FAQs

Shred the Debt is a Shaper-driven initiative designed to eliminate the burden of medical debt in the United States. The campaign raises funds through partnering with Undue Medical Debt to purchase outstanding medical debt at a fraction of its original value and then forgives it entirely, providing financial relief to individuals and families.

Undue Medical Debt has hospital partnerships and buys debt in the form of bundled portfolios. Undue buys the debt of those who earn at or less than 4x the federal poverty level and/or those whose debts are 5 percent or more of their annual income. Undue Medical Debt never collects on the debts they purchase, they only forgive it.

Shred the Debt campaigns eliminate debt for those who earn at or less than 4x the federal poverty level and/or those whose debts are 5 percent or more of their annual income. Due to HIPAA guidelines, we do not know exactly who benefits from the campaign’s efforts, just that they are benefiting people in our region. Once your campaign is completed, Undue Medical Debt will send you a Debt Fulfillment Report detailing the amount of medical debt abolished and for how many people.

1. Come up a target amount to raise by December 28th with your hub! Our minimum is $3.5K, but some hubs have gone up to $10K. Don’t stress too much about not hitting the goal — any amount is better than $0.

2. Reach out to us via email, Instagram, or WhatsApp to set up a meeting so we can create your campaign page! 

3. It would be helpful if you created a document by copying and pasting below, and filling in the blanks (should take under a minute).

   Campaign Name: [Your Hub] Hub – Shred The Debt

   Campaign Goal: $3,500 [or more if preferred]

   Campaign Creator Name (Global Shapers Hub): [Your Hub] Hub

   Campaign Webpage Text

   The [Your Hub] Hub is proud to be part of Shred the Debt, a nationwide campaign led by Global Shapers across the United States to eliminate medical debt and advance financial dignity for communities in need.

   Medical debt is one of the most common forms of financial hardship in the United States and disproportionately affects low-income and marginalized communities.

   Through our partnership with Undue Medical Debt, participating Global Shaper Hubs are raising funds to purchase and permanently abolish medical debt for families in their regions. Every dollar donated multiplies in impact and turns small contributions into life-changing relief.

   When medical debt is erased, families regain stability, credit improves, and financial stress decreases. By donating through the [Your Hub] Hub, you are contributing to a unified national effort. When one hub succeeds, we all win. $1 has the power to erase $100 of medical debt.

   Images / Graphics

   Please provide a campaign image in a 2:1 aspect ratio.

   Canva Template: https://www.canva.com/design/DAHFPsXPJgw/Ssgiqap6iNZ5hXy3doJJkg/edit

   Hub Contact Information

   Primary Hub Contact: 

   Name: [ ]

   Email: [ ]

   Phone (Optional): [ ]

   Campaign Page Email Address:[Email address to be associated with the campaign page]

   Questions / Notes for Undue Medical Debt: Campaign page password setup, account access and administrator permissions, any onboarding materials or next steps for launching the campaign page

4. During the meeting, you’ll be sending an email (don’t worry, you’ll be given a template) and attaching that document to the email!

5. Once your campaign page goes live, send the link to us so we can post it on the website under our Local Campaigns Page.

6. Go crazy with fundraising, and reach out if you have any questions!

We recommend a crowdfunding campaign as it requires no upfront cost from your hub. A local donation is a single donation transaction made by your hub (e.g. a check) to Undue and is split 80/20, with 80% going towards erasing medical debt and 20% going towards general operating expenses for Undue.

No, Undue Medical Debt hosts the campaign through their own fundraising platform similar to GoFundMe. When creating a campaign, be sure to create a crowdfunding campaign as opposed to local donation. Crowdfunding campaigns are not under the 80/20 donation split.

On the specific fundraising page for your hub, click on “Donate by Check” underneath the donate button.

Make the check payable to "Undue Medical Debt".

Write the campaign name in the memo line. To ensure the funds are routed correctly, write  (or "Global Shapers — 69607" if donating to the nationwide campaign pool). If supporting a specific regional hub, your fundraising page will have a specific Memo Line: "[Your Memo Line] — 00000"

Mail the check to their secure processing center:

Undue Medical Debt

P.O. Box 411675

Boston, MA 02241-1675

Check donations typically reflect on the campaign webpage within one business day after being received and processed by their team.

If the donation would be preferred to be made anonymously, please reach out to Undue Medical Debt staff AFTER the check has posted to make the donation anonymous.

The following is the official guidance we’ve received from Undue Medical Debt: Ask donors to email info@unduemedicaldebt.org with their name, gift date, and amount, noting that the match belongs to a specific campaign (include link for ease of tagging). This helps us ensure the match is properly credited to the correct campaign.

One of our coordinators, Hunter, has reached out to Undue using the above email and, after providing them instructions from his own company, they filled out the necessary paperwork to establish themselves / my Hub’s campaign as an “option” for me to select for my company’s proprietary match portal. Know this process will vary company to company but he recommends following those steps if you’re in a similar position.

Unfortunately, we are not able to provide financial support to campaigns. All fundraising should be localized to your hub’s network and community. The Shred the Debt project team can support through amplification on social media and project support through our WhatsApp channel.