Overview
- GoFundMe’s Year in Help shows a 20% increase in campaigns for essential expenses worldwide, with a separate analysis finding a 17% rise in U.S. drives for housing and food.
- “Monthly bills” ranked as the platform’s second fastest-growing category behind Charity, and top campaign keywords included work, home, food, bill and care.
- Food-related fundraisers jumped nearly sixfold during the 43-day U.S. government shutdown that paused SNAP distributions and pay for many federal workers.
- Donation activity averaged about 2.5 contributions per second in 2025, and users raised roughly $265 million for wildfire relief across all 50 states.
- CEO Tim Cadogan said more people are seeking short-term help to cover rent and other basics, reflecting longer-running increases in essentials-focused appeals.