A supporter’s guide
Four questions before you share a fundraiser.
A useful share gives someone enough context to make their own decision. It does more than pass along a link.
1. Who is organizing the appeal?
Start with the organizer, their relationship to the community and the intended route of the funds. Maitri’s four GoFundMe appeals are organizer-managed by Edward Sczudlo for The Maitri Project. The organization is based in Topanga, California 90290. Its school, monastic housing, relief and scholarship work concerns communities abroad. Those two locations should not be confused.
2. What does the goal actually cover?
Each Maitri GoFundMe has a $25,000 fundraising goal. A goal is a target, not a receipt. It also does not mean the entire cost of building housing, providing relief or running a school is $25,000. Read the specific appeal to understand the proposed use: housing at Gyalrong House; verified Nepal relief priorities; education at Anandakuthi School; or practical support for Buddhist nuns and Geshema scholars.
If a campaign does not establish the cost of a specific item or a fixed number of school years, do not invent that equivalence in a sharing message. Describing the intended work clearly is more helpful than promising a result the page does not document.
3. Does the media show what the message says?
A real photograph can still be miscaptioned. A community archive photograph should not be described as a photograph of a disaster. Maitri’s relief appeal identifies its cover as an archive image of the community, rather than an image of the flood itself. Keep that distinction when sharing. For other projects, use the location and context stated by the source; if the provenance is uncertain, choose a text introduction or a verified project film instead.
4. Would this audience welcome the introduction?
A personal message to someone who already welcomes hearing about your charitable interests is different from sending a fundraising link to strangers. Community rules matter as well. Ask a group administrator before a promotional post, disclose your connection to the organizer and respect a decision not to publish it.
When you share, add one sincere sentence about why the work interests you. Invite someone to read before asking them to act. Avoid copied praise, invented urgency or repeated reminders. People can choose to read, share, donate or do none of those things.
Choose a cause
Use the supporter sharing toolkit. The toolkit keeps each campaign’s link and short explanation together so you can choose the cause that fits.
Further reading: GoFundMe’s messaging guidance and GoFundMe’s social sharing tips.