GoFundMe campaign story for a family in Gaza
Who wrote it
Mariam Saleh, a nurse in Berlin, is raising money for her uncle’s family of five in Gaza, who have moved four times since losing their home.
The writer and every detail about them are fictional.
What went into the template
- Who you are
- Mariam Saleh, the family’s niece, a nurse living in Berlin
- What happened
- My uncle Samir, a carpenter, his wife Huda and their three children (19, 15 and 9) lost their home in Khan Younis in 2024. They have moved four times since and now rent one room in Deir al-Balah. Samir’s tools were lost with the house. Their eldest, Rawan, studies nursing online and shares one phone with her brother and sister.
- Goal and breakdown
- $7,500 in total
Six months’ rent for a two-room flat: $3,600
A basic set of carpentry tools: $1,400
A used laptop for Rawan’s studies: $600
A water filter and tank: $500
Transfer and platform fees: about $1,400 (transfers into Gaza are expensive; I will report the exact amount) - How the money reaches them
- I withdraw the money to my bank account in Germany and send it to Samir every two weeks through a licensed money transfer agent; I keep every receipt
- How you will update donors
- An update with receipts every two weeks
The writer’s facts, as typed into the template’s form. The example uses nothing else.
The example
Campaign story: Fundraising story
Numbered notes in the margin explain each choice.
My name is Mariam. I’m a nurse in Berlin1, and I’m raising money for my uncle Samir, his wife Huda and their three children in Gaza.
Who is asking
Note 1: Donors give to people they can identify. The organiser’s name, job and relationship come first.
In 2024 the family lost their home in Khan Younis. Since then they have moved four times2, and today the five of them rent a single room in Deir al-Balah. Samir is a carpenter, but his tools were lost with the house. Rawan, their eldest, is 19 and studies nursing online; she shares one phone with her brother and sister.
What happened
Note 2: Facts in order, with no adjectives. The situation is serious enough without them.
We are asking for $7,500, which will pay for:
- Six months’ rent for a two-room flat: $3,600
- A basic set of carpentry tools, so Samir can work again3: $1,400
- A used laptop for Rawan’s studies: $600
- A water filter and tank: $500
- Transfer and platform fees: about $1,400
The goal and its breakdown
Note 3: The breakdown includes a way back to work. Donors are moved by a future, not only by need.
The fees are high because sending money into Gaza is expensive.4 I will report the exact amount in every update.
Being honest about fees
Note 4: Explaining the large fee line before anyone asks protects trust in the whole campaign.
I withdraw the money to my own bank account in Germany and send it to Samir every two weeks through a licensed money transfer agent5. I keep every receipt, and I will post an update with the receipts every two weeks.
How the money reaches them
Note 5: How the money moves, who handles it and how often. This is the question most donors have.
If you can give, thank you. If you can’t, sharing this page helps just as much6.
The ask
Note 6: A gentle ask that offers a way to help for free. No guilt, no countdown.
Structure
How it is built
Each part in order, with its share of the words.
Checklist
Before you send
Go through your own draft line by line.
Before and after
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Lines like these turn up in many drafts by Arabic speakers. Each fix keeps the meaning and changes only the English.
URGENT!!! Please help this poor family before it is too late!!!
My name is Mariam. I’m a nurse in Berlin, and I’m raising money for my uncle Samir, his wife Huda and their three children in Gaza.
They are living in a very tragic situation and suffering a lot.
Since then they have moved four times, and today the five of them rent a single room in Deir al-Balah.
Any amount will help them.
We are asking for $7,500, which will pay for six months’ rent, carpentry tools, a laptop and a water filter.
Questions people ask
What makes a GoFundMe story trustworthy?
A named organiser and their relationship to the family, plain facts, a goal broken down line by line, a clear explanation of who withdraws the money and how it reaches the family, and regular updates with receipts.
Should I include fees in the goal?
Yes. Platform and transfer fees are real costs, and naming them openly avoids questions later. If they are high, explain why in one sentence, as this story does.
How much personal detail should I share about the family?
Only what they agree to, and only what explains the need. Avoid details that could put anyone at risk, such as exact addresses, and never exaggerate to move readers.
Every writer in this library is fictional, and so is every detail about them. Universities and companies appear only as places someone applies to; the professors, papers and facts mentioned around them are invented for teaching. Use the examples to learn the moves, never as text to copy: committees notice, and your own facts are stronger.