How This Cancer Patient Raised $144,000

1 Set a goal

When Rick Thomas, a 46-year-old commercial-airline pilot, was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer in February, he knew he couldn’t afford the $125,000 treatment cost. Then his sister Annie Howell suggested they create a page on GoFundMe, a crowdfunding site. “We had never asked anything of anybody,” she says, “but that was the time.”

2 Target plausible donors

She knew she would have a tough time getting total strangers to donate. So to promote her brother’s cause, she initially sent links to friends and family members, who sent links to their friends and family and so on. “All of us posted it on social media,” Howell says, “and people started coming out of the woodwork.”

3 Get personal

In order to involve donors in the treatment process, she uploaded personal details about her brother, including a photo of him with his wife and three kids, and posted frequent reports about his health. “Don’t know you, but I am thinking about you, praying for you,” one donor wrote.

4 Say thank you

It took just two months to raise $144,000 from 1,583 donors–more than enough to pay for treatment. “We appreciate the support,” Howell posted in a message to donors, whom she still updates about her brother’s recovery.