In the last 24 hours we've seen pop-up fundraisers on GoFundMe and Facebook in response to the Orlando massacre.
Here's what you need to know before you make any kind of donation.
Within hours of the shooting, pleas went out on social media soliciting money for the victims and their families. Equality Florida, the state’s LGBT civil rights organization, created go a GoFundMe page to collect cash support for the victims at the Pulse night club.
Within the first 24 hours they raised over a million dollars, a crowd funding record.
We checked with Charity Navigator. The watch dog ranks Equality Florida three out of four stars. But not every pop-up fundraiser is backed by a legitimate nonprofit.
A number of fundraisers materialized after the Sandy Hook massacre. Just last month a Tennessee man pleaded guilty to stealing $28,000 from the charity he created to benefit the people of Newtown.
Before donating to any charity, vet them using either charitynavigator.org or guidestar.org.
This way you go beyond the heart wrenching story and give based on how much money is going to the victims and their families.
