A woman has raised more than $20,000 for victims of Hurricane Harvey, all thanks to photos of her cat.
Rachel Millman, a 29-year-old writer based in Broolyn, New York, asked people to donate to relief organizations on Monday.
She told potential donors on Twitter that if they sent her a receipt of their donation, she would in return provide them with photos of her cat Jerry misbehaving.
The writer thought her idea would generate $1,000 at most, but donations kept pouring in, and she and Jerry ended up raising an astonishing $20,533 by Thursday.
Impressive: Rachel Millman, a 29-year-old writer based in Broolyn, New York, has raised more than $20,000 for victims of Hurricane Harvey, all thanks to photos of her cat
Idea: The 29-year-old writer based in Broolyn, New York, asked people to donate to relief organizations on Monday in exchange for photos of her cat Jerry misbehaving
Efficient: As it turned out, fellow Twitter users were eager to see photos of Jerry (front), a sizable animal who has a habit of stealing the food of Rachel’s other cat Meryl (back)
‘Please favorite this tweet if you would like to see a photo of Jerry behaving badly,’ she initially wrote, before realizing she could put pictures of Jerry to better use.
‘Actually I have a better idea,’ Rachel added. ‘@ me with proof of donating to a charity for south Texas and I will dm you a photo of Jerry behaving badly.’
As it turned out, fellow Twitter users were eager to see photos of the feline, a sizable animal who has a habit of stealing the food of Rachel’s other cat Meryl.
People promptly, sending her screen shots of their donations to organizations such as the Houston Food Bank, rescue group Dallas DogRRR, and the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund set up by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
Proof: People promptly, sending her screen shots of their donations, with one person writing ‘Give Jerry pix’ on their receipt
Amazing: As more donors contributed, Rachel was amazed to see the amount collected rise above $20,000, a mere 48 hours after her initial tweet
One person even scribbled ‘Give Jerry pix’ on their receipt, making it clear that their donation was made with the mischievous cat in mind.
As more donors contributed, Rachel was amazed to see the amount collected rise above $20,000, a mere 48 hours after her initial tweet.
‘I was shocked,’ she told Glamour of the overall success of her campaign.
Rachel, who now has $24,800 followers on Twitter, believes many people participated due to the ‘social aspect’ of the movement, with social media users hearing about other donors and deciding to get involved too.
‘My dad was making fun of me earlier for this being the most millennial fundraising,’ she added.
Theory: Rachel (pictured), who now has $24,800 followers on Twitter, believes many people participated due to the ‘social aspect’ of the movement
Unfair: The pet owner also noted there was currently a ‘weird imbalance’ in her house because Jerry was being celebrated as a hero instead of Meryl, her better-behaved cat
As for Jerry, he was apparently a tad annoyed at his owner, who kept grabbing him to record videos as prizes for higher donors.
Rachel also noted there was currently a ‘weird imbalance’ in her house because Jerry was being celebrated as a hero instead of Meryl, her better-behaved pet.
Thousands of people had to seek refuge in shelters after Harvey dumped historic quantities of rain on southeast Texas, reaching 51.88inches in Cedar Bayou.
At least 46 people are now thought to have died as a consequence of the natural disaster, with officials warning that number is likely to rise.
Experts and officials have warned it could take years for the area to fully recover from the natural disaster.