NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Online donors pledged more than $11 million to help victims of the historic floods that ravaged parts of south Louisiana this year, according to a year-end report by online fundraising platform GoFundMe.
“The $11.2 million raised after the terrible floods in Louisiana is the largest amount for a single disaster in the platform’s history, exceeding the $7.4 million raised in 2015 for the Nepal earthquake,” according to the report.
GoFundMe CEO Rob Solomon said the goal of the site is to help make the world a better place in the report, which was released on December 13.
Donors in 2016 did exactly that, Solomon wrote.
“When disaster or violence struck, ordinary people took it upon themselves to help heal the world by starting GoFundMes to provide relief and comfort for those who needed it,” he said.
Sterling was shot by Baton Rouge police outside of a convenience store, sparking several days and nights of protests.
HBO star Issa Rae started the scholarship fund to provide relief for Sterling’s family, according to the report.
Fundraising efforts for victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre topped out around $9 million, $7.8 million has been raised to support the Standing Rock protesters, and $3 million was raised to help with recovery from Hurricane Matthew.
Twenty-two percent of Americans have contributed to an online fundraising campaign, with over 25 million people donating $3 billion on GoFundMe since 2010, according to the report.
Click here to view the entire report.