I had been laid off from my job just as I had a whole bunch of bills that needed to be paid. This was my first job coming out of college so I had minimal savings and I knew that if I didn't meet my immediate expenses it would really damage my credit rating. Or even worse, if I couldn't come up with the cash, I would have been evicted.
I began raising money by doing odd jobs. I would knock at the houses around my area and ask if they needed any services. I made a little from jobs, such as gardening and cleaning windows. [It was] not what I had expected coming out of college.
Despite this, I still desperately needed $500 to cover bills, my rent and living costs. (I had already skipped a month of rent, and if I didn't pay what was outstanding I would have been evicted.)
Thankfully, I managed to secure a new job. However, my first paycheck wouldn't come until another few weeks. I needed to find a way to raise this $500 quick.
I heard about crowdfunding and decided to launch a fundraiser [called "Fundraising My Debt Problems"] on GoGetFunding.com. Once I shared the fundraiser on my social networks, I was amazed and humbled to see loads of friends, family and even strangers pitch in and donate amounts from $1 to $75. I reached my $500 target in just a few days. In total, I had 58 backers.
Getting that money made my life so much easier and I was able to pay off all immediate debts right away. No more having to worry about what I'd do if I was evicted.
