@HopeMob is a not for profit crowdfunding site that raises money for direct aid to worthy causes. It was co-founded by Shaun King and Chad Kellough in 2012. People with specific needs apply to the site and are vetted. The vetting includes asking for references, conducting interviews, and researching on social media. Support is then given to approved projects to help them present a compelling case. Funds are then raised and used to purchase the specific items people need, such as a medical procedure. Money is not given directly to those raising funds. As of May 2013, @HopeMob had funded over 100 campaigns ranging in size from $400 for a medical procedure to $100,000 for victims of Hurricane Sandy. The new @HopeMob officially launched on June 3, 2016.
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Model
@HopeMob is the world’s first platform for resourcing and crowdfunding leaders and communities of color. @HopeMob is like a trust. As a 501c3 nonprofit, the @HopeMob Advisory Board selects four campaigns to feature each funding cycle and funds from monthly donors are dispersed accordingly. While donors can give to an individual campaign or make a one time donation to @HopeMob, they are strongly encouraged to be a monthly member, to officially Join @HopeMob. By joining @HopeMob, a donor contributes $10 or more every month to help fund the rotation of projects the Board has recommended as best dismantling systemic racism and injustice in communities of color. This is through education, ending food deserts, ending mass incarceration or addressing its consequences, providing scholarships or skilled training, and many other subversive and hopeful campaigns from policy making to resource creation.
History
HopeMob.org initially raised funds to build their platform in January 2012 on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Their campaign raised about $125,000 and was actively backed by Oprah Winfrey The site was launched in April 2012. The initial site featured one cause at a time and sought to bring the energy of a flash mob to the fund raising process. It charged a fee as a percentage of funds raised to cover its costs.
In December 2012, the site relaunched as a not-for-profit. Money was provided to the site by donors to cover the site's expenses. They could therefore provide 100% of the funds raised in the crowdfunding campaigns to support the projects. The site also opened up to running multiple campaigns at the same time since the one-at-a-time approach did not work. Validation of a campaign was made optional so that campaigns could select whether or not they wanted to be validated.
Co-founder Shaun King had left the organization in 2014 to pursue other projects.
After King departed HopeMob.org in 2014, the HopeMob Advisory Board asked Pure Charity to step in and help transition current initiatives into completed initiatives, as well as to envision a larger work for HopeMob and its future. HopeMob was rebranded @HopeMob and was brought under the leadership of Leroy Barber, co-founder of the Voices Project. Under Barber, @HopeMob took on a completely new Advisory Board and mission, becoming the world's first crowdfunding site devoted exclusively to supporting leaders and communities of color in dismantling the consequences of systemic racism and injustice. Working as a trust, monthly donations are distributed among campaigns the Board deems best suited to the new mission of @HopeMob, along with @HopeMob's commitment to financial transparency.
The new @HopeMob officially launched on June 3, 2016.
Criticism
According to Shaun King, HopeMob has been criticized by people who raised money but never received the funds. His answer is that HopeMob has paid out for every story that raised money. The funds raised were designated to a particular end and could not be used as the fund raisers pleased. On 6-7 occasions this made fund raisers angry, but nonetheless, King asserts that the goods and services that the funds were raised for were provided to the fund raisers.