GoFundMe Faces Backlash After Creating Unauthorized Nonprofit Donation Pages
In mid-October 2025, nonprofits and nonprofit advocacy groups discovered that GoFundMe had quietly launched donation pages for nonprofits. These newly launched pages utilized publicly available IRS data and information from partners like PayPal Giving Fund. These pages were intended to make it easier for donors to contribute to causes they care about, even if the nonprofit had not actively created a campaign on the platform. However, there were several issues noted with the rollout of these pages:
- Lack of Consent: Nonprofits were not informed or asked for permission before their pages were created.
- Brand Misuse: Many pages included logos, mission statements, and other branding elements without authorization, or led to an incorrect website.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Concerns: GoFundMe pages often outranked official nonprofit websites in search results, potentially diverting traffic and donations.
- Hidden Fees: Donation pages included default tipping options (15-17%) that were directed to GoFundMe, and not the nonprofit. It also assessed a 5% recurring gift surcharge to donors.
- Donor Demographics: The rollout allowed GoFundMe and the nonprofit equal control of donor data.
How GoFundMe Addressed the Concerns
Following widespread criticism from nonprofit leaders, nonprofit advocates, fundraisers, and digital strategists, GoFundMe issued a public apology and implemented several changes:
- All nonprofit pages are now opt-in only.
- Unclaimed pages are being removed and de-indexed from search engines.
- Logos and branding have been removed from unverified pages.
- The tipping feature has been disabled from the default pages.
What Nonprofits Should Do Now
Nonprofit organizations should still take the steps to claim their pages on the site using these instructions from GoFundMe. Additionally, nonprofits are encouraged to communicate with their supporters about donation links or QR codes listed on their website or other branded correspondence which are intended to directly impact the organization. Policies and procedures should also be updated to reflect any digital applications, and strategic plans should incorporate digital fundraising.
As nonprofits continue to navigate fundraising, this event serves as a reminder to maintain brand awareness in the digital space.
