The Irish raised more than €30 MILLION online since 2016.
The Irish have been given yet another reason to feel proud after being revealed as the most generous people in the world.
The crowdfunding platform, GoFundMe, discovered that more people in Ireland per capita donate to relevant campaigns online than any other nation.
An impressive €30 million has been raised by half a million people since the launch of the website in Ireland three years ago.
While local campaigns were found to have increased by more than 50 per cent in 2018 compared to 2017.
A NATION OF GIVERS
GoFundMe, the world’s most popular personal fundraising website, allows people to raise money for themselves, a friend or a charity close to their heart.
Funerals, education fees and medical costs are just some of the causes people use the website to raise money for, with Irish people donating a significant amount.
Rob Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of GoFundMe, commended the generous nature of the Irish when they “show kindness and express support for those in need.”
Speaking about the launch of his crowdfunding website in Ireland in 2016 he said, “GoFundMe has become the ‘take action’ button of the internet – and nowhere is that more evident than Ireland.
“GoFundMe is a really simple and social way of enabling ordinary people to engage and support the causes they care about.”
Referring to how the website has been received in Ireland he added, “A person puts a campaign out, a friend shares that campaign and soon tens, hundreds or even thousands of people are sharing and donating.
“With more than 1 in 10 people donating in Ireland, it really is the most generous country in the world.”
REACHING OUT
One of the biggest GoFundMe campaigns to date is for the medical treatment of Meath resident, Sean Cox.
The Liverpool fan was brutally attacked near Anfield in April 2018 before the Champion’s League semi-final against Roma.
He suffered bleeding to the brain and required intense surgery before being put into a medically induced coma.
The father-of-three returned home to Ireland in May 2018 where he requires continued medical care to this day.
Over €2 million has been given via his GoFundMe page so far.
Other successful campaigns include the €750,000 that was raised for Shauntelle Tynan from Carlow.
‘Shan’ and her family were left devastated when she was diagnosed with rare cancer, Histiocytosis X, in 2015.
Like many others, they reached out to family and friends through GoFundMe for help with vital medical treatment for the teenager.
Three years later Shan was confirmed cancer free and she thanked everybody who had helped with her journey.
A more recent campaign was set up to help fund medical costs for toddler Zac Higgins in Cork.
The little boy fell victim to a hit-and-run over Easter leaving him badly injured and requiring urgent medical attention.
Thanks to the generosity of Irish donations the campaign has already raised more than €12,000.
HEARTS OF GOLD
This is not the first time the Irish have been noted for their kindness.
In 2018 a study found the people of Ireland to be the most generous in Europe and the fifth most charitable in the world.
The World Giving Index, released by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in October last year, ranked the countries across the globe.
The study showed Ireland as the most generous in Europe with almost two-thirds of people claiming they donated money to charity every month.
A further 67 per cent of people on the Emerald Isle admitted to helping a stranger in the same month, a significantly higher figure than the global average.
The World Giving Index aims to catch a glimpse into the “trends in generosity across the globe.”
Sir John Low, Chief Executive Officer of the CAF, spoke about the findings in 2018.
He said, “This year [2018] it is heartening that millions more people helped others and volunteered their time.
“It is a basic human instinct to lend a helping hand, and it is always amazing to see how people in countries which have suffered conflict and natural disasters are stirred to help those in need.
“As always, what is important is to take the long view, look beyond the annual peaks and troughs and work towards the upward trend in giving which can make such a difference to the lives of us all.”
Since the global launch of GoFundMe in 2010 more than €6 billion has been donated to various campaigns around the world.
