How to help after Orlando mass shooting

A crowdfunding campaign to raise money for victims of this weekend’s horrific Orlando nightclub shooting has raised nearly US$2.4 million (NZ$3.4m) in a day.

In the wake of the shooting, more than 600 people reportedly waited in lines to donate blood-and due to their generosity, area blood centers have reached capacity.

Equality Florida is working with the National Center for Victims of Crime, a nonprofit that helped distribute funds to victims after the mass shootings in Fort Hood and Chattanooga.

Gunman Omar Mateen opened fire at gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida, early Sunday and killed at least 49 people while injuring 53 others.

As of right now, the site has surpassed $2 million in donations.

In an update to the campaign page, Equality Florida said the outpouring of love and compassion is a “testament to the incredible good” in the world.

Equality Florida, which advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights, has set up a GoFundMe account.

More than 73,000 people have donated.

The Walt Disney Company will also match eligible donations from Disney employees. “We’re trying to figure out the legal mechanisms to get aid directly to the victims’ families, not just to – not for profits that are going to help them down the road”, Dyer said.

Donate to Equality Florida: Equality Florida, the state’s largest LBGT advocacy group, has established a GoFundMe page.

So much so that the page was the quickest campaign in the website’s history to reach $US1 million.

“We are beyond moved by the support from all corners of the world and all walks of life”, a Tuesday post on the page stated, noting contributions from “average Americans, large corporations, celebrities, musicians, artists, and political figures” that would go toward the Pulse victims’ fund. Just a day after the shooting, it had raised more than $2 million.

The fund does not consider variable factors such as lost future income, so, for example, each person severely injured receives the same amount.

Since the California-based site was launched in May 2010, over $2 billion has been raised on GoFundMe to benefit individuals.

It’s also worth looking into LGBT groups and other community organizations in your area to see if you can help.

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t donate – you should!”

People hold up signs for passing cars at a candlelight vigil in West Hollywood, California.