We designed and implemented a custom web scraping tool to extract campaign data on GoFundMe.com. The software was constructed in a Python environment using the Selenium (www.selenium.dev) software testing framework and Scrapy (www.scrapy.org) open-source framework in tandem to navigate the website architecture. We extracted data for active campaigns using the keywords relevant to COVID-19 pandemic and characterized campaigns that emerged March 3-20, 2020, the period which coincided with an inflection point in both mortality and incidence outside of China. 4 We compiled the date, time, and origin of identified campaigns. We generated a random sample of 200 campaigns and manually verified the needs articulated relating to the number of donors, goal fundraising amount, country of origin, and language. Among the subset of campaigns dedicated to medical supplies, we further characterized the need for personal protective equipment (PPE), intensive care devices

Background: we aimed to characterize the financial needs expressed through online crowdfunding for urologic cancers. Methods: the data used in this study came from the online crowdfunding platform GoFundMe.com. Using an automated software method, we extracted data for campaigns related to urologic cancers. Subsequently, four independent investigators reviewed all extracted data on prostate, bladder, kidney and testicular cancer. We analyzed campaigns’ basic characteristics, goals, fundraising, type of treatment and factors associated with successful campaigns. Results: in total, we identified 2126 individual campaigns, which were related to direct treatment costs (34%), living expenses (17%) or both (48%). Median fundraising amounts were greatest for testicular cancer. Campaigns for both complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) (median $11,000) or CAM alone (median $8527) achieved higher fundraising totals compared with those for conventional treatments alone (median $5362) (p < 0.01). The number of social media shares was independently associated with campaign success and highest quartile of fundraising. Conclusions: using an automated web-based approach, we identified and characterized online crowdfunding for urologic cancer care. These findings indicated a diverse range of patient needs related to urologic care and factors related to campaigns’ success.