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GoFundMe

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It has become very common to reach out to the public for funds to cover court costs and a variety of other endeavors, even wedding costs.  Kavanaugh and Ford each raised over $500 thousand to help cover their legal fees and other costs during the controversial confirmation hearings.  GoFundMe has a special page for newlyweds.  Scroll down and you see honeymoons and first houses have been funded this way.  I suppose it is a convenient way for friends and families to contribute cash rather than worry about wedding gifts, but since these pages are public who knows who might choose to drop a few bucks toward your honeymoon in Barbados?

GoFundMe has also been used extensively to provide charity for people.  One of the more notable examples late last year was the case of a homeless vet helping a damsel in distress, which got international attention.  People were feeling sorry for all these poor veterans forced to live under bridges, so when a young New Jersey couple chose to set up a page for their good Samaritan, the money came pouring in.  By the end of the campaign, the couple had raised more than $400,000 for Johnny Bobbitt, Jr.  The only problem is that it turned out to be a scam.

The story began to unravel this past summer when Kate and Marc were spending all this money on themselves.  Bobbitt felt left out and filed a claim for all the funds in court.  The couple made up this story about how Johnny was a drug addict and if they gave him all the money at once he would just blow it.  Their fight became public, the local prosecutor became interested, and eventually they all were forced to come clean.  Now they each face jail sentences of up to 20 years.

For its part, GoFundMe says it will reimburse all those who unwittingly gave to this campaign.  This after the charitable company offered to pay Bobbitt all the money he claimed Kate and Marc fleeced from him.  Bobbit was indeed a homeless vet, but he was a willing part of the scheme.  He just got greedy and wanted the whole thing, which of course turned Kate and Marc against him, otherwise they probably could have gotten away with this caper.

I've always been leery of these pages.  Stories often sound too good to be true, and even if they are $400 K is a bit much for what appeared to be no more than a random act of kindness.  Never underestimate the power to tug heartstrings.

Not all crowdsourcing efforts are a success.  In fact very few of them are.  Here are some sad stories the Outline compiled.  You have to have a hook, get some exposure and then keep your fingers crossed when the money starts to roll in.  Yet, GoFundMe claims to have raised over $3 billion with the help of 25 million donors since 2005.

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