Places to advertise a crowdfunding page

February 12, 2017 6:41 PM

Hi all! So because of Reasons, I'm trying to run a crowdfund right now to raise some desperately-needed money in addition to going with traditional sources such as rent assistance. Do you know of places I can post a YouCaring specifically meant to post crowdfunds for support?

I lost my job because of health issues subsequent to ... things I can't be open about under this name. I've not found one since the middle of December. I have a part-time gig that's pulling in a little bit, but not enough.

I'm looking for places that I can post a YouCaring crowdfund page, places that are specifically meant to support people in need. Facebook pages/groups, Reddit, somewhere on here, whatever, I'll try it. I am seriously, incredibly desperate right now.

Thanks in advance!

posted by gloraelin to Human Relations (5 answers total)

If your campaign mentions your specific health issues or other issues in your life, you could tweet it at organizations who work with those issues.
posted by mermaidcafe at 7:09 PM on February 12, 2017

Hey, this doesn't directly answer to your question about where to post your YouCaring page, so I apologize if this isn't helpful, but I donate to a charity called Modest Needs — "a national nonprofit empowering members of the general public to make small, emergency grants to low-income workers who are at risk of slipping into poverty." I've heard that it can be tricky to meet their requirements, but from your description it might be an option for you.

That aside, to answer your question, you might try r/Assistance, and specifically tip 8 on this list that gives tips on using Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to promote your crowdfunding effort. The rest of the list may be helpful too.

Hope everything turns out well for you, I'm sorry to hear that you're in a desperate situation.
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 7:55 PM on February 12, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: @the thorn bushes have roses: Thank you for the link to Modest Needs. Sadly, because I've been underemployed for some time I don't qualify for assistance. Keeping the link for future reference tho! And I'll definitely check out r/Assistance... right now, actually.
posted by gloraelin at 8:33 PM on February 12, 2017

Catholic Social Services helps with rent and other necessities short term. No religious strings. Call them.
posted by fshgrl at 9:07 PM on February 12, 2017

I hate to say this, but I haven't seen these be particularly successful unless they go viral (extremely touching story) or the person is well-connected to begin with. The problem is that most people in these situations tend to have friends in similar situations, so if your friends had money to help you, you probably would have asked them already. (If you haven't, well I'd certainly start there.) I'd ask the most well-connected person you know to push it on their social media feeds. If your story has elements of injustice (e.g. wrongly terminated for your health issue) I might contact media who focus on that health issue to talk about the incident and see if they can include the link to your fundraiser. There are thousands of fundraisers so you need some angle to market it. One thing I see a lot on Twitter/tumblr is artists offering commissions, e.g. small drawings for $10-20, if that's something you can do.
posted by AFABulous at 11:48 AM on February 13, 2017 [1 favorite]