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Amid images of the massive destruction from the LA wildfires, your feeds have probably been inundated with ways to help. A lot of those CTAs include the go-to for the new era of disaster recovery: a GoFundMe link. And while the site offers a direct way to financially support victims of the fires, it can make some aspects of recovery tricky.
Over $100 million has been raised so far through GoFundMe for LA wildfire victims, according to the platform. For context, $235 million total was raised via GoFundMe last year for natural disaster recovery overall.
GoFundMe created a hub on its site for verified fundraisers, and, as of last night, there were 2,000+ separate fundraisers. But there are some drawbacks:
Big picture: From 2019 to 2024, the amount of fundraisers for natural disasters jumped 90%, according to the platform, as the ballooning cost to cover homes from disasters had insurance companies dropping some residents from policies altogether. -- MM