In a recent interview, GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan revealed a sobering new trend on the platform: fundraising for groceries. The platform is known for its appeals to help pay for funerals or medical treatment, but now people are launching campaigns to meet their basic needs.
"One indicator that's interesting is we have a category we call essentials," said Cadogan. These include rent, utility bills, and car payments. "Basic things you need to get through life [have] gone up significantly in the last three years in practically all our markets.”
"Currently, one of the things that we're really focused on is how do we increase the total amount of GDP that goes to giving," said Cadogan. "It's about 2%. It's nothing, it's pretty modest, and it's been stuck there for 50 years."
With the government shutdown still underway and new tariff increases announced by Trump, prices for essential goods are likely to rise even higher — deepening the economic strain that’s already pushing many Americans to rely on crowdfunding just to get by.