Thousands of people turned to crowdfunding during COVID-19. For most, it didn't pan out.

Aaron Davison has been without work since last spring, when the amusement parks in Orlando, Florida, furloughed thousands of employees. The 28-year-old is a caretaker for his parents, who are too disabled to work, and, after living in their car for part of 2020, the family has been staying in a hotel. But the unemployment benefits that made this possible are ending this week.

Given this precarious financial state, Davison is eager to discuss his GoFundMe campaign to attract donations. "I always would tell everybody, family or friend, if they had a platform to share the GoFundMe," Davison told CBS MoneyWatch. "A share can go a long way, even if it's not a donation. I think visibility is an important thing now." In the 18 months since he launched the crowdfunding campaign, it's raised just over $6,000 of a $10,000 goal — still short of the money he needs to sustain his family or move into permanent housing.