How CaringBridge Supports Personal Fundraisers Through GoFundMe
Years of research and reporting confirm what patients and caregivers who use CaringBridge and personal fundraisers like GoFundMe know first-hand: A health crisis can wreak havoc on family finances. Such headlines as “The Financial Burden of Illness” and “The Economic and Emotional Costs of Caregiving” put a pricetag on things we hear often at CaringBridge
“My son’s first hospitalization lasted 91 days, and I slept beside him nearly every night. I couldn’t even think about work.”
“My sister lives in Texas, her accident happened in New Mexico, and our mom flew in from Costa Rica to help. Talk about logistics … and expenses.”
“Some of his ongoing medical treatments are new, experimental, and not covered by health insurance.”
As any family going through a health crisis can tell you, even with good health insurance and savings, diagnosis, illness, injury or premature birth can introduce unexpected expenses and/or loss of income. GoFundMe Helps Cover Gaps To help cover financial gaps within a health journey, many CaringBridge authors also create personal fundraisers through GoFundMe. And as with CaringBridge sites, GoFundMe campaigns are often set up by family caregivers or friends, on behalf of patients. Appreciating how important spreading the word about fundraising campaigns is to receiving financial support, CaringBridge has teamed with GoFundMe, the leader in online medical fundraising, to make it easy for families to connect their CaringBridge sites and GoFundMe campaigns. Many families using CaringBridge and GoFundMe say it is convenient to post Journal entries just once, on CaringBridge, and to include a link to GoFundMe through their “Ways to Help” page in their CaringBridge site.
Here’s how to create the link: For patients and caregivers: Simply click “Ways to Help” on the homepage of your CaringBridge site. You can start a GoFundMe, or link an existing campaign to your CaringBridge site. Also on the “Ways to Help” page, you can share your hospital or facility info, add support links and identify tasks on the Planner. For family and friends: Click “Ways to Help” when you visit a loved one’s site. If they have a GoFundMe, it’s easy to show support. If they don’t, you might post a comment on their Journal inviting them to create a personal fundraiser. Be sure to look for other “Ways to Help,” too.
New to CaringBridge and Wondering What We Do?
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health crisis through the use of free, personal websites. Know someone who could benefit from starting a CaringBridge site to keep loved ones informed and get the love, and support they need?