GoFundMe

Multiple major wildfires are burning across Colorado, including the Aspen Acres, Ferris, and Gold Mountain fires. Together, they have scorched more than 187,000 acres, making this one of the state's most devastating wildfire seasons in recent history. Since igniting on June 29, the Aspen Acres Fire has become the seventh-largest wildfire in Colorado history. More than 12,000 people have been forced to evacuate, over 260 homes have been destroyed, and firefighters continue working around the clock to contain it. We're mobilizing donations through our Wildfire Relief Fund to provide emergency cash grants to people in Colorado who have lost their homes or property or have been displaced by these fires. Tax-deductible donations will help families receive emergency financial support quickly, with no restrictions on how the funds are used, so they can address their most immediate needs. In the first days after a wildfire, flexible financial support can make a tremendous difference. Emergency cash helps people secure temporary housing, purchase food and water, replace essential items, cover transportation, and meet other urgent needs. We're grateful to GoFundMe, Inc. for contributing $50,000 to ensure we can begin granting as soon as impacted households are verified, allowing us to begin delivering assistance as quickly as possible. Our first round of grants will go out today. If you're able, please consider making a tax-deductible gift to help more Colorado families receive emergency support in the days ahead. https://lnkd.in/eBapedYA

This is what happened when a community came together for someone they had never met. After a tornado tore through Effingham, Illinois, Trevor lost the rental home he was living in and his car while filming the storm that ultimately went viral online. Moved by his story, a stranger named Stephanie started a GoFundMe with one simple goal: to help him begin again. The response was extraordinary. Over a thousand people came together to help Trevor rebuild and remind him that he wasn't facing this journey alone. Now, at Trevor's request, the fundraiser has closed. He plans to use only the funds he needs to recover, with any remaining support going toward helping others in his community who were also affected by the tornado. It's a powerful reminder that one act of compassion can inspire an entire community to show up: https://gfme.co/4vR3ojx

In the days following the earthquakes in Venezuela, people across the globe have stepped up to help. The GoFundMe community has already raised more than $20 million to support individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations responding on the ground. Direct Relief, CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort), Global Empowerment Mission, All Hands & Hearts, World Central Kitchen, and so many others have mobilized to provide food, clean water, medical care, and other critical support. But the work is far from over, and Venezuelans need your help. Visit our centralized hub to support verified fundraisers and trusted nonprofits providing relief 💚 https://gfme.co/4vK96U8

Venezuela earthquakes: $10 million raised on GoFundMe to support families and communities impacted Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the earthquakes in Venezuela. At GoFundMe, we are working around the clock to ensure the community receives the support they need. We wanted to share a timely update with your audience – More than $10 million has been raised on GoFundMe for individuals impacted and nonprofit efforts to support the families and communities affected by the earthquakes across Caracas and La Guaira. Immediately following news reports of the earthquakes, GoFundMe mobilized its crisis response team and began monitoring the platform for fundraisers created for communities and businesses impacted by the earthquakes. To make it easier for people who want to help those affected, GoFundMe has launched a centralized hub housing all verified fundraisers related to the earthquakes in Venezuela and nonprofits providing on-the-ground relief. Our Trust & Safety team will continue to update the hub with more fundraisers as they are verified. Through the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee, we guarantee donors a full refund in the rare case something isn’t right. You can learn more about our Trust & Safety practices on our safety hub, as well as find tips that can be shared with your audiences. Hub link: https://lnkd.in/eKyehZY7

As communities in Caracas, La Guaira, and throughout Venezuela begin the long road to recovery, the nonprofit community is rapidly activating on the ground to deliver lifesaving aid, medical care, food, and shelter to those who need it most. We wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the incredible nonprofit organizations responding to this crisis — many of them mobilizing within hours, working alongside local partners, and committing to the long-term recovery ahead, alongside the team at GoFundMe Pro. If you're looking for ways to help, these are organizations doing critical work right now, and you can find direct links to donate on our hub detailing all the ways you can help the people of Venezuela: https://gfme.co/4oTsJ9J • Direct Relief is preparing emergency medical aid, including first aid supplies, hygiene items for displaced families, and medications to treat acute injuries and chronic conditions for people whose access to routine care has been disrupted. • Convoy of Hope is on the ground providing immediate life-sustaining relief to survivors of the earthquakes. • Global Empowerment Mission has mobilized for survivors, collecting monetary and in-kind donations at its Miami HQ to ship to Venezuela, and will participate in long-term recovery. • Americares is mobilizing to deliver emergency medical aid and relief supplies to Venezuela. • All Hands & Hearts is deploying its disaster relief team to the hardest-hit communities in Caracas, working alongside local partners and staying as long as communities need them. • World Central Kitchen's Relief Team is working with longtime partners in the country to support impacted families. • Team Rubicon is activating resources and preparing for a potential medical response to support impacted communities. • Save the Children International has launched a response with local partners to provide healthcare, shelter, food, and child protection — aiming to reach 200,000 people, including 100,000 children. • Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is on the ground assessing needs in La Guaira, one of the cities most affected. • Alimenta La Solidaridad, Inc. is providing emergency support to victims and first responders, including food, water, equipment, and medical supplies. • CARE's immediate priority is saving lives and supporting those who have been injured in the widespread damage with collapsed infrastructures and major access routes crippled. And many, many more are just getting started. We'll continue adding those organizations to the hub in the coming days. To the relief workers, volunteers, and local partners showing up for Venezuela right now — thank you. And to everyone impacted by this crisis, whether in Venezuela or watching from afar, we see you, and we are working around the clock to get help delivered. 🇻🇪 💚

Many people were tragically killed after two large earthquakes struck Venezuela, injuring thousands and leaving homes and businesses devastated. The GoFundMe community is coming together to help people rebuild and recover. To support those affected, we've created a centralized hub of verified fundraisers and nonprofits providing relief on the ground. Every fundraiser featured has gone through a review by our Trust & Safety team, and we'll continue updating the hub as more fundraisers are verified. Visit the hub and learn how you can support relief efforts: https://gfme.co/44wO9A9

Some businesses are more than businesses. They're built on purpose, heart, and years of showing up. This week, we’re highlighting five small business fundraisers: 💚 A Family BBQ operation: https://lnkd.in/eWcRPSpa 💚 A caterer one food truck away from her dream: https://lnkd.in/e7cT-iGY 💚 A dog grooming shop hit by a car overnight: https://lnkd.in/e9Cz9ZMy 💚 A beloved diner that has fed its neighborhood for 20 years: https://lnkd.in/eyFTZQt8 💚 A 54-year community staple fighting to recover after COVID: https://lnkd.in/ePSFNsa4 Different stories. Same determination.

Venezuela urgently needs our help. Following the devastating earthquakes, We Love Foundation Inc. has launched an emergency relief fundraiser to help deliver critical aid where it is needed most. Working alongside trusted local partners and organizations on the ground, the foundation will help provide emergency support to affected families and communities. Learn more, donate, and share: https://gfme.co/4oSSCXs

There is more than one way to lead. If you are generally nice and not always loud, you have probably been told, gently, that you might not command respect. I have watched this feedback land on some genuinely strong leaders. The advice that follows is almost always the same. Be more assertive. Push harder. Command the room. I understand where it comes from. But I have never believed that respect is earned only by being loud, or sharp, or by making people a little afraid of you. There is real strength in kindness. In being warm and still being clear. In getting hard things done by bringing people along instead of running them over. That is not the absence of strength. It is a quieter, steadier kind. There is also that one person everyone seems to respect and quietly love, and no one can fully explain why. No loud presence. No need to dominate a room. Just someone who is genuinely good, who shows up, who is trying hard to help. That kind of respect was never demanded. They earned it in a hundred small, unglamorous ways. There is more than one way to lead. The real work as leaders is to make room for all of them, and to stop mistaking the quiet ones for the weak ones. I am grateful to have come across many such people in my life and they inspire me to be better. John Kunze Edwin Aoki Junaid Razzak Scott Seese Dan Schulman Carey OConnor Kolaja Oktay Dogramaci Sri Shivananda and many many more. And when you are working at mission driven companies like GoFundMe, you are surrounded by such leaders. Filled with gratitude! #leadership #leadershiplessons #kindness #lifelessons