I read the prompt and I remembered a scenario that explains it so well, a young girl who was mocked at for the kind of wig she had and a tiktoker took it upon herself to raise funds for her to get a better wig and simply improve the lifestyle of the young lady. It was a really kind act, she felt fulfilled and the young lady felt touched.
I can not even emphasize on how beautiful the feeling is when help comes at a time it is needed, crowdfunding has done a lot of good for many in the time past and even now. People experience great changes in their lives because random people from around the world gave so little or maybe much to someone they don't know about.
I just kinda gave what crowdfunding is but for clarity sake and for the purpose of the prompt focus, Crowdfunding is a way of raising money from many people, usually through the internet, to support a person, business, project, or cause. Instead of depending on one person to provide all the money, the person seeking help can receive small contributions of help from many people.
Personally, I think it is a great idea that encourages not just the one getting help but also people who wants to help but don't get the opportunity as much as they want or as it should be. So it's one major advantage of crowdfunding, makes it easier for people can share their needs with a larger audience with no need to visiting.
Another major advantage as I've shared before is that, it allows people to support causes they care about. Someone living in another country can contribute to a family in Nigeria without travelling there. This makes helping others faster and more convenient. Giving ordinary people chance to help, even when they can't do much on their own.
But then, there is the bad side of it and that is where the prompt question comes up. People create false stories, use fake pictures and pretend to be raising money for someone else when they are not. Some start out to help a good cause but somewhere along the line, the fund raised is not used for that cause, it's an issue.
Personally, I believe the good side of crowdfunding weighs more than the bad side, but it needs to be handled properly. There is always going to be people out there who can not get out of a bad situation except through this means of fundraising and there is always people waiting and willing to help, we just need better systems.
I believe crowdfunding platforms have a major role to play in building a system. They should not simply allow people to create fundraising campaigns and collect money without proper checks. Platforms should verify the identity of campaign organisers, if possible, confirm the people or organisations receiving the funds too.
Also, platforms should clearly explain how donations are handled and there should be regular updates on campaigns. When money is raised for a specific purpose, organisers should explain how it was used. As a donor, verifying properly if a fundraiser is honest or suspicious is important too. We can't stop helping people, let us build a system where honesty is encouraged, fraud is discouraged, and where trust can grow.
Image used is AI generated.