GoFundMe For Las Vegas Victims May Break Crowdfunding Record

Last Sunday night in Las Vegas, Nev., quickly turned into early Monday morning after a shooter took aim at concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. In the hours following the attack, the full extent of the tragedy was unclear. Through an air of chaos and sorrow, Clark County's Commission Chair, Steve Sisolak, and Police Sheriff Joseph Lombardo took some time to set up a GoFundMe page.

“The commissioner made an initial donation,” Dan Kulin, Clark County Spokesperson told International Business Times, that donation was the first $10,000 the GoFundMe saw. Their original goal was to raise 50 or 100 thousand dollars, Kulin said. It was soon apparent that that goal would be met, multiple times over to help the families of the more than 50 murdered victims and hundreds of others who were injured. So they increased the goal. On Wednesday, the goal was $10 million, by Thursday it was upped again to $15 million.

With nearly $9.5 million in donations so far, the campaign has already surpassed the highest earning campaign for a news event in 2016, the Pulse nightclub shooting, according to GoFundMe. The highest earning campaign of all in 2016 was for the victims of the floods in Louisiana, $11.2 million was given for the victims of those floods.

“It certainly has been an overwhelming outpouring of support,” Kulin said of the response the campaign has received so far. As individuals donated, they left heartfelt messages for the victims and the city of Las Vegas. “Our hearts are so heavy for the lives that have been changed forever,” one contributor commented, “Love to everyone in Las Vegas. We are #VegasStrong,” wrote another.

The plan is for the money to be spent on the victims of the shooting, Kulin said. The original description for the page was somewhat vague, “Funds will be used to provide relief and financial support to the victims and families of the horrific Las Vegas mass shooting​,” it originally read.

That description was updated Wednesday with more details. The update said that an announcement about exactly how the funds would be distributed would be coming later this week. It also stated that state and local officials, GoFundMe, the Direct Impact Fund and the National Center for victims of Crime were all working together to make sure all of the money was used properly and went directly to the victims and their families.

More than 75,000 people have donated to the cause looking for a way to help in the wake of the tragedy. Kulin said the campaign has reached those individuals “Largely through the media and word of mouth and social media.”

The donations ranged from $10 to thousands but it all adds up. The page also has details for those looking to help but who don’t have much to give. “There’s going to be a lot of need for these victims for a long time and all of the support is greatly appreciated and greatly needed,” Kulin said.

GoFundMe did not respond to an inquiry from IBT about whether other campaigns have ever raised more than either of these two.