Megan Harper started pumping gas at a marina when she was 14 — she’s always known how to turn a dollar. Now a 41-year-old mother of three, she’s a marketing executive in a Charlotte, North Carolina, suburb and runs a six-figure social media agency on the side. She has also built an online following of tens of thousands of people.
But when her marriage fell apart, so did the financial equation that sustained her family. Harper’s husband was arrested in September 2024 and charged with felony assault by strangulation and several misdemeanors related to domestic violence, including assault on a female, threats and violating a protective order, court records show. What followed, Harper said, were multiple legal proceedings involving criminal charges, custody and divorce, all while she tried to support three kids.
With full custody, she couldn’t travel for work to meet clients, shrinking her earning ability. Harper received legal counseling and access to Medicaid through Safe Alliance, a North Carolina nonprofit that helps people impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Online followers keeping up with her story started asking how they could support her.
Harper started a GoFundMe, which raised over $13,000 through 270 donations. She wasn’t at risk of losing her home — she’s quick to acknowledge that. But she was trying to keep life stable for her kids on one income while legal bills piled up.
Crowdfunding helped her avoid a more precarious financial situation. Without it, she would likely have needed food assistance, she said. Harper is among the women turning to crowdfunding and other forms of community support to afford getting from married life to whatever comes next.
She had resources many women contemplating divorce don’t: her own income, professional experience and an audience willing to help. But even she needed support. Some women borrow money, take on debt, ask family and friends for help — or make the intensely private experience public in the hope that others will help support them.
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