7 Ideas for a Successful Disaster Relief Fund
In the aftermath of a natural disaster, communities need significant levels of help in order to rebuild and recover. One effective way of doing this is by setting up a disaster relief fund, collecting donations from local and wider communities to deliver meaningful assistance to those affected. Crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe have become important sources of support for individuals, families and communities experiencing the effects of today’s natural disasters—providing people around the world with the platform they need to raise lifesaving disaster relief funds.
Whether you, a loved one or a nearby community has endured the impact of a fire, flood, hurricane or other natural disaster—it’s important to remember that help is always available. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through 7 effective ideas that you can use when fundraising for disaster relief.
What Is Disaster Relief?
Disaster relief refers to the financial, medical and infrastructural support that is given to communities in the wake of natural disasters and other catastrophic events. It is generally provided by governments, humanitarian groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and can involve everything from delivering food and water to treating the injured and rebuilding basic infrastructure.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a government body which directly manages the United States’ Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). These institutions are responsible for much of the response we see when sudden catastrophes take place, and they classify federal disaster relief under three distinct categories:
- Assistance for Individuals and Businesses: Providing emergency housing, employment assistance, legal aid, tax relief, crisis counseling and other community-level supports.
- Public Assistance: Offering financial and technical assistance to local governments and nonprofit organizations in order to restore vital public institutions.
- Hazard Mitigation Assistance: Supporting preparatory measures for specific areas that are especially vulnerable to natural disasters.
Fundraising for Disaster Relief: 7 Ideas for Crowdfunding Success
Following a catastrophic event, a disaster relief fund can create meaningful differences in the lives of those affected. But with global temperatures continuing to rise and climate-fueled crises already having a worse impact than scientists originally predicted, demand for disaster relief is on the rise and showing no signs of slowing. As a result, community-level fundraising for disaster relief will continue to become more and more vital.
Coming up with effective fundraising ideas is difficult at the best of times, not to mention when you or those you love are living through the fallout from a natural disaster. From raising funds for disaster relief charities to crowdfunding for your community—here are 7 creative and impactful ideas for a successful disaster relief fund.
1. Find the Right Fundraising Platform
A key reason why GoFundMe is a leader in disaster fundraising (as well as in medical, education, nonprofit, and other fundraising categories) is because of our GoFundMe Giving Guarantee and our simple, fair pricing system. Where other crowdfunding platforms take a percentage of the overall funds you raise, we charge one small transaction fee per donation received. Everything else goes directly to your cause, because that’s what matters most.
Starting, managing and sharing your fundraising page is completely free with GoFundMe. We offer a wealth of crowdfunding tips and resources on our fundraising blog, which we’ve filled with wisdom from our 15 years as trusted leaders in online fundraising. If you’d like a detailed breakdown of the fees charged by each major crowdfunding platform, see our comprehensive guide to the top 20 crowdfunding websites.
When crowdfunding for a disaster relief fund, it’s important to make sure that your efforts are supported by a platform that prioritizes your safety, wellbeing and the success of your chosen cause. Read our helpful guides to find out more about how GoFundMe works, and find simple answers to all your fundraising questions.
2. Team Up and Launch Your Fundraiser
In times of disaster, cooperation and teamwork is more crucial than ever. Joining forces with others who have been affected by a crisis can make your efforts all the more impactful. This starts with assembling a dedicated fundraising team, composed of people (or teams of people) who take on a range of specific roles, including local media outreach, social media posting, fundraising event management, photography, videography, interviews, and more.
Building a winning fundraising team will increase your capacity, widen your network and help your disaster relief fund to attract the maximum number of donations. Once you’ve got the right people around you, all that’s left to do is launch your fundraiser and start sharing. You’ll need a compelling fundraiser story that communicates your struggles, along with plenty of image and video content to make your fundraising updates all the more engaging.
3. Spread the Word on Social Media
Social media can be a powerful tool for raising awareness and finding help for those who need it following a natural disaster. Sharing your disaster relief fund on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can broadcast your situation to a global audience of people, giving you the best chance possible of attracting donations. Our social media fundraising tips cover everything you need to know about finding success online, from knowing when to post to understanding the best types of content to produce.
There are even certain virality-focused fundraising strategies which can help your page to spread rapidly across the internet. In times of natural disaster when individuals and communities face extreme hardship, knowing how to attract attention to your fundraiser is vital. Here are just a few of our top tips for ensuring your disaster relief fund makes a substantial impact on social media.
- Encourage your friends and family to share your fundraiser link. The extra exposure can boost both awareness and traffic, increasing your likelihood of attracting more donations.
- If you want to reach more potential donors beyond your immediate circle on Facebook, make sure that your posts about the fundraiser are made public, rather than shared with “friends only”.
- On Twitter, tag your posts with the most popular hashtags associated with the disaster affecting your community—for example, #TexasStrong.
4. Engage Your Local Community
The power of community is often the driving force behind positive change in times of crisis. Rallying your friends, family and local people who have been affected can create a ripple effect throughout your community, inspiring countless people to get involved in showing support for your disaster fund. When the time is right—which may be weeks after the initial disaster—organizing a fundraising event can be instrumental in your community’s recovery.
Particularly in the aftermath of a disaster, you want your fundraising events to be fun, positive and meaningfully related to the disaster that occurred. Whether it’s a neighborhood concert, raffle or a city-wide walk-a-thon, try to include an angle which highlights the struggle that your community is experiencing. Partnering with local business and charity organizations is a great way to find help with financing your event, allowing you to focus on attracting a wide audience and a substantial number of donations.
5. Reach Out to Media Organizations
When a disaster strikes a community, it often creates a flurry of media attention. It’s important to take advantage of this attention while it lasts. In addition to sharing your fundraiser on your own social media accounts, share it on the social media pages of local and national media organizations. Reporters are often happy to shine a light on disaster relief funds, as this allows their viewers and readers to get involved with something positive.
Reaching out to get local media coverage for a fundraiser can be daunting if you’ve never had to do it before. Here are some of our top tips for successfully engaging with the media in relation to your disaster relief fund.
- If you’re comfortable with the public exposure, reach out directly to local media outlets (TV, radio, and online news sites). Ask them to add your fundraiser’s name and link to their news segments, so that their audience is made aware and your disaster relief fund receives a spike in visibility.
- Post a link to your fundraising page in the comment sections of related news stories, as well as social media posts that tie in with the goal of your fundraiser.
- Find the Twitter and Facebook pages of your local news organizations, and post links to your fundraiser there. If they approve or share your posts, they could reach a large local audience.
6. Partner with Local Businesses
Local businesses and organizations take pride in their community and are likely to invest in its recovery. They also can provide substantial financing which is difficult to come up with on an individual basis. Partnering with local businesses can take any disaster fundraiser to new heights, presenting great opportunities for sponsored events, in-kind donations and direct monetary support. Look for organizations in your local area with a history of charitable activity, and try to identify the most effective ways in which they could support your fundraiser.
Local organizations and businesses typically offer assistance after a disaster in several ways—most often by matching donations, providing space for fundraising events, or donating a percentage of proceeds from their products or services.. Choose which form of support would have the biggest impact on the success of your disaster relief fund, then reach out using one of our fundraising email templates.
7. Keep Your Community Updated
When fundraising for disaster relief, you’ll find that donors become financially and emotionally invested in helping the victims in your community. As a result, they will often expect and appreciate updates about the fund’s progress and the positive change it’s creating. That’s why it’s important to post regular fundraising updates, keeping your audience engaged and informed as your disaster relief fund progresses.
When your community consistently sees the development and effects of your fundraiser, they will be more likely to re-share and remain engaged. This can open your disaster relief fund up to a wide variety of new potential donors. Such updates can generate renewed interest during a crowdfunding lull, inspiring donors to share information with their social networks once more. Fundraising updates also provide a useful format to maintain clear communication between disaster victims and supporters of the recovery process.
Disaster Relief Fundraising Examples
Adding some of these creative fundraising ideas to your plan is guaranteed to boost the performance of your disaster fund. Taking a crowdfunding approach allows you to benefit from the generosity of donors from across the globe, providing even the smallest of communities with the opportunity to touch the hearts of thousands, and get closer towards their goal of rebuilding after a crisis.
Below are just a few examples of the countless people whose lives have been changed through fundraising for disaster relief on GoFundMe.
Helene Relief: Let’s Build Bridges for Christmas Cheer!
Hurricane Helene is one of the many natural disasters that have impacted the homes and livelihoods of families across the US in recent years. One such family is that of Graham, Logan and Asa—two loving parents and their 6-month-old baby. Although their home itself was spared during the disaster, their yard, driveway and the bridge providing access to their property was destroyed.
The hurricane also tore down thousands of Christmas trees growing on the family’s land, which were due to be sold at tree farms across the country. Seeing their struggle, a family friend named Molly started a disaster fundraiser in order to raise the money required for rebuilding. After just four days of crowdfunding on GoFundMe, over $40,000 were raised—almost half of the fundraiser’s $100,000 target.
Restore a Family’s Life After Tragic Fire
Early one October morning, an accidental fire tore through the home of Shahima Ruel and her family. Along with her husband and two-year-old son, Shahima was left with nothing but the clothes on her back. The property was also not covered by renter’s insurance, forcing the young family to start the process of rebuilding their lives from scratch.
In these truly tragic circumstances, crowdfunding became the only available option. Shahima took to GoFundMe with a fundraising goal of $15,000, trusting in the generosity of friends, family and donors from across the world. After just a few short days, close to $12,000 were raised—putting the family on a promising path towards recovery and a brighter future.
Support Wafa’s Fight for Safety and Health
Living in conditions of constant bombing, bombardment and destruction—Wafa and her family could see no way out aside from starting a disaster fund on GoFundMe. Their home in Gaza was destroyed, and they were displaced more than ten times while searching for a safe place to live. Seeing no other way to provide meaningful support, Wafa’s friend Naomi turned to crowdfunding with hopes that the power of generosity and community would prevail.
Almost $60,000 of Wafa’s $85,000 fundraising goal was gathered within just one week, and was immediately contributed towards the family’s living expenses. With the basic goals of survival and a dignified existence, these donations proved invaluable to Wafa and her family.
Help Families and Communities by Starting Your Disaster Relief Fund Today
In times of crisis, people have an innate desire to provide financial help to others. If your community is trying to heal in the aftermath of a crisis, starting a disaster relief fund can be a powerful step towards recovery. You can set up a fundraiser in minutes with GoFundMe, and our fundraising model means that your donations go directly to the people who need them. Start your disaster relief fundraiser today, and experience the immense generosity and life-changing support that crowdfunding provides.