Hurricane Harvey has caused unprecedented destruction in Southeast Texas. A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representative told The Washington Post that Harvey is “probably the worst disaster the state’s seen.” Photos and stories depicting the toll the storm has taken on people have been tricking out: family homes underwater, mothers trudging through knee-deep water with young children in their arms, nursing home residents stranded, people clinging to their pets in shelters after evacuating their homes. These images showing the extent of Hurricane Harvey’s damage can feel overwhelming. And with Hurricane Harvey relief currently underway, most of us are wondering … “How can I help?”
At Mightycause, the answer is always crowdfunding. Here’s how you can use crowdfunding to help with Hurricane Harvey relief.
Personal fundraising for Hurricane Harvey relief
Agencies like FEMA do provide assistance to individuals displaced by natural disasters, but it can take awhile for the help to come through. Thousands of people lost everything in Hurricane Harvey, though. They lost their homes, their jobs, their possessions. And thousands of people are staying in shelters or crashing on couches of friends and family members who took them in when Houston was evacuated. The people who are displaced by Hurricane Harvey find themselves in desperate need of assistance now. People love to provide in-kind donations after disasters and flood charities with canned food, clothing, and other material goods. (Disaster relief workers call this flood of stuff “the second disaster.”) But what people who’ve lost everything need after Hurricane Harvey most is money.
Personal fundraising on Mightycause can help if you or someone you know was displaced by Harvey. Designed for quick, easy set up and a seamless payout, personal fundraising is a great way to give someone (or yourself) a helping hand. Payments are processed securely by WePay. We transfer donations directly into the bank account of the person or family for whom you’re fundraising. And, most importantly, Mightycause does not charge platform fees on personal fundraisers. Which means more of the donations you collect go straight to the people who need them most.
Click here to start a personal fundraiser.
U.S Border Patrol agent Mario Fuentes grabs the belongings of Diane Market as they prepare to evacuate her and her dog Chester as they conduct search and rescue operations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas, Aug. 27, 2017. U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo by Glenn Fawcett. By U.S. Customs and Border Protection (170827-H-NI589-299) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Charitable fundraising for Hurricane Harvey relief
On Mightycause, you can create a fundraiser for a verified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We have thousands of nonprofits in our database to choose from, organized by category. And because charitable donations go straight to your chosen organization, you don’t need to worry about the money you raise making it to the correct place. We take care of that for you. Charitable fundraising mobilizes your whole social network and helps causes busy on the ground keep money coming in to support their Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
Starting a fundraiser is easy on Mightycause. The first step is choosing a nonprofit to support. You can sort organizations by category (such as “Humanitarian Aid” and “Emergency”) and also sort by location if you’d like to support a Texas-based nonprofit. If you have a favorite disaster relief organization you’d like to support, you can also search by name or EIN (which is the nonprofit’s tax ID number). Once you’ve found your cause, click on their page and choose “Fundraise.” And then just set a goal, build your page and publish! You can start sharing your fundraiser and raising money in just minutes.
Click to start a charitable fundraiser.
Team fundraising for Hurricane Harvey relief
Team fundraising is perfect for groups, clubs, businesses and community collectives looking to raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief. You can raise money for individuals, a single charitable cause, or multiple charitable causes. (Meaning that people can choose their own cause to support.) And team fundraisers on Mightycause bring in 80% more donations than solo fundraisers, so starting a team can be a great way to make a huge impact and raise lots of money for Hurricane Harvey relief.
Click here to team up for Hurricane Harvey relief.
Support an existing fundraiser
The Mightycause community is always quick to help in an emergency, and Hurricane Harvey is no different. There are already fundraisers on the platform. So, if you’re not able to create your own fundraiser, you can donate to existing fundraisers. Don’t forget to help spread the word by sharing on social media!
Hurricane Harvey relief fundraising ideas
Now that you know how you can utilize the Mightycause platform for Hurricane Harvey relief fundraising, we’ve put together some ideas to help you get started.
Workplace fundraiser
Involve your coworkers in Hurricane Harvey relief by starting a team fundraiser at your workplace. Create a team page on Mightycause, talk to your colleagues about what you’re doing and ask them to sign up. Signing on to be a team organizer and help facilitate other fundraisers being created is a high-impact, low-barrier way to help.
Help a Hurricane Harvey victim
Do you know someone personally affected by Hurricane Harvey? Give them a helping hand by starting a personal fundraiser for them. Donations are transferred directly into their bank accounts in just a few days, so you can help them out quickly when they need it most. We don’t charge a platform fee for personal fundraisers, so they will get more of their donations on Mightycause than on other platforms.
Help animals impacted by the storm
Like other disasters, Hurricane Harvey creates crises you might not even think about. In addition to affecting thousands of people, Hurricane Harvey has put animal shelters in the area in a crisis. Lost Dog Rescue Foundation, a Washington D.C. area rescue group, is raising funds on Mightycause to transport animals from places where Hurricane Harvey hit. You can start a fundraiser for an animal welfare group helping animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey. You can also fundraise for groups helping to transport animals and provide shelter for them nationwide.
Fundraise for disaster relief charities
Disaster relief charities need monetary donations in order to provide the best possible help to Hurricane Harvey victims. As we mentioned above, in-kind donations can feel more satisfying to give but they can also create more work. You can create a fundraiser for a national disaster relief organization like the American Red Cross or Direct Relief. You can also filter your search to Texas nonprofits to find a local organization to lift up.
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