GoFundMe Pages Created for Nonprofits without Permission

PSA: GoFundMe Pages Created for Nonprofits Without Permission

Update [October 24, 2025]

Since our initial post, GoFundMe has issued a public statement and has removed nonprofit fundraising pages from its on-site search results. However, many of those pages remain accessible through third-party search engines, including Google. 

We are also hearing from members about similar fundraising pages created without consent on other platforms, including Pledge.to and Every.org. PANO is actively monitoring this issue and has been in close communication with the National Council of Nonprofits to share feedback and stay aligned on next steps. 

NCN issued a statement about this on October 22, and continues to advocate for transparency, accountability, and nonprofit control in third-party fundraising practices. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

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Original Post [October 22, 2025]

Recently, GoFundMe quietly launched donation pages for approximately 1.4 million U.S. nonprofits – including many in Pennsylvania – without seeking consent or notifying the organizations involved. The pages pull publicly-available IRS data, such as what appears on 990s, to create donation portals that may appear official but were not authorized by the nonprofits themselves. 

GoFundMe has said its intent was to “make it easier for people to discover, support, and give directly to the causes they care about in order to help drive new donors to nonprofit organizations.” But nonprofits around the U.S. have raised critical concerns about these pages: 

• Lack of Consent – Nonprofits were not informed of these donation pages, nor were they given the opportunity to consent to any formal relationship with GoFundMe. Nonprofits must have the power and agency to decide for themselves how and when to engage with third parties, particularly on issues as important and sensitive as donation solicitation.
• Confusion for Funders and Supporters – The GoFundMe pages have created confusion for donors and supporters who are unsure of the legitimacy of the fundraising pages. In some cases, GoFundMe included incorrect information, outdated logos, and other inaccuracies that compromise and misrepresent nonprofits’ brand, mission, strategy, and message.
• Fees and Other Expenses – Donations made through the GoFundMe pages are charged processing fees that cut into the support provided to nonprofits, and donors are asked to provide a generous tip to support GoFundMe’s efforts. These tactics ultimately result in fewer resources for nonprofits than if donors contributed directly through the organization.
• SEO Optimization – GoFundMe has initiated SEO optimization as the default for the donation pages to improve their visibility when individuals search for information about nonprofits online. This could result in GoFundMe’s pages ranking higher than the nonprofit’s own website, pulling away potential donors and supporters.
• Implementation Challenges – Without adequate safeguards in place, nonprofits report serious issues, ranging from unauthorized individuals claiming donations and the inability to remove pages without first agreeing to GoFundMe’s terms and conditions or sharing sensitive banking information.

PANO recommends that you find your page and remove it using GoFundMe’s how-to guide. GoFundMe’s rollout of these pages was done without consent from involved nonprofit organizations, and does not provide an appropriate level of trustworthiness. 

Here are some additional resources about this situation: 

• GoFundMe Faces Backlash After Creating Donation Pages Without Nonprofits’ Consent
• In-depth guidance from Heller Consulting (including instructions for removing unauthorized pages)
• In-depth guidance from Whole Whale (including instructions for removing unauthorized pages)
• Nonprofit News Feed coverage (including instructions for removing unauthorized pages)

PANO is monitoring this issue and will provide updates if we learn more. If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.