The Problem

Not long after the July 20, 2012 mass shooting that occurred at Century 16 Movie Theater in Aurora, Colorado, the so-called “Dark Knight Shooting,” loved ones of those who were killed met with members of the National Crime Victim Bar Association of which Azrael Franz partner Keith Franz is a member of the Advisory Board.  They came with a serious concern.  In the aftermath of the shooting there was an incredible outpouring of support and donations to the victims’ families but no centralized location for the donations to be made that would be fairly and transparently divided amongst the victims.  These family members of those killed explained that there was a new “platform” that was just getting off the ground that the Bar Association and virtually everyone else had not yet heard of called “GoFundMe.”  GoFundMe would collect funds electronically on the Internet and pay them out to those who successfully opened accounts and received donations.  The problem was that multiple accounts were opened, some in the names of certain victims while no accounts were set up for others, which led to a highly unequal distribution of funds to victims not based on their injuries or damages but on the ability to successfully navigate the new GoFundMe platform.  Those families affected by the shooting who presented this dilemma believed that a far more universal and equitable method to fairly collect and distribute funds intended for victims of mass shootings should be established which would create a central collection point for all victims and which funding could be distributed in a fair and open manner.  The Advisory Board of the National Crime Victim Bar Association and its parent organization, the National Center for Victims of Crime, recognized the significance and potential of this nascent giving phenomenon where individuals across the globe could easily donate to a single source that would be fully accountable to victims and the public.  The Advisory Board believed it could provide a simple transparent method to divide 100% of the proceeds among those who were killed, those who were injured and those who were present at the scene and emotionally affected but not physically injured.

The Solution

The National Center for Victims of Crime, of which Azrael Franz partner Keith Franz is Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee, set out to solve this problem.  What was created was the National Compassion Fund.  The goal was to centralize all donations for mass catastrophe events and provide 100% of the money donated to the affected families.  This would be accomplished by having all administrative expense paid by a local benefactor which would assure that all funds donated would go directly to those personally affected by these tragic events.  Since its inception the National Compassion Fund has worked closely with GoFundMe to encourage all victims to use the National Compassion Fund donation center. As a result, virtually every mass casualty event since the founding of the National Compassion Fund has utilized this unique donation platform to directly benefit the victims of these horrible shooting events including:

and other Funds.  Check https://nationalcompassion.org/ for more details

Since 2014, the National Compassion Fund has distributed more than $105,000,000.  Azrael Franz partner Keith Franz is one of four members of the National Compassion Fund Board of Directors.  We are proud of our involvement through the National Center for Victims of Crime in establishing the National Compassion Fund which serves communities throughout the United States facing some of the most difficult challenges that a community can endure.  We have fulfilled our promise to provide 100% of the funds donated directly to those individuals and families personally affected by their mass shooting events. Administrative costs for each fund ranges from approximately $50,000 to $100,000. In every instance local community organizations or the business in which the events took place have donated the administrative expense to the National Compassion Fund to assure that all funds collected are distributed to those personally affected by these mass shooting events. The National Compassion Fund provides a single trusted way for the public to give directly to victims of mass casualty crimes. To learn more about the National Compassion Fund or how to donate to a particular Fund visit https://nationalcompassion.org/.

The Nationals Compassion Fund is 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization which permits all donations to the fund to be tax deductible.