GoFundMe on Tuesday released its 2024 Year in Help report, and a Houston suburb is the only Texas location to rank in the top 25.
Although Spring isn't a city and is an unincorporated part of Harris County, it appeared on GoFundMe's list. Last year, it was ranked the most generous city in the United States.
Spring came in 14th in the U.S. on GoFundMe's 2024 list, according to the report. Marietta, Georgia; Sarasota, Florida; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida were the top three.
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The report highlights the places worldwide where the most individuals and nonprofits have displayed their generosity and humanity by giving during times of significant need.
Margaret Richardson, chief corporate affairs officer, told the Chronicle she believes communities such as Spring are tight-knit and have strong support.
"I think there's a pattern of people in Spring stepping up and sharing what they have with their neighbors and being moved by the stories that they see on GoFundMe," she said.
Over the summer, GoFundMe hosted a watch party for Simone Biles and other Olympians at Biles' childhood gym as she again performed an Olympic gold routine.
"People showed up for our athletes at that time and for people around the world in moments of need throughout the year," Richardson said.
Although Texas didn't make the top 10 ranking for most generous states, Texans donated more than $190 million to fundraisers this year, she said.
The top five most generous states were Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine.
Richardson said she believes communities such as Spring are tight-knit and have strong support.
"I think there's a pattern of people in Spring stepping up and sharing what they have with their neighbors and being moved by the stories that they see on GoFundMe."
The Year in Help 2024 report showed that GoFundMe causes had more than 55 million shares, more than 23 million in donations to nonprofits and an average donation of $77.
Richardson said she thinks the platform is growing because people are moved by the ability to share with their community and it brings the community coming together to donate as one.
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GoFundMe provides a checklist of tips for organizers with key information that the platform has seen raise 2.6 times more on average.
"We see the people who have gone through the full checklist are three times more likely to raise almost three times as much on average," Richardson said. "These tips are the secret between making your fundraisers as successful as possible and maybe leaving some of the opportunity behind."
Conveying urgency: Organizers should let the community know how urgent and timely the fundraiser is. Conveying urgency has resulted in 50 percent more donations and 40 percent more money raised on average, according to GoFundMe.
Share with your inner circle: Before sharing publicly, started sharing with a close network over direct messages, text and email on popular platforms has helped organizers see 20 percent more donations to their fundraisers.
Share early: Sharing your fundraiser early with friends, family and loved ones you're on social media channels within the first 10 hours of creating it resulted in raising on average 10 percent more money.
Share often: Don't give up or stop after your first share of your fundraiser. Organizers who share every few days can see an increase in donations and others sharing as well. People that continue to share after their first week of fundraising see 30 percent more donations and 40 percent more money raised on average.
Post updates with images: Post updates to engage with your community. Posting updates with images or videos raise 2.4 times more on average.
"Donations made to a personal GoFundMe fundraiser are generally considered to be personal gifts and aren't guaranteed to be tax-deductible," a GoFundMe representative said in an email.
"Only donations made to GoFundMe charity fundraisers are guaranteed to be tax-deductible in the U.S. and will receive tax receipts automatically from our charity partner, PayPal Giving Fund."