A Maui wildfire fundraiser created by three local volunteers within days of the disaster has now distributed nearly $780,000 to displaced families.
HONOLULU —
Well-managed locally focused efforts can be effective at distributing funds “but there needs to be accountability whenever you’re talking about donor dollars to support recovery,” Ray said., the charitable wing of the fundraiser site GiveSendGo. GiveSendGo has only 4% of the online fundraising market, but still raised an estimated $200,000 for fire survivors, with Wells’ nonprofit arm raising another $25,000.
Oversight of the online fundraisers varies depending on which state they operate in, but there are tax pitfalls if fundraisers distribute amounts. After January 2026, campaigns will be required to register, file regular reports and the AG will have more power to investigate how funds are solicited, handled and distributed.which raised nearly a million dollars in the weeks after the Aug.
That initial false representation is what drew the attention of the attorney general. Public Information Officer Toni Schwartz with the Attorney General’s Office said last week the department won’t comment on audits or pending cases.
When people started asking her to repost appeals, Reed saw a need to try and verify recipients and create a public list of displaced families in need. Lahaina photographer Gabrielle Pascual offered to create a Google sheet to share the list more widely and a week later there were 900 displaced households on it.
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