Latest update from the National Council of Nonprofits:
After the National Council of Nonprofits (NCN) and others raised significant concerns with GoFundMe about its decision to create donation pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations without their knowledge or consent, the company issued an apology last Thursday and outlined quick, corrective actions to remove the unauthorized donation pages, prevent further harm, and rebuild trust with nonprofits.
As NCN President and CEO Diane Yentel said in a press statement, we have been pleased with GoFundMe’s openness and self-reflection and the speed with which they responded to our concerns. On behalf of our network of nonprofits across the country, NCN raised with them serious issues, including:
- 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.
- Confusion for Funders and Supporters – The GoFundMe pages included incorrect information, outdated logos, and other inaccuracies that compromised nonprofits’ brand, mission, strategy, and message.
- Fees and Other Expenses – Suggested tips and processing fees ultimately resulted in fewer resources for nonprofits than if donors contributed directly through the organization.
- SEO Optimization – Prioritizing GoFundMe’s Nonprofit Pages in online searches threatened to pull away potential donors and supporters from nonprofits’ websites.
- Implementation Challenges – Without adequate safeguards in place, nonprofits reported significant problems.
When nonprofits work together with a unified voice, we are powerful.
Nonprofits must always retain the power to decide for themselves how and when to engage with other partners, and that the expertise of nonprofits must be sought and valued in advance of any effort related to their work. NCN will continue working to ensure that nonprofits’ voices are respected, their brands are protected, and public trust in the sector remains strong.
Next Steps
GoFundMe has agreed to remove and de-index all unauthorized donation pages so that they no longer appear on its website or in online searches, and it changed the default so that authorized pages do not automatically have SEO optimization. Going forward, GoFundMe will provide nonprofits with the choice about whether to participate and greater control over their messaging.
- If a nonprofit wishes to create a Nonprofit Page on GoFundMe, you can read their easy-to-use guide, which includes an FAQ.
- If a nonprofit wishes to remove their existing Nonprofit Page from GoFundMe, you can disable the “published on GoFundMe” option under the display settings on the Nonprofit Page settings. Similarly, a nonprofit can enable or disable SEO in their display settings, which will give them control over where their Nonprofit Page shows up in search engines.
- You can contact GoFundMe’s support team at support.gofundme.com.
- You can report any continued issues to NCN by contacting Senior Vice President Sarah Saadian at [email protected]. NCN will escalate these issues to GoFundMe for resolution.
Original Post:
MCN wants to make you aware of a critical issue impacting nonprofits in our state and around the country. Recently, GoFundMe – the crowdfunding platform – created on its website donation pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations without their knowledge or consent.
This initiative creates significant concerns for nonprofits:
- 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.
- Compliance Complexities: All 50 states have different rules around soliciting contributions from donors who live in those states. If nonprofits begin receiving donated dollars from states where they haven’t registered/complied with that state’s specific rules around registration and reporting, it poses a legal threat to the organization and adds a significant administrative burden on the nonprofit.
- 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.
Too many nonprofits simply do not know about GoFundMe’s actions, which may harm their current and future fundraising efforts, damage brand reputations, and cause confusion. Ultimately, this initiative threatens to undermine public trust in nonprofits, which is the foundation that allows nonprofits to do their vital work in communities every day.
GoFundMe has taken some steps to address the concerns raised by nonprofits, but these steps do not go far enough to repair the harm. MCN and the National Council of Nonprofits are urging GoFundMe to take immediate further action to rectify the situation.
Immediate Action for Nonprofits:
- Check if your organization has an unauthorized GoFundMe page.
- Decide whether to claim, edit, or request removal of the page.
- Review guidance here.
- The National Council of Nonprofits is tracking updates and collecting impact stories. Share your experience or concerns with them so they can advocate collectively and push for stronger protections. Share your story with NCN Senior Vice President Sarah Saadian at [email protected] and Policy Director and Counsel Tiffany Gourley Carter at [email protected].