By: Mandy Stark, Senior Account Manager

I’m blessed enough to be part of a circle of friends consisting of six couples. Most of us have known each other from the early stages of high school, through college and now as parents to our own children. We not only socialize with and without our kids, but we are tight-knit, solid as a group can be and are there for each other through all of life’s ups and downs. We are a support system that is as strong as or stronger than family. In November 2012, one of our group members (one of eight siblings) received terrible news that his younger bother passed away unexpectedly. It was a devastating blow to their family and each of us felt a huge hole in our heart for our dear friend.

The shocking part is that our friend’s brother was an up-and-coming commercial real estate agent, had a beautiful wife and two young sons. He was too young to die at age 33 – just as his life was getting good.

Many knew him as a loving, caring and talented, larger than life man who played offensive tackle for the Northwestern Wildcats. He left behind a strong football legacy and coached football at a high school in Tampa. His siblings considered him their “baby brother” and he was the glue that held them all together.

Word of his passing quickly spread on Facebook and Twitter. Friends, classmates, fellow football players, family, colleagues and even acquaintances and friends of friends mourned for him.

The time-honored tradition and custom would typically be to send flowers or a contribution to a charity, but with today’s “social fundraising” or “crowd funding” options, friends, family, coworkers, former team members and even acquaintances could do one better. Not because it was expected, but because the outpouring of support and the question asking “how can we help” was overwhelming. The option to create a portal for anyone in the world to add money to a memorial fund for a family who lost their beloved husband and father was truly an answered prayer.

A family friend set up an account on www.fundrazr.com and word spread like wildfire. Fundrazr is a website that possesses deep social media integration and utilizes powerful sharing tools you need to raise more money. Once the memorial page was set up and shared online, the sharing and donating went gangbusters.

First there was $20, then there was $50; the account had $1,000 within an hour. Within three days, there was $20,000 available for a young wife and her sons to cover everything from funeral expenses to house payments and anything in between. It didn’t replace their loss, but it offered a small amount of comfort that some very expensive and unexpected bills could be paid.

The account now holds $43,000 with contributors from all over the country whose lives this man and his family touched.

When I just checked the fundrazr memorial page, I found that donations are still coming in consistently – more than three months after my friend’s brother’s passing. A few weeks ago, someone donated $67 to the family. An odd number – seemingly – but not to those who knew and loved the one we lost. It was a very lucky number in fact. He wore that number on the back of his jersey as he created a football legacy and a presence that will last forever.

Fundrazr helped a family during their time of need, but social fundraising and crowdfunding is not limited to one circumstance or situation. Various websites allow contributions for individuals, families, charities, causes, events, projects and even startups. Almost every site incorporates social media to optimize reach and the allure is being able to contribute with the click of a button.

Each site has unique caveats and features, and it is important to research each one thoroughly to find out if there is a minimum or maximum donation, a fee to use the service or a certain time frame the “fundraiser” is allowed to be published.

Below are some examples of sites with brief summaries:

http://www.gofundme.com:  Raise money for charity or make charity donations with GoFundMe’s all-new charity fundraising websites.

http://www.razoo.com:  Allows people to find and support their favorite causes through online fundraising

http://gogetfunding.com:  Allows people to create public or private fundraisers and receive donations immediately.

https://www.justgive.org: Just Give has a database of more than 1.8 million charities, and allows people to make private and secure donations.

http://socialactions.com: This site makes it easier for people to find and share opportunities to make a difference.

http://www.giveforward.com: This site is mainly used for friends and family to offer love and financial support to patients as they navigate through a medical crisis.

While there is no guarantee that social fundraising will always yield high returns, it is just another way to spread the word about people, causes and charities we hold dear and hopefully get some support from generous people who simply want to help.