Massachusetts Is the 'Most Generous' State in the U.S., According to GoFundMe
Massachusetts has officially claimed the title of the most generous state, according to a new GoFundMe report.
As 2019 comes to a close, the social fundraising site released its annual Year in Giving report on Wednesday, celebrating the power of donations while revealing interesting numbers from the past year and decade.
A whopping $9 billion has been raised through more than 120 million donations since GoFundMe was founded in 2010, the company said.
Though Massachusetts took the prize for the most generous U.S. state on the 2019 list (based on the number of donations per capita), Vermont followed closely behind at No. 2. Washington, New Hampshire, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, Alaska, Minnesota, and New York round out the list.
Marietta, Georgia claimed the title for the most generous U.S. city. Other ranked cities include Rockville, Maryland; Santa Monica, California; Parker, Colorado; Somerville, Massachusetts; Bowie, Maryland; Beaverton, Oregon; Whittier, California; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Oakland, California.
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As for the people making a big impact on their own, an unnamed individual claimed the title for the most prolific donor after making 293 donations to 234 separate campaigns “in this past year alone,” the report stated.
Despite its impressive donations, the U.S. was the second most generous nation, right behind Ireland at No. 1. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway were also on the list.
In addition to ranking areas and specific users, the GoFundMe report discussed how certain issues inspired users to take action. When it came to reproductive rights, the platform noticed a 20 percent increase in fundraisers this year. There was a 65 percent increase in fundraisers dealing with climate change in 2019, inspired by a Fridays for Future movement led by Greta Thunberg.
Friday was determined to be the most popular day in the U.S. for donations, with 3 p.m. CST being the most popular time. Sept. 4 became the most popular day of 2019 to donate, coming as Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Bahamas.
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Other notable moments from this year that sparked donations include the government shutdown in early 2019, the Notre Dame fire in April, and many devastating natural disasters, such as the California wildfires and the Australian bushfires.
“Hundreds of thousands of fundraisers in 2019 benefited charities,” GoFundMe said. The American Cancer Society, Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and Global Autism Project were direct beneficiaries.
The report highlighted statistics from a number of other countries — Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain, and Great Britain — before looking forward to what’s to come.
“As we enter a new decade, GoFundMe is committed to spreading compassion and empathy through our platform,” said CEO Rob Solomon. “Together, we can bring more good into the world and unlock the power of global giving.”
Read the full Year in Giving report here.
