Meet Kelsea Little of GoFundMe in Kearny Mesa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsea Little.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kelsea. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
GoFundMe was my first full-time job after college and I was one of the first 15 employees. As soon as I stepped into the building, I could tell something magical was going on in there – something really special. Six years later, GoFundMe has changed my life in so many ways and led me down a career path I never imagined.

I had the immense opportunity to be the founding member of the GoFundMe communications team and helped build it from the ground up. My strengths lie in being nimble and taking the initiative to build out projects from scratch, so I was always given the task of bringing new and sometimes experimental projects to life. This led to me living in London & Paris for half a year to help launch new GoFundMe offices in those cities – an absolutely unforgettable experience.

The main focus of my job at GoFundMe, including during my time in Europe, has always revolved around amplifying the incredible stories of kindness and generosity that occur on our platform. When I got back to the states, I had the strong drive to take this storytelling to a new level. This took the form of launching GoFundMe’s first-ever podcast, “True Stories of Good People” which highlights in-person interviews with the incredible change-makers who use the GoFundMe platform.

I started out small with a pilot season of 12 episodes. Soon, we found listeners tuning in regularly from countries all around the world, including Canada, Australia and the U.K. We knew we had to continue the momentum, so we launched the second season earlier this year, with a new weekly cadence to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most inspiring people on GoFundMe. It has been an absolute dream to share their stories.

I travel all over the country to meet and interview the inspiring people who are using GoFundMe to make positive change in the world – the conversations always leave me deeply humbled, and sometimes in tears. In addition to hosting and fully owning all production aspects of the podcast, I recently moved into a position where I oversee the entire brand content strategy for GoFundMe. I’m so passionate about the stories on our platform – it’s exciting figuring out new ways to showcase them to the world.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Working at a startup is very exciting and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. However, it comes with its fair share of unique challenges! The main thing I’ve learned is to adapt to change. At GoFundMe, we aim to work as one big ship with everyone rowing in the same direction. Naturally, sometimes the direction changes, and it’s best if you can be flexible and adapt to the new flow. I used to struggle with unpredictability somewhat but am improving as the years go on!

GoFundMe – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
GoFundMe is the world’s largest social fundraising platform. People come to GoFundMe to launch campaigns to rally support from their communities for a wide range of causes. From supporting a neighbor who just lost their home in a fire, to funding an Eagle Scout project to clean up a community park, to passing out care bags to the local homeless community, GoFundMe is all about people coming together to do good things in the world – big or small.

At GoFundMe, I’m deeply proud of our commitment to uplifting the stories of the incredible people on our platform. As the host of our podcast, I have the privilege of meeting many of these amazing people face to face and seeing their impact firsthand, and it has been humbling to say the least.

There is Chris Salvatore, a mid-twenties musician and actor from L.A. who raised enough money to keep his 85-year-old neighbor in her beloved home during the final days of her life. Or Fred Guttenburg who lost his precious daughter Jaime during the Parkland shooting, and has spent every waking minute since then fighting for common-sense gun laws. Or Letitia Conliffe of Sulphur Springs, Texas, who pulled herself out of poverty at a young age and now dedicates her life to providing a safe haven for all the children in her town.

GoFundMe is where people come together, but the people on our platform are the true heroes and we’re so incredibly honored that they have chosen us to be a part of their story.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I believe that true success lies in human connection and changing lives, whether we can see the effects immediately or not. That is why working at GoFundMe is such an extreme blessing – we are so lucky to be able to provide a platform for these amazing change-makers that brings support to their causes and amplifies their stories. Getting to witness all of the good that these people put out into the world fills me with joy and such profound inspiration that I cannot adequately describe it. If success is defined by making the world a better place, I think we’re doing a pretty good job here at GoFundMe.