The model who went viral this week for inspiring people to donate to Australian bushfire relief in exchange for her nude photos now estimates she has raised more than $1 million.
Kaylen Ward, 20, ignited the craze on Jan. 3 with a tweet saying she would send a nude photo to anyone who provided proof that they donated to one of a list of organizations working in Australia.
That tweet blew up; just a few days later, Ward estimated that more than $1 million in donations had been generated.
Ward told BuzzFeed News she's "extremely overwhelmed" and "so happy."
It's hard to pin down an exact number of donations attributed to Ward, and BuzzFeed News cannot verify the $1 million figure. Her estimate is based on how many legitimate donation receipts are being sent per minute that meet the minimum of $10. Ward said that — after filtering out fake receipts and other DMs, such as ones from well-wishers — about 50% of the messages she's getting are legit.
"We had some people who donated a lot of money," she said. "One person $5,000 and at least 10 people $1,000. Those we made sure we had their name and a second verification of the payment."
Ward estimated that she and a small team she's hired to respond to the requests have now sent 10,000 nude photos. The demand has been so overwhelming that they've had to stop.
Since the money is going directly to charities, Ward herself isn't getting a cut, although her social media following has grown exponentially since the campaign started. Her Instagram, however, was shut down in the process.
A Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News her account "was disabled for violating our policies. Offering nude images is not allowed on Instagram."
Given Ward's massive success, other online women are joining the cause and offering photos for proof of donations, such as porn actor Riley Reid.
Models Jenna Lee and Emmy Elliott are also participating in the effort.
Lee told the National Post that she's raised an estimated $40,000 so far.