An Instagram model is bringing plenty of exposure to her effort to help charities assisting Australia as it battles devastating wildfires.
According to reports, Kaylen Ward, 20, a California resident, estimates she has raised about $1 million by offering to send nude photos of herself to anyone who can prove they donated at least $10 to a charity helping Australia.
Ward tells the Guardian she started her campaign with a risque tweet last Friday, which included a list of charities for donations. She says she made a $1,000 donation herself.
“The next morning I woke up and it had gone absolutely viral and I was flooded with messages," Ward tells the Guardian. "It quickly just blew up and went upwards of $100,000 before I knew it.”
Ward tells the Washington Post that by Sunday at least 50,000 people had responded to her offer. When she started her campaign, she had about 30,000 Twitter followers. As of early Tuesday morning, she has nearly 300,000 followers. However, it has resulted in the suspension of her Instagram accounts because of violations of its guidelines for sexual content, the Post reports.
Buzzfeed reports Ward has hired four people to help her sift through responses to ensure they made donations, and then to send the promised nude photos. Ward tells Buzzfeed her family had to flee wildfires in California last year, adding to her concern for Australia.
“It’s so surreal and didn’t feel like this could be happening,” Ward tells the Post. “I’m so happy because it’s really personal to me, and I wanted to see people making a difference.”