Have you used a site like GoFundMe successfully?

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   ChristinSposted 9 years ago

   Have you used a site like GoFundMe successfully?
   
   My husband desperately wants out of his dead end job, but found out yesterday financial aid doesn't cover the EMT certification he wants to pursue.  We are looking for ways to raise the money for his tuition and he signed up with GoFundMe.  I've not used this site before - is it a good choice? anyone ever have problems with it?

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   Austinstarposted 9 years ago

   I tried it once for my husband's music and did not get one single donor. But perhaps it's because musicians are a dime a dozen these days. Good luck!

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      ChristinSposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      My cousin produces indie films and has had some success with it in the past few months, but he also has an amazing social media team. Social media could maybe help you get donors?

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   Matt Easterbrook5posted 9 years ago

   Yes definitely do not use a site where you give out personal information and probably will receive nothing in return. These personal sites you never know who is operating behind them and you do not want them to steal your husband or your identity. They could possibly even cause you problems on your credit report if you are not careful. I always worry about fraud these days. Always approach companies like that with caution and remember if it is too good to be true it probably is the case. Definitely financial aid professionals are the best source. You may even have your husband go to the college financial aid department and speak with them directly. Good luck and be careful.
   A good company that does student loans is Stafford Federal student loan.this student loan is a defferable loan. Here is the website.
   http://www.staffordloan.com/

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      ChristinSposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      gofundme is a reputable site and I stated in my question he doesn't qualify for traditional student aid for this program. Stafford loans are not applicable, but thanks.

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   LoisRyan13903posted 9 years ago

   There is nothing wrong with the site  but whether you get any donations or not it's hard to tell.  I have tried a few times when I needed help financially but didn't get any donations.  But it won't hurt to try but it's best to write a detailed description of the situation and it also may help if you have friends on facebook and Twitter.  He might be able to get a loan for the certification

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      ChristinSposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      We have made a couple of hundred, but its definitely a process. fortunately he started a new job a few months ago and at the year mark they will help him as well with a portion of it.

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   Ali Dawn Rposted 9 years ago

   I have never used that site before. I'm new to PayPal! ☺

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      ChristinSposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      It's a decent site - PayPal not so much, their customer service is horrible but they have a monopoly on the market pretty much so I am stuck with them.

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   kbdressmanposted 8 years ago

   I raised $1000 towards a medical service trip to Guatemala last summer with this website, but it was all from family and friends.  I quickly started giving instructions on how to donate directly to me through paypal so I didn't lose the fees that gofundme takes.  It got me to Guatemala in 2 months, but I don't know how much of that I could have gotten if I had only asked for donations through paypal.

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   1. 39

      ChristinSposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      That's fantastic We've managed to get around $200 or so since we started the campaign - all from family members lol

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