Apart from navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the world also dealt with wildfires, one of the most active hurricane seasons in decades and the fight for civil rights and racial justice -- all in one year.
Needless to say, 2020 was a tough year for most but according to crowd fundraising website GoFundMe its donations data can restore a bit of faith in humanity.
The fundraising platform is celebrating its 10th birthday sharing good news that the world stepped up to donate to those in need in a way that people never have before.
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GoFundMe says the global community also contributed to some historic records, marking 2020 a year of extraordinary generosity during a year of need.
It’s most generous day was June 2, two days after the death of George Floyd.
Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer and video of his final moments went viral, resurging the Black Lives Matter movement. Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd, started a memorial fund to provide for costs including holding a funeral for Floyd, burying him, and providing mental and grief counseling for Floyd’s family.
GoFundMe notes that in response to the movement for racial justice and equality, more donations were made on June 2 than any other day in the website’s history. As for the memorial fund, Floyd’s family raised more than $14 million.
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The Memorial Fund was one of the platform’s top five fundraisers but it was food insecurity that encouraged people to open up their wallets.
Donors gave over $44 million to feed America’s most vulnerable populations experiencing food insecurity made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. America’s Food Fund received more than 40,000 donations from 77 countries.
Other top causes include Frontline Responders Fund, Justice for Breonna Taylor and Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund.
If you’d like to donate to one of the causes mentioned above, click here.
Data shows that the U.S. was the second most charitable country on GoFundMe. Even though U.S. unemployment numbers show people were likely strapped for cash, they still donated what they could. Nearly 70% of all donations in 2020 were less than $50, according to GoFundMe.
Despite the economic crisis plaguing much of the U.S. and the globe, GoFundMe was able to bring in over 150 million donations. For perspective, the fundraising platform had 120 million donations by the end of 2019.
“Throughout the hardships of 2020, we’ve seen an extraordinary outpouring of generosity from a global community that’s united by a desire to take action and help others,” GoFundMe posted in its year-end review. “It’s important to remember that we’re our best when we come together. As we look toward 2021 and enter the next decade of giving, we can build a more caring world and inspire hope for a better tomorrow.”
To see the leading causes donors prioritized month-by-month, click here.