Little Flynn is not only loved by his family and friends, but is an inspiration for many families struggling with medical expenses. Flynn is a three year old boy who suffers from leukaemia. Flynn is being treated at the Sydney children’s hospital and will be undergoing two years of active treatment to help him cope with his condition.

Given his condition, the treatment prescribed for Flynn involves multiple therapies such as chemotherapy, steroids as well as blood transfusions. Flynn will also need multiple anaesthetics for lumbar punctures where chemotherapy is put into his spinal fluid and bone marrow tests. The three year old will also be subjected to frequent blood tests.

Because his immunity is so vulnerable, Flynn cannot be exposed to any colds or flu like symptoms. For the family this means that anytime one of them is sick or coming down with something, they need to move that family member out of the house. The family can only be united once the illness has gone away completely and the sick family member can return back home.

With three young boys in the house, falling sick is quite frequent and leaves the family torn as they wait for their family member to get better and return. Plus to care for his son, Flynn’s father Toby has had to reduce his working hours drastically to pitch in with care giving responsibilities for his son.

Considering the nature of his condition and the medical expenses involved in getting the right treatment for their son, Flynn’s parents have exhausted their financial resources and are not sure how things will shape up for the future. Apart from medical related bills, the family also has to take care of Flynn’s other two brothers, manage the household and contend with bringing some kind of stability to their already hectic life.

They have received tremendous support from friends and family, many of whom are already helping with everyday chores like doing their laundry, taking their older son to school and dropping off homemade dinners. However, on the financial front, there still remains a lot to be desired.

Their old time friend, Tamerlaine suggested to Flynn’s parents to crowdfund to meet the expenses of their son’s medical bills. This meant reaching out to the community and complete strangers to ask for donations that would enable Flynn to receive timely treatment as well as support the family with their financial woes.

As result of online fundraising the family was able to successfully collect over $10,000 for Flynn’s medical treatment. Donations from generous supporters made their fundraising campaign a success and an inspiration for others who also face the overwhelming task of meeting extravagant medical expenses.

How to Help a Loved one by Raising Funds Online for Medical Expenses

With the growing trend of online fundraisers, it can become challenging to persuade people to donate to your particular fundraiser when there is so much competition out there. For fundraisers this means launching a campaign that will not only grab attention but will also go viral to spread the word as fast and as far as possible.

It is true that people give a lot of money to fundraisers, causes and charitable organizations. But it is worth nothing that while there are so many of these fundraisers, not all are successful in running a campaign that is both meaningful and efficient. To make your fundraiser a success, here are a few ideas to keep in mind:

1. Build a Community of Supporters

No fundraiser can be managed single handed so it is important to collaborate and get together a team of supporters. Such support is best extracted from individuals who are as dedicated to the cause as the fundraiser themselves and can be built from among personal friends, family members or even support groups who work for the same cause.

It’s also important to try to create a sense of community and goal that can be reached with each person’s efforts and help. The body of allies can then help spread the word for your fundraiser and bring in support from their own contacts. Consider creating a Facebook Page and Facebook Group to help build that sense of following. Individuals love to support families that are struggling with medical expenses but they also appreciate being in the loop with updates. It’s important to frequently update your status, post photos and videos and give supporters an insight to your life.

A supportive team can also be built with assistance from people who share the same problem or medical condition as the fundraiser so that the common cause can be published better. Flynn’s family set up a Facebook page that garnered viable support from viewers and followers while also connecting with networks and connects at the Sydney Children’s
Hospital where Flynn was being treated.

This opened up new connect to more support groups, other families and parents who were going through similar experiences.

2. Choosing the Right Medical Fundraising Platform

When planning and executing a fundraising campaign, it is very important to choose the right medium. Campaigns can easily go viral on social media and prove to be one of the most effective ways of spreading the word. However, it does not help you if you are required to pay fees when you need every bit of the donation you receive. There are limited free fundraising websites online but these have proven to be as effective as the ones that charge up to 10 percent.

Social media allows not only immediate contacts to view the fundraiser but also grants access to the many unknown yet interested backers that can turn the fate of the fundraiser.

However, traditional media should not be ignored completely, and where possible should be approached to add relevance and importance to the cause. Where possible, adding press releases and informing media teams can boost the publicity of the fundraiser.

3. Don’t be Afraid to Tell Your Story

Getting personal is something that can be difficult to do but when it comes to fundraising online, it can assist to tell your story so people feel included, involved and needed. Photos, videos and of course writing it out are all effective ways to share your story. The combination of at least two of these has proven effective. When creating a fundraising page, it is important to have an outline for your story. Remember that it is this story that will invite visitors to come to the fundraising page and become familiar with the details of the cause.

The fundraising page is the perfect opportunity to explain to potential donors how the money raised will be used and how it can help the fundraisers and their family. Sharing the story also allows to build a connection with donors that they will appreciate.

When donors do start to follow the story, it is important to keep them engaged. Upon receiving a pledge from someone, be active on the platform and thank them for their support. This response will also work as proof for other people that the fundraiser is actively involved with the cause it presents.

Witnessing regular activity and movement on the fundraising page helps build interest and perhaps even curiosity for those who may not yet have visited or donated to the page.

These simple yet effective tips when creating your own medical fundraising page for medical expenses are great for anyone who is wanting to help a loved one financially.