GoFundMe Nonprofit Pages Investigation

By Amanda L. Cole

A bipartisan coalition of 21 state attorneys general and charity regulators is demanding answers from GoFundMe about automatically generated nonprofit fundraising pages, warning the platform’s practices may have violated state consumer protection and charitable solicitation laws as part of a multistate investigation.

In a letter dated March 3, the charity regulators expressed their concerns, requested information on GoFundMe’s creation of approximately 1.4 million unauthorized donation pages for nonprofits using publicly available data, and demanded more be done to protect nonprofits. They gave the company 14 days to respond, but noted additional investigative requests from participating states may be forthcoming.

“It is deeply concerning that GoFundMe plagiarized donation web pages, without knowledge or authorization of the charities involved,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “This conduct harms charities, erodes public trust, and sets a dangerous precedent that ultimately harms the people and causes that charities support. Today, we demand accountability for GoFundMe’s wrongdoing. GoFundMe must fix the damage it has caused and prove it has removed all of its plagiarized web pages.”

The inquiry follows debate within the nonprofit sector after GoFundMe rolled out the pages in batches beginning in late 2024. Many organizations said they did not realize the pages existed until October 2025, when some appeared in search results. Upon discovery, nonprofits said they could not control the information displayed — incomplete or inaccurate in some cases — unless they opted in to claim the pages. GoFundMe later reversed course, removing and de-indexing unclaimed pages and shifting to an opt-in model after nonprofits raised concerns.

The letter points to potential violations of several state laws governing deceptive practices, consumer protection, and charitable solicitations. Regulators are seeking clarification on how the pages were created, whether nonprofits authorized them, and how donors were informed about where their contributions were going.

Officials are also asking GoFundMe to provide proof that its nonprofit pages have been removed unless nonprofits opted in and to ensure authorized GoFundMe pages do not outrank nonprofits’ official donation pages in search results. The company previously said it removed unclaimed pages, shifted the feature to an opt-in model, and disabled search engine indexing following concerns raised last year.

Regulators also cited instances in which donation pages did not clearly disclose that contributions were routed through a donor-advised fund sponsor rather than going directly to the featured charity, potentially leaving donors without a clear understanding of how their gifts would be processed or distributed.

“GoFundMe’s misleading attempt to capitalize on the good work of more than a million charities is deeply troubling,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “Charities serve their communities and should not be used as vehicles for financial gain. GoFundMe must prove that it has fully rectified these issues and clearly explain what it’s changing to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Beyond the pages themselves, the letter also examines how GoFundMe structures its donation process — particularly the platform’s voluntary tipping model.

Regulators are seeking clarification on how donation pages present tips to donors and whether contributors clearly understand that those tips support the platform rather than the nonprofit receiving the donation. The inquiry also raises the question of whether nonprofits should receive a portion of those tips.

Donor tipping has become a common revenue model for online fundraising platforms. Some platforms allow donors to cover platform or payment processing fees so the full donation reaches the nonprofit, while others prompt donors to add a voluntary tip during checkout to support the technology provider. GoFundMe adopted the donor-tipping model in 2017 when it eliminated its 5% platform fee and began relying on voluntary tips from donors to support the platform.

“Nonprofits and charities work hard to earn credibility with donors and the public. That credibility is needlessly undermined when a donation platform engages in misconduct and deceives the public,” New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement. “A trusted platform that claims to support donors should be transparent and up front about its product. Using default settings that push donors to pay hefty fees in the form of tips undermines the spirit of giving that GoFundMe claims to support.”

GoFundMe did not directly address questions regarding regulators' inquiry about whether any tips or related charges should instead go to nonprofits, but reiterated the changes it has made and told NonProfit PRO in a statement:

“GoFundMe is committed to helping nonprofits reach new donors by making it easier for the millions of people on our platform to discover and support the causes they care about. Nonprofit Pages were created using publicly available information to help people support nonprofit organizations, with donations going to the intended nonprofit.

“… The immediate changes we made in October directly addressed the concerns outlined in the letter received [on March 3] from the state attorneys general, and reflect our continued commitment to transparency, accountability, and partnership with the nonprofit sector. We welcome the opportunity to share with the attorneys general the concrete steps we have already implemented in response to the issues raised.”