There is no shortage of online crowdfunding websites — YouCaring, GoFundMe, Indiegogo, and Kickstarter are just a few of the popular ones. But crowdfunding existed long before the internet made online giving quick and easy.

An early example dates back to 1884 and involves one of America’s most cherished monuments, the Statue of Liberty.

France donated the statue, the work of French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. But money was needed to pay for the pedestal. Newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer sought donations in the New York Worldby appealing to Americans’ sense of civic responsibility.

We must raise the money!” the call for donations thundered.

Read the full article by Vesna Jaksic Lowe about fundraising from Medium