Crowdfunding and Philanthropy of Tomorrow
A few weeks ago, I was informed that a family friend’s wife was quite ill and had taken a serious turn. They were exhausted — emotionally, physically, financially. They were struggling just do what most of us think of as basic….food, house payment/rent, etc. In the middle of that conversation, he mentioned that someone had set up a GoFundMe page on their behalf.
I paused. Then I did something I had never done before. I gave.
To be honest, I don’t really know how crowdfunding works behind the scenes. I didn’t study the platform, compare fee structures, or read the fine print. What struck me was the simplicity. A few clicks. A short message. A confirmation. In less than a minute, I had done something tangible to help people I care about in a moment that mattered.
That experience stayed with me, which is why a recent article from The Chronicle of Philanthropy caught my attention. It explored how Americans feel about crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, and the data closely matched what I felt instinctively in that moment.
According to a new AP-NORC poll cited in the article, about two in ten U.S. adults donated to a crowdfunding campaign in the past year. Medical expenses were, by far, the most common reason people gave. That alone says a great deal about both the gaps in our systems and the role that these platforms are now playing.
The size of the gifts is also telling. Roughly 60 percent of donors gave $50 or less to their most recent crowdfunding effort. This isn’t about major philanthropy or long-term giving strategies. It’s about immediacy — responding to a need right in front of us.
Trust, however, is where things become more complicated. The poll found that just over half of Americans feel at least somewhat confident that people raising money through crowdfunding genuinely need it, and about half feel somewhat confident that the money will be used responsibly. Only about one in ten respondents expressed very high confidence on either point.
Fees are another source of skepticism. Fewer than half of adults said they were confident that crowdfunding platforms charge reasonable fees, even when those fees largely support payment processing and infrastructure.
What this tells me is that crowdfunding sits in a unique space. It is fast, personal, and accessible — especially in moments of crisis. But it also operates with thinner trust margins than traditional nonprofit giving.
For nonprofits and fundraisers, this is not a threat; it’s a signal. Crowdfunding isn’t replacing institutional philanthropy. It’s filling emotional and temporal gaps. The opportunity lies in learning from its strengths — speed, clarity, and ease — while continuing to offer what crowdfunding often lacks: transparency, accountability, and long-term impact.
For me, it started with one small gift and a simple act. Sometimes, that’s exactly where generosity begins.
