Tumblr puts influence to work to raise $100K for Sandy relief and documentary project

New York-based blogging powerhouse Tumblr is using its influence for good and partnering with Brandon Stanton, the storytelling sensation behind the photography blog Humans of New York (HoNY), to not only raise money for the victims of Superstorm Sandy but to also document the stories behind the storm.

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Today, the startup and the famous photography project kicked off a 10-day fundraising campaign on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. The goal is to bring in at least $100,000 for the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity providing support to people in the areas hit hardest by Sandy. HoNY also promised to capture the many sides of Sandy by chronicling the stories of first-responders and capturing the devastating affects of the natural disaster. Both are using Tumblr to promote the fundraising initiative.

The Tumblr/HoNY-powered campaign pooled together more than $86,000 in its first 12 hours, with do-gooders donating roughly $63 a piece, an Indiegogo spokesperson told VentureBeat. Backers have so far contributed more than $94,000 to the not-for-profit project, which means the campaign should surpass its goal before the end of the day. Tumblr and HoNY have promised to give 100 percent of proceeds to charity, and they are also giving away perks such as tote bags, prints, and portraits to donors.

“For the next 10 days, I’m going to be dedicating HoNY to raising money for Hurricane Sandy,” Stanton wrote in a Tumblr post. “We’re going to try to do this in a HoNY-like way. All of the blog’s content will be dedicated to telling the stories of people affected by the storm. Sandy left behind a lot of sad stories, but also some happy ones. We’re going to try to tell them all. The good people at Tumblr have stepped in to cosponsor the fundraiser, and they are going to be promoting these stories through their channels.”

The campaign joins several others started by folks in the technology community. Sandy’s disastrous impact on the North Atlantic region has driven companies such as Apple, Airbnb, HotelTonight, and Indiegogo to help the victims by either using their own products for support with relief efforts or by making generous donations to the American Red Cross.