Fire relief fund nears $500K with support from newspaper, credit union
A fund to assist first responders and those who have had their homes and businesses and communities engulfed by a fire raging in Lake and Marin counties in California has raised more than $440,000 on the Fundly platform.
Redwood Credit Union and The Press Democrat Community Donations portion of the fundraiser has brought in more than $110,000 toward a $500,000 goal.
At the time this story was published, the Valley fire had burned more than 70,000 acres and is 30 percent contained. Almost 600 homes and buildings have been destroyed, and 13,000 people have been displaced.
In our research, Through the Cracks has found very little history of newspapers initiating or backing crowdfunding campaigns, but when it does happen it can be extremely effective.
Last year Manchester Evening News in England initiated a crowdfunding campaign in the wake of an arson attack on a dog shelter. Word spread and about £1 million GBP were raised in 24 hours.
Comments
[…] This is the second case of crowdfunding by a newspaper this week in the Bay Area. An hour north, in a region hard hit by wildfire, Press Democrat and Redwood Credit Union partnered with readers, customers and the community to raise more than $500,000 for first responders and people displaced by the fire. […]
[…] “The coolest thing was the huge validation for the project,” he said. Terra Flama is not the only wildfire-related campaign that has caught backers attention this summer. A fire relief fund initiated in part by a newspaper raised more than $1 million. […]
[…] – The Santa Rosa Press Democrat and Redwood Credit Union joined forces this summer to raised more than $500,000 for the Lake County Fire Relief Fund. […]