Members describe their fundraising cause and the amount they hope to raise, and upload photos or video. Once the website is created, GoFundMe allows users to share their project with people through integrated social network links (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and email. People can then donate to a user's cause through the website using a debit card or credit card and track the funding. Those who donate can also leave comments on the website. The person raising funds is not charged. Payment processors collect 2.9% and $0.30 from each GoFundMe transaction.
GoFundMe is unique to crowdfunding in that the company is not an incentive-based crowdfunding website. Although it does allow projects that are meant to fund other projects for musicians, inventors, etc., the business model is set up to allow for donations to personal causes and life events such as medical bills. GoFundMe also has a special section dedicated solely to users who are trying to raise money to cover their tuition costs. A prominent tuition project helped a user raise $25,000 for an out-of-state tuition to a PhD program. A 2014 tuition project raised over $100,000 for a homeless high school valedictorian to attend college and help his family.
GoFundMe targets social media platforms to create awareness for campaigns, and encourages individual users to promote their fundraiser on social media throughout a campaign. According to a 2018 report by GoFundMe based on past campaign data, a donor sharing a campaign on social media results in $15 of donations on average, while any share of a campaign on social media, regardless of whether the user donated to the campaign, results in $13 of donations on average.
In 2015, GoFundMe announced that it would no longer support legal defense funds after the site suspended funding for the defense of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, a bakery that was fined for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. As of November 2017 GoFundMe's terms and conditions allow for campaigns for certain kinds of legal defense.
Read the full text
In November 2017, GoFundMe announced it would no longer charge a 5% fee per donation for US, Canada, and UK individual campaigns, and instead rely upon tips left by donors to support the website. The processing fee for online credit card payments still applies to donations.
In June 2019, GoFundMe terminated a $3 million fund-raiser for an Australian rugby player, Israel Folau, to finance a court case to appeal his multi-million dollar dismissal. He had quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 on social media, which was said to be homophobic. An alternative fundraising site was set up by the Australian Christian Lobby with the public donating $2 million in 24 hours.
In May 2022, GoFundMe announced the acquisition of nonprofit donation site Classy. It was announced that Classy will remain and operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of GoFundMe.
Nonprofit pages
In October 2025, KGO-TV reported that GoFundMe had set up pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations without consulting with the nonprofits themselves or informing them. The organizations are able to claim these pages or unpublish them from the site. These actions raised concerns about transparency, donor trust, and crowding-out of direct donations.
In late October 2025, GoFundMe apologized for its actions and announced a change in policy that precluded future recurrence. The National Council of Nonprofits publicly addressed GoFundMe's apology saying they were "pleased with GoFundMe's openness and self-reflection", while still calling the original actions "a breach of trust".
