen as bad or good. Bad as a popularity contest, Good for urgent attention. My heart aches for those who aren't lucky enough to be on the trending page even though their circumstance is worthy. There are so many layers to this. What if someone doesn’t have great networking skills? or they’re not known enough to get funds? or their story is being buried by an unknown algorithm? Would this be considered as a popularity contest? I’m just speaking from the perspective of those who may be underrepresented, or their stories are not compelling enough for a donation. Obviously, donors have the right to give their money to whoever aligns with them but that can be a tricky discussion which may involve class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and many more. Truthfully, that was one of my first impressions when looking at crowdfunding. Overall, I support the purpose. 

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The phenomenon of crowdfunding sites tells us how connected we are through networked media. Charities and funds have always existed in the real world, but the fact it has conveniently been put online makes it better. It allows people who need the funds to be seen by a greater global audience. There are so many stories on the platform that are now able to be circulated in which pre-internet probably would’ve been a struggle. It gives a voice to those who are in need and don't have the resources to network for money. If crowdfunding social media didn’t exist, these stories would have to be told through the news, word of mouth, or fundraising event which is more laborious and selective. Now it's like, anyone has the opportunity to raise money if you have the technological skills to do so.