Erik Schneiderhan and Martin Lukk: GoFailMe: The Unfulfilled Promise of Digital Crowdfunding

Before the advent of donation crowdfunding, people in need of monetary help primarily turned to family networks, their communities, nonprofit charities, or government assistance. Today, online platforms where people in need can solicit funds from an anonymous crowd are ubiquitous, surpassing the fundraising efforts of even the largest charity fundraisers. At a time when the media portrays donation crowdfunding platforms such as GoFundMe as a democratizing force, GoFailMe offers a well-researched and sobering counternarrative. As its title suggests, the book illuminates the many ways in which online donation crowdfunding platforms fail to deliver on their promises.