GoFundMe Reverses Unauthorized Creation of 1.4 Million Nonprofit Donation Pages

GoFundMe created fundraising pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations without their consent, using publicly available IRS data and information from partners like Candid and PayPal. This unauthorized creation caused confusion and concern among nonprofits about control of the pages and potential misdirection of donations. In response to backlash and criticism, GoFundMe has apologized and reversed its policy, making nonprofit pages opt-in only, removing and de-indexing unclaimed pages, and turning off search engine optimization by default. Nonprofits are advised to check if they have an unauthorized page and claim it promptly to control their information. The National Council on Nonprofits and other organizations continue to monitor the situation and offer support to affected groups. GoFundMe's CEO emphasized a commitment to rebuilding trust through better communication and partnership with nonprofits.