GoFundMe Created 1.4 Million Donation Pages for Nonprofits Without Their Consent

San Francisco's ABC7 investigated GoFundMe's practice of creating unsolicited "nonprofit pages" for 1.4 million organizations. A nonprofit treasurer, Dave Dornlas, raised concerns about the opt-out approach and difficulty in contacting GoFundMe. He also criticized the platform's optional tipping feature, initially set at 16.5%, on top of existing transaction fees. Dornlas's nonprofits' pages were subsequently removed from GoFundMe. The Center for Nonprofit Excellence criticized GoFundMe for creating confusion with potentially inaccurate information and diverting resources from nonprofits. GoFundMe's SEO optimization could make its pages rank higher than the nonprofits' own websites, intercepting donors. Nonprofits have reported issues with unauthorized donation claims and difficulty removing pages. The National Council of Nonprofits has joined the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in urging GoFundMe to address these problems. GoFundMe's actions have sparked controversy due to the potential negative impact on nonprofit fundraising. The situation highlights concerns about transparency, control, and financial implications for nonprofits using the platform.