How to Safely Use GoFundMe (2024)

FAQs

How to Safely Use GoFundMe? ›

Our team of Trust & Safety specialists work night and day to make sure that funds get to the intended recipient, every time. We guarantee you a full refund in the rare case something isn't right. Whether you donate to a fundraiser for a person or a nonprofit, you're protected.

Our team of Trust & Safety specialists work night and day to make sure that funds get to the intended recipient, every time. We guarantee you a full refund in the rare case something isn't right. Whether you donate to a fundraiser for a person or a nonprofit, you're protected.

There are, however, some downsides to using GoFundMe. First, the platform is not available in all countries. Second, GoFundMe does not offer any tools or resources to help you promote your campaign or reach your fundraising goal.

If the money raised on GoFundMe is for a personal cause, such as medical expenses or home repairs, it is typically considered taxable income. However, if the money is raised for a charitable cause, it may not be subject to taxes.

Even if you don't reach your goal, you can withdraw every cent, minus the transaction fees. This is unlike other donation platforms that take an all-or-nothing approach, meaning you can only receive the donations if you reach your target. It's free to sign up and start a campaign on GoFundMe.

The name you enter will be displayed publicly on the fundraiser page. If you don't want to use your full name, whether for safety or personal reasons, you can enter your chosen name here. Be sure to enter your legal name when it comes time to set up transfers.

The answer is: Yes, you could—because it's a crime. Specifically, such theft is among many types of crimes that are classified as white-collar crimes.

Other important factors to consider when researching alternatives to GoFundMe include ease of use and reliability. We have compiled a list of solutions that reviewers voted as the best overall alternatives and competitors to GoFundMe, including Givebutter, Donorbox, Classy, and Fundly.

There's no fee to start or manage your fundraiser. However, to help us operate safely and securely, one small transaction fee (2.9% + $0.30, which includes debit and credit charges) per donation is deducted. For more information about fees in your country, check out our pricing page.

A transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 is automatically deducted from each donation, so you never have to worry about paying a bill.

Does the person get all the money from GoFundMe? ›

One small transaction fee is automatically deducted per donation—that's it. Everything else goes directly to your cause, because that's what matters most.

Individual donations process in 1-14 business days before being included in a transfer. Each transfer includes all processed (available) donations. Transfers initiate daily, unless you change to weekly or monthly. It takes 2 - 5 business days for transfers to reach the bank account after leaving GoFundMe.

Most withdrawals take between 5 and 7 business days. You can choose between an electronic bank transfer or paper check delivery during the withdrawal process. Does it cost anything? While it's free to create and share your online fundraising campaign, GoFundMe will deduct a 5% fee from each donation that you receive.

The average GoFundMe medical fundraising campaign raises a total amount that typically falls between $2,000 to $2,600. In comparison: The average Help Hope Live campaign raises $15,000 – six times more than GoFundMe.

You start a GoFundMe by telling your story and setting a goal. Then, you'll be ready to share your fundraiser with your friends, family and social media networks to begin collecting donations. Every donation is yours to keep, whether or not you reach your goal.

From your experience management menu, you can view the number of people who have visited your fundraising page.

The best option is when the organizer posts a video. Use reverse image search websites like TinEyeand Google Images to see if their image shows up somewhere else. Organizers who have new social media accounts or less than 40 “friends.” Scammers often set up fake accounts.

There's no fee to start or manage your fundraiser. However, to help us operate safely and securely, one small transaction fee (2.9% + $0.30, which includes debit and credit charges) per donation is deducted. For more information about fees in your country, check out our pricing page.

GoFundMe is a for-profit company. It charges a 2.9% payment-processing fee on each donation, along with 30 cents for every donation. That means if a campaign raised $1,000 through 10 donations of $100 each, GoFundMe would collect about $32.

Always pay by credit card.

Making donations via credit card offers additional layers of protection versus a debit card, which pays directly from your checking account. Never donate through wire transfer, gift cards, or crypto assets. Requests for these hard-to-trace forms of payment are a hallmark of scammers.