GoFundMe FAQs

Facebook Window is Not Opening

When trying to connect your Facebook profile, a Facebook log-in window shouldpop-up in your browser for you to log in to Facebook. If you don’t see this window pop-up, something on your browser is blocking it.

Try these steps to get the Facebook window to appear:

Disable pop-up blockers or extensions in your browser

Try a private-browsing window on your browser

Use a different browser entirely

Clear the cache on your internet browser

Change devices - if you're using a computer, use your mobile phone instead

Facebook Already in Use Notification

If so, you’ll need to disconnect your Facebook profile from the GoFundMe account it’s connected to.

Follow these steps to log in to that account and free up your Facebook profile:

Go to the GoFundMe sign in page and select "Continue with Facebook," then enter the email address and password that you use to sign in to Facebook

Select the top three bars at the top of your screen (if you're on our mobile app, choose the "Me" icon which should show your Facebook profile photo) then select "Account Settings"

Select the link labeled "Disconnect My Facebook Account." If you're on the app simply click "Remove" next to your profile photo.

Your Facebook profile will now be freed up for you to use with the appropriate GoFundMe account.

If you are having trouble receiving your verification email, check out these quick fixes:

Check your spam or junk folders - Sometimes email providers will filter automated emails to your spam or junk mail folders. Search for a message titled "Verify Your GoFundMe Email".

Wait 30 minutes - Sometimes there is a slight delay in receiving the email, however, it should arrive within 30 minutes of requesting the email.

Add the email [email protected] to your contacts - Some email providers have strong security filters in place that block emails from unknown sources. To receive our emails, add the email address "[email protected]" to your email contact list. This will ensure your email provider knows this is a trusted source.

Update your GoFundMe account email address - There are some email providers that are unable to receive automated emails from GoFundMe. This can be especially true for custom email domains and providers. If this is the case for you, we recommend updating your email address within your GoFundMe account. Major email providers such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo will work best.

This article will go over the reasons that you may receive the "We cannot create your account. Contact our support team for help" error.

Your GoFundMe account has been inactive

To fix this issue, please go to your Account Settings (three bars at the top of your screen or the icon with your initials on the mobile app) and scroll to the bottom. There, you will see an option to "Delete Account". You can then create a new account at www.gofundme.com/sign-up. You’ll be able to advance as normal.

Your campaign title has special characters

When creating your campaign, remove all special characters from your campaign title (e.g.,#,@,/,*,-.). After you finalize your campaign, you can go back and edit your campaign title.

Your account name has special characters or is only one letter long

Your account name must be listed as your first and last name without any special characters (e.g.,#,@,/,*,-,1,2.). Additionally, your first and last names will need to be more than 1 letter. You can edit your account name by signing into your account and going to your settings: www.gofundme.com/settings

Your postal code is not formatted correctly

Make sure your postal code is correctly formatted for the location of your campaign and for the currency in which you are raising funds by choosing from the drop-down menu options that our system provides. Once the correctly formatted postal code is entered, you’ll be able to continue with your campaign.

If you don’t see the postal code for your area, please contact our team.

You're from an unsupported country

If you are not located in one of our supported countries, you will not be able to create a campaign. Click here to viewa list of our supported countries.

Why you need to verify your phone number

For personal campaigns in select countries, you may be required to verify your account by phone. Verifying your phone number before you withdraw allows an extra layer of protection whenever you are managing your funds.

You will need to make sure that you use a phone number in the same country that you created the campaign in. For example, if you set up a campaign in the United States, you will need to have a code sent to a US phone number within the 50 states. If you set up a Canadian campaign, you will need to verify with a code sent to a Canadian phone number.

If you are having trouble sending a beneficiary invitation, it is likely one of the following reasons:

Your beneficiary already has an active GoFundMe account with a different payment processor.

The invitation is being sent to their spam or junk mail filters.

You have already set up the withdrawals and your account is being reviewed by our payment processor.

Try a different email address

If the beneficiary has another email address, the quickest solution is to send a new beneficiary invitation to their alternative email address.

If your beneficiary doesn't have an email address, it makes it difficult for our team to help them withdraw. We suggest getting your beneficiary set up with a Gmail email account because it will be easy to use and takes only a moment to get up and running. Set up a Gmail account for your beneficiary here.

When the email address is ready, please add them as your campaign's beneficiary so they can withdraw the funds themselves. To do that, click the "Withdraw" button at the top right of your GoFundMe Dashboard and choose "Someone else." You can enter their name and email address there.

Ask your beneficiary to check their spam or junk mail

Email servers may see our emails as spam and filter them out of your beneficiary's inbox. Have them search for "GoFundMe" in their entire inbox.

Did you add bank information before sending the invitation?

If you have already added bank information, you will not be able to send a successful beneficiary invitation.

If the bank information on file is yours, please check your inbox for an email requesting for documentation to review your account.

Donations can be refunded for a variety of reasons, so we’ve compiled the most common reasons below. If you are a campaign organizer and wish to know why your donations were refunded, read this article to learn more about Important Verification and Withdrawal Deadlines.

The campaign organizer decided to deactivate their campaign

The campaign organizer may have decided to deactivate their campaign and refund all of their donors. If you are a donor, it would be best to get in touch with the campaign organizer for more information. We can assist you in contacting them if needed.

Our payment processor was unable to verify the donation

Our payment processor may proactively refund donations if they are unable to verify a donor’s identity. These security measures are designed to protect campaign organizers from fraudulent donations. If you are a donor and would like to contribute again, we can work with our payment processor to verify your identity by reviewing your government-issued ID or a link to your social media, such as Facebook or LinkedIn. Please get in touch with us to get that process started.

The campaign organizer did not withdraw their funds within 90 days

Due to federal regulations, our payment processor cannot hold funds for extended periods of time. Our team sends several reminders to the campaign organizer to assist them with the withdrawal process.

If a campaign organizer does not withdraw their funds within 90 days of their first donation, their donations will be automatically refunded in full back to donors. Donors will receive the credit on the card that was used to make the donation within 3-7 business days.

If you are a long-time campaign organizer on GoFundMe and have a Stripe account specifically, donations are refunded within 21 days if you do not activate your account.

If the campaign was live for less than 90 days but you still received a refund, the campaign organizer did not verify their account within 30 days.

The donation was charged back

Donors have the right to initiate a chargeback, or dispute their donation with their card issuer. This usually happens if the donor does not recognize the charge in their bank statement.

This results in the card issuer pulling the funds from the campaign organizer’s payment account. If you are a campaign organizer, read this article tolearn more about addressing a chargeback.

The donation was made by the campaign organizer

Our payment partners for personal GoFundMe campaigns don't allow campaign organizers to donate to their own campaigns, even if the donation was given to you by someone else by cash or check.

This can be seen as a cash advance in the banking world, and these donations will need to be refunded.

On the campaign creation page, check the currency of your campaign to determine which requirements you need to meet to run it.

Example: If the US dollar is selected as the currency, you must meet the requirements for the USA to continue. If you do not meet the requirements for that country, but you do for another, please change the currency before beginning your campaign.

If you do not meet the requirements for any country listed below, do not create a campaign. You must ask someone from a supported country to create one for you instead or your campaign will be refunded.

Requirements to create a campaign by country

USA

US Social Security number or ITIN

A US mailing address from one of the 50 states

A US phone number

A US bank account in your name

Must be at least 18 years of age

Canada

A Canadian bank account in your name

A Canadian mailing address

A Canadian phone number

A Canadian Tax-ID (Social Insurance Number)

Must be at least 18 years of age

Europe

A bank account from the supported EU country you signed up with

A phone number from the supported EU country you signed up with

A passport fromany country or National ID card of the supported EU country you signed up with

An address from the supported EU country you signed up with

Must be at least 18 years of age

UK

A bank account in the UK

A National Insurance Number

A passport from any country or a UK Driving license

A UK phone number

A UK address

Must be at least 18 years of age

Australia

A bank account in Australia

A physical location in Australia (at which you're able to receive mail)

A government-issued ID such as a passport or driver's license from any country

A phone number in Australia

Must be at least 18 years of age

Documents needed for Verification

Our payment partner may request the following documentation, if they cannot verify the information you entered automatically.

Your government-issued ID

If you meet the requirements to withdraw from one of the supported country, you will need to fill out your personal details, including your name, address, phone number, Tax-ID and date of birth. If this information can't be automatically verified, then there's a chance you'll need to provide a copy of your government issued photo ID. All of the following are acceptable forms of ID:

Valid Passports

US Driver's Licenses

UK Driver's Licenses

ROI Driver's Licenses

EU National ID Card

Note: A Tax-ID can be a Social Security Number, a National Insurance Number, or an ITIN. If you have an ITIN, please contact our team.

Your banking information

You will need to use a bank account in your name that is located in the country you signed up in. You’ll be able to fill out your bank information from within your account. If there are any issues with verifying your bank account, our payment processor may require a bank statement that meets the following requirements be uploaded to your account”

Your bank logo, or branch information (must be issued by the bank)

Your name as the account holder

The bank account number entered in your GoFundMe account

Your sort code (if in the UK or ROI)

If you cannot find a bank statement that meets the requirements, your other option is to upload a photo of a voided check for your account.

If you do have to upload any of the above documentation, it will take our payment partner up to 1 business day to review and approve the information you sent over. This can extend the time it takes for you to receive your funds, so it’s important to plan around that.

Note: Bank deposits also take 2-5 business days to arrive from the time they are sent.

The Verification Process Explained

We work with payment partners that facilitate the safe transfer of funds for your campaign. Our payment partners all perform verification on your personal information to ensure that funds are sent to the correct individual or organization.

If our payment partners need more information, you will receive an email from them or from GoFundMe directly asking to upload an identity document (driver’s license, passport, national ID) or a bank statement (in printed or digital form). This extra information is to ensure your account’s security and to confirm that funds can be withdrawn to your bank account.

If you receive one of these emails, you’ll be prompted to follow a link to upload the necessary documentation. We recommend checking back within 1-2 business days on your GoFundMe account to see if information is still required or if the verification process is complete. If you experience trouble uploading these documents, please contact our team.

Note: Only send personal and private information through official GoFundMe emails and the email addresses of our payment partners. If you have any concern regarding the security or legitimacy of the email you receive, please contact our team immediately.

GoFundMe does not offer customer support over the phone. Due to the security policies of GoFundMe and our payment partners, all correspondence must take place over email or chat.

How can we help?

The GoFundMe Help Center is filled with several articles that may have the answer you are looking for. When you get a moment, use the search bar at the top of the page and search for keywords that are related to your question. Here are some examples:

"Where are my donations?" - Keywords: Missing donations.

"How can I remove my name from my donation?" - Keywords: Anonymous donation.

"I need a refund" - Keywords: Refunds.

"How do I close my GoFundMe campaign?" - Keywords: Deactivate campaign.

If you still can't find your answer, you will need to contact us directly. Please keep the following in mind:

Please provide the email address you used to create your GoFundMe account or donate within your message to our team.

If you are unsure of the email you used, please let us know other alternate emails you may have used to set up your campaign or the campaign link that you're writing in about.

If you are writing in on behalf of someone else, please include their email that's connected to their account in your message or ask that person reach out to us directly. For security purposes, we can only share the account information for that individual with the account holder’s email on file.

If you know the email you used, but are unable to access it or communicate through it, please be aware that we may request a picture of your government-issued ID. This will allow us to verify your identity and help you access your account.

Please keep in mind, Chat is a new feature that GoFundMe is still testing. If your concern is something that we can quickly attend to, the option to chat will appear when you contact us.

Lastly, if you’re writing to us regarding a suspicious campaign, we recommend that you report it instead. This will kick-start a review by our Trust and Safety team. Learn more about this here.

You can contact us directly by selecting the "Get Help" button below.

A chargeback happens as the result of a donor contacting their credit card company to dispute the donation. Their bank or card issuer will immediately remove the funds from your payment account and set them aside while they conduct their review of the dispute.

This usually happens when a donor doesn't recognize the charge on their account and calls their card company out of concern.

I know the donor and they did not dispute the donation

If you know the donor personally, try reaching out to them to remind them what their donation was for. Then, they can call the card provider to drop the dispute, or donate to your campaign again.

Otherwise, you can concede to the chargeback and return your donor's payment back to them.

I don't know the donor and I want to challenge the chargeback

If you don’t know the donor or wish to challenge the chargeback, please contact our teamand we'll work with the parties involved to resolve this.

After an invitation has been sent, beneficiaries can accept their invitation from their account to receive the money. If you are the beneficiary and are having trouble locating the invitation, please make sure you check your junk/spam folder of the email address where the invitation was sent. Read more about how a beneficiary goes about accepting their invitation to withdraw after they've located it.

I still can't find the email invitation

If you were sent an email invitation but can not find it, there are a couple of ways to accept the funds:

If there is an existing GoFundMe account under your email address, try signing in to that account. When signing in, the option to "Accept" will be presented.

If there is not an existing GoFundMe account under your email address, sign up for a new GoFundMe account using the email where the invitation was sent.

If the invitation was sent to the wrong email address and was not claimed, the campaign organizer can cancel the old beneficiary invitation by clicking "Withdraw," then "View beneficiary overview" and finally they can scroll to "Cancel invite." From there, they can click the option to send an invitation to the correct email from within their account.

Is your campaign unable to accept donations? Check out the reasons why donations become paused and how to fix them here.

Verify Email

If your email address has not been verified within 14 days of your first donation, donations to your campaign will be paused. To accept donations again, search for the email titled “Verify Your GoFundMe Email” and confirm your email address.

If your email address has not been verified within 30 days of your first donation, all donations will be fully refunded to donors.

Setting up withdrawals

If withdrawals have not been set up within 30 days of your first donation, incoming donations to your campaign will be paused. You will receive emails every day reminding you to set this up, but another way to check if you still need to do this is by signing into your account. A notification will show up explaining if you need to update your personal information, bank information, or both.

If withdrawals have not been set up within 90 days of your first donation, all donations will be refunded.

To accept donations again, just set up your withdrawals by selecting the "Withdraw" button.

Update campaign information

There will be certain situations where GoFundMe’s Community Management or Trust & Safety Team will require updates to be made to your campaign and put it on hold until the changes are made. If this is the reason your donations aren’t going through, the campaign organizer will receive an email about these necessary changes.

To accept donations again, make sure the questions in the email are addressed and reply to the message you received.

The campaign is under review

For your safety and security, our payment partners review campaigns to ensure all funds go to the right place. If there is a question about your withdrawals, the payment partner will reach out to you directly, and sometimes put incoming donations on hold.

To accept donations again, follow the directions shared by the payment partner in their email. Read more about their document verification process here.

If you're expecting money in your bank and it hasn't arrived when you expected it to, then we recommend checking your email inbox to make sure you didn't get an email about a failed withdrawal. Learn more about the reasons for failed withdrawals. If you don't see an email, please read on for the next steps to troubleshoot this issue.

How long has it been since you started your withdrawals?

Transfers take 2-5 business days (Monday-Friday) to arrive in your bank account from the date sent.

If it has been under 5 business days since the money was sent out from GoFundMe, check for the money again on the evening of the 5th business day.

If it has been over 5 business days since the money was sent out from GoFundMe, check with your bank to see if they can find the money within the expected dates.

Did you double-check your bank information and try to enter it again?

If a transfer hasn't arrived within 5 business days, it's typically due to an error in one of your bank account numbers, or the name sent with the transfer doesn't match what the bank has on file.

To edit or re-enter your banking information, simply follow these steps:

Sign in to your GoFundMe

Find your "Withdraw" button

Select "View withdrawal overview"

Select the pencil to the right of "Bank information"

Add your new account information and select "Confirm" to complete the change

Once you've updated this information, it can take 10 business days from the date the transfer was sent for the receiving bank to reject the transfer and send it back to your GoFundMe account. At that time, the funds will be sent again using your updated information. It will then take another 2-5 business days for your funds to arrive in your account.

Are the funds still missing after 10 business days?

If you haven't received your funds within 10 business days after they were sent, and they have not returned to your GoFundMe account, please contact our teamand we can help. Please note that we may ask for a bank statement covering the dates that the withdrawal was expected to arrive. Read more about how withdrawals work here.

If you’re not seeing your recent withdrawals in your bank account or if you’ve received a message from GoFundMe or our payment processors that a withdrawal has been canceled, you may need to correct this information for successful transfers in the future.

Reasons for unsuccessful withdrawals

The name entered during the withdrawal process doesn’t match the name on the bank account.

The routing number or bank account number may be incorrect. Please check with your bank for the correct amount of digits to enter. For routing numbers, please note that our payment processors use ACH transfers. Read more on how to edit your bank information.

Our payment processor may need more information from you. You will receive a separate email for this. If this situation applies to you, please look in your email inbox for a message from their team. Read more on how to verify your information with our payment processor.

There may be a hold placed on your account by our team. Read more about how to remove the hold on your campaign.

If you have already corrected your bank account information, we will send out a new transfer of funds as soon as possible, which will take 2-5 business days to reach your bank account. If you do not see these funds within 10 business days and do not receive a failed withdrawal email from us, please contact us directly.

Properly setting up your withdrawals can take some time. It's important to plan ahead and get this process started as soon as possible to avoid any issues.

You must verify your email address within 14 daysof receiving your first donation, or incoming donations will be paused. If the email address is not verified within 30 days, donations will be automatically refunded.

You or your beneficiary must make your first withdrawal within 30 days of receiving your first donation, or incoming donations will be paused.

Your donations will be automatically refunded if your withdrawals are not completely set up within 90 days of receiving your first donation.

If you do notprovide verification information required by our payment processor within 90 days, any donations received after their initial request will be automatically refunded as well. You will receive emails prompting you to upload or provide this information.

This is because our payment partners are online payment processors only, andare not allowed to act as a bank by holding on to your funds for long periods of time.

You can set up to have your funds sent to you via bank transfer, which will arrive in 2 to 5business days from the time they are sent. Withdrawals will not affect your GoFundMe or stop donations. Your page will still show the total amount donated and new donations will continue to be accepted.

If you set up your withdrawals with Stripe, please click here to learn about withdrawal deadlines for your account.

Why is my GoFundMe campaign inactive?

If your GoFundMe campaign has not been active for 365 days, the campaign will be moved from active to inactive.

If your campaign is still viewable but donors can't make donations, please find out more here.

Click here to submit a request to reactivate a campaign.

Our donors' safety is our top priority. GoFundMe uses the same secure & encrypted payments technology as your bank to ensure your donation is processed safely.

Additionally, the GoFundMe Guarantee helps protect donors from fraud. You can learn more here.

If you have questions about a campaign, you should first try to contact the campaign organizer directly by visiting their campaign and clicking or tapping the "Contact" button to send them a direct message. If you still have concerns that a page is misleading or fraudulent, let our team know by reporting it here.

To raise money for someone else, you'll want to first make sure that your beneficiary is qualified to withdraw funds in the country and the currency that you signed up with.

Beneficiary Requirements to Withdraw

To withdraw, they will need to be at least 18 years of age, located in the supported country that you're creating your campaign in , and capable of providing the following:

A bank account in that same country

A physical address in that same country

A phone number in that same country

A Tax ID in that same country (or driver's license number in Australia)

A government-issued ID for thatsame country

This means if you created your campaign in the US and are raising funds in the US dollar, you cannot add a Canadian beneficiary. They will not be able to withdraw if you do this.

How to invite someone to withdraw

1. Sign in to your GoFundMe account

2. Select the “Withdraw” button

3. Select the “Set up withdrawals” button

4. Select “Someone else”

5. Enter your beneficiary's name and email

6. Click or tap the “Invite beneficiary” button

Once they accept the invitation, they'll have sole access to withdraw donations. A separate beneficiary account will be created for them that's connected to your campaign that you created for them. They can sign into this separate account and withdraw via bank transfer.

Your GoFundMe page will also reflect that you are raising funds on behalf of your beneficiary once the invite has been sent.

If you have already withdrawn some of the funds, this option will not appear. Please contact our team to find out how to best handle your situation if you need to change where the funds are going after withdrawals have started.

Customers who set up a Stripe account upon campaign creation cannot set up a beneficiary invitation.

The person withdrawing to the organization's bank account must bea beneficial owner.A beneficial owner is someone with significant responsibility to control, manage, or direct the organization (e.g., a Chief Executive Officer, Vice President, Treasurer, or a controller).

Important:These directions will not apply to you if you created a certified charity campaign. Learn more about the two campaign types here.

Beneficial owner withdrawal set up

Select “Withdraw” from your campaign Dashboard

Select “Myself”

If you do not see the “Myself” option, you may have a charity campaign or a Stripe account. Follow those links for directions on how to withdraw from those campaign types.

Choose the type of organization you are raising funds for

If you do not see that option, simply fill out your name and personal information when verifying your identity and your organization’s banking information when prompted to add banking information

Fill out the organization information, your personal identity information (you will not be liable for taxes) and your organization’s banking information

Sending an invitation to a beneficial owner

If you’re not the beneficial owner, but you are in touch with the person who manages the money at the organization, select "Withdraw" and choose "Someone else" to send them a beneficiary invitation.

If you’re not affiliated with the organization, you will withdraw to your personal bank account by clicking “Myself and Personal” and send the funds to the organization outside of GoFundMe. Just be sure to make it clear in your story that you will be the one handling funds.

Organization Verification

Occasionally our payment processor will need extra information to verify your organization after you’ve set up your banking information. When this happens, they will pause your withdrawals while they wait for you to send them the documents they requested via email.

Documents that may be required include, but are not limited to:

A government-issued ID for the beneficial owner and/or anyone with 25\% stake or greater in the organization

A copy of the organization’s governmental registration, such as your Articles of Incorporation

IRS 501(c) (3) determination letter

Documentation of candidacy

The organization’s banking statement

A document that shows your connection to the organization like a pay stub or an organizational chart

If you cannot locate that email from in your email inbox or junk folders, please reach out to our Customer Happiness team so that we may assist with forwarding the documents to them.

Two (or three, or four) heads are better than one! Teams make it easier and less intimidating to raise money on GoFundMe.

On your teams campaign, you’ll be able to:

Add or remove a team member

Send a message to your team

Display how much each team member has raised on your campaign

Set a team photo

Come up with a team name

You will have the option to remind your teammates to share your campaign. The more they share, the more likely you are to hit your goal! Send a reminder through your dashboard so they know to share the campaign to at least 20 contacts.

Your team members will also have their own features when they sign up! They can:

Post updates to the campaign

Thank donors in their own name

Send messages to the team

View how much they've raised for the campaign

Check out successful teams for inspiration here !

Follow these directions to set up a team and add team members:

Sign in to your GoFundMe account

Select the 'Team' tab on your dashboard

Select 'Fundraise as a team'

Click the green button that says, "Send requests via email" or copy and paste the link provided in a direct message to your team members

Once they accept, your team members will have access to the features listed above, and you will be able to track how much each member has raised on the campaign.

0\% Platform Fee

GoFundMe has a 0\% platform fee for personal campaigns started in US dollars, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, British pounds, and most major European countries. Note, there is a standard transaction fee to cover credit card processing and the safe transfer of funds.

That’s right, our platform is free. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we don’t charge a platform fee.

Pricing for other countries and currencies can be seen on our pricing page here.

Transaction Fees

For all campaigns, industry-standard transaction fees apply and vary depending on the country that the campaign was created in. You can see transaction fees and total VAT by country by clicking here.

All transaction fees are deducted from each donation in real-time, so campaign organizers and beneficiaries never have to pay anything.

Legacy Pricing & Fees

Campaigns created with our previous pricing structure can typically opt in to the 0\% platform fee for future donations. Please view this article if you would like to opt in or have questions about your campaign.

Where is my donation?

If you made a donation and the donation is not appearing, it is likely related to the following issue.

Our payment processor is currently reviewing donations before finalizing them. This means that once you complete a donation there is a 24 hour processing period.

Please refrain from making several donation attempts. If you do not see the donation after 24 hours, please contact our support team.

If you get see a charge on your statement, but did not recently donate on the platform, we are here to help. Our Payment Review team is working around the clock to prevent the unauthorized use of cards on GoFundMe. Please contact our team by selecting, "Contact us" and provide us with the last 4 digits of the card on file, the text in the statement descriptor, as well as the time the charge was made, and we will locate the charge and help you identify or refund it as needed.

Cards can be compromised and used at any merchant across the web, and the most important thing to do if you notice a charge that might be unauthorized is to contact your card provider to report the use of the card. If this happens on GoFundMe, you can also contact our team for additional help in getting those funds returned as soon as possible.

If you received a receipt but did not donate to a campaign, the first thing you should do is check all of your card statements to see if any charges were made that you did not authorize. If you see any charges that correspond to donations you did not make, you canclick herefor more instructions to handle unrecognized donations on your card.

If you do not see any charges on your card, it is possible that someone entered the wrong email when making the donation, which led to the receipt being sent. If you determine that was the case and you'd like to unsubscribe from GoFundMe emails, you can do so by selecting “unsubscribe” at the bottom of the email, or by replying to the email so that a member of our team can assist.

When a GoFundMe campaign gets support and has been shared to potential donors across the globe, amazing things happen. The spread of a campaign can also bring you some donations you don’t recognize as your story reaches audiences around the world. With that opportunity, there is also a chance that some donors may donate without the permission of the cardholder. Some of the risks in accepting unauthorized transactions are that you might experience unexpected refunds and chargebacks.

Our Payment Review team is working around the clock to prevent the unauthorized use of cards on GoFundMe. With that being said, cards can be compromised and used at any merchant across the web, including GoFundMe campaigns.

When this happens, our team takes action to defend the GoFundMe community by returning the donated funds to the cardholder. With that being said, there are even some signals that you can watch out for to help protect yourself from any donors that are using cards without the authorization of the cardholder.

To protect your campaign, here are a few things to look out for:

If you see donor names that don’t make sense as the name of a person or organization

If you see a large number of donations from a single individual or under the same name without explanation

A donor you don’t know personally asks you to provide a refund through another form of payment outside GoFundMe

If you are seeing any of those things happen on the campaign, reach out to our Payment Review team for help and we can refund or review those donations with you and address any questions that you have about this.

We have found that most campaigns are started with good intentions, but a lack of important details may put the legitimacy of a campaign in question.If you see a GoFundMe started for you, your organization, or your family by someone you do not know, here is some information to ensure that you receive your donations.

Organizers in the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Italy have the ability to add a beneficiary to their campaign. To receive the funds directly, please ask the campaign organizer to send you a beneficiary invitation. Once you accept the invitation, you will have control of the donations. If you don’t have their contact information, visit their GoFundMe and click the envelope icon next to their name to send them a direct message.

If a GoFundMe was created without your permission or consent, you may report the campaign by clicking the Report button at the bottom of the campaign. Please include your ID, your relationship to the organizer, and your connection to the campaign to assist our team when reviewing your report.

Our team is here to make sure that we protect you, your family, and your community. If you are the intended beneficiary and did not receive the funds, please file a claim here.

Click here to learn more regarding safety on GoFundMe.

Our main goals are always to ensure that donors understand how their donations are handled and to help make campaigns as successful as possible. One way to make this happen is to ensure that your campaign is completely transparent.

When withdrawals are on hold, it's because our team sent the campaign organizer an email titled "Important Message from GoFundMe' or ‘Urgent Message from GoFundMe - Action Required" addressing the hold. This email could be hiding in your spam, junk, or inbox folders - so please check there.

In order for the withdrawal hold to be lifted, your story must include the following information:

Who you are and where you’re from

Your relationship or contact to the parties you're raising funds for

How the funds will be spent (be as specific as possible)

Your withdrawal plan to get the funds from the campaign to the person that they're intended for

If a beneficiary has been added, make sure your story includes the beneficiary’s name and relation to your cause

If you are the campaign organizer, simply reply to our initial outreach and our Community Management or Trust & Safety team will be able to finalize their review.

If you are the beneficiary, you may not have received an email. So, we recommend asking the campaign organizer to make sure the information listed above is included in the story before getting in touch with our team.

Once the campaign organizer has replied directly to our outreach, a member of our Community Management or Trust & Safety team will review the account within one business day. You’ll either receive a reply from our team letting you know the withdrawal hold is lifted, or the next time you sign into your GoFundMe account the banner mentioning that the funds are on hold will be gone.

GoFundMe is fortunate to see incredible stories of communities that rally together and help those in need. The support we see is touching and powerful. With so many stories, we sometimes see complaints regarding campaigns where community members believe an organizer is being dishonest.

These complaints are often a misunderstanding and can be prevented by adding details to your campaign.

To ensure you build trust with your community, we encourage you to be clear about the following:

How the funds will be used and who will be handling them

Who is responsible for the expenses listed on the campaign

If you are not responsible for the expenses, clarify how you will deliver the donations to the beneficiary

If there are multiple expenses, clarify the primary reason for the GoFundMe and how any additional funds will be used

We also recommend keeping documentation, receipts, or invoices that substantiate your needs for donations. While this is not necessary, it is helpful, especially in the event our team needs to contact you.

The clearer your story, the more trust your community will have in you. We find that building trust is one of the most important parts of being a successful organizer, and it is our goal to help get you there. For more information regarding your safety, please visit this link.

Only a campaign organizer can cancel or delete a GoFundMe from within their account.

How do I delete my campaign?

To delete your campaign, choose the green "Edit" button under your campaign title (on a mobile device you simply need to scroll down), then go to the "+ Additional options" area. You will see an option to "Deactivate Campaign" at the bottom of your screen. Once you select this button, you'll be asked to post a final update on your account or you can skip the post and simply deactivate the campaign.

use this link

Please note that when deactivating a campaign, a summary version will remain so that people can still see your main image and how much you raised. Please contact us if you would like this removed.

If your GoFundMe has been completely removed by our team and it's still showing in Google searches, you can to request that Google removes it from their search indexes.

Updates are a great way to rally support, rejuvenate your campaign and let donors know what has happened since they made their donation. An excellent side effect of these updates is continued momentum. If your supporters see your GoFundMe is making progress, they may want to share again to help you reach your goal!

Update emails are automatically sent to donors on your campaign and any of your GoFundMe contacts who have opened any GoFundMe email in the last 6 months. This can include contacts who are not donors or followers of your current campaign.

Ideas for posting updates

Let your supporters know how grateful you are for their help so far

Give an update on how you (or your beneficiary) is doingand share a photo!

Simply ask supporters to continue sharing the campaign to get the word outthis is the most important thing

If applicable, share some of the kind comments that donors have posted with their donations

Let supporters know how much monetary progress you’ve made, and that even a $5 donation or share will get you closer to fulfilling your goal

To post an update from a computer or mobile phone, please:

Sign in to your GoFundMe account and navigate to your campaign

Select the ''Updates'' button

Click the ''Post an update'' box and select ''Add photo or video'' to add your images or videos

Select the ''Facebook, Twitter, and Donors & followers'' options to spread your update beyond GoFundMe. Uncheck these options if you would prefer not to share there

Select ''Post Update''

To post an update from the GoFundMe app, follow these steps:

Sign in to your GoFundMe account in the mobile app

Select "My campaigns" in the bottom right corner

Select the campaign you'd like to manage

Tap “Update," at the bottom of the screen and select "Write text update" to write your message

If you’d like to include a photo or video, select "Enable camera access"

Select "Post" when you're ready

To edit or delete an update from a computer or phone, please:

Sign in to your GoFundMe account and navigate to your campaign

Scroll down and select ''Updates''

Select the three tiny vertical dots to the right to the update and choose ''Edit update'' or ''Delete update''

Select 'Save' to save your changes

To delete (no edit option available) an update from the GoFundMe app, please:

Sign into your GoFundMe account in the mobile app

Select "My campaigns" in the bottom right corner

Select the campaign you'd like to manage

Scroll down and select “Updates," then select the three vertical dots to the right of the update that you would like to remove

Click "Delete update"

Remember to post updates often, to sustain the momentum you create with your campaign. If you need anything, GoFundMe is here for you, 24/7.

To enable your network to join you in telling the story and sharing special memories, they will be able to post photos to your campaign along with their comments or donations. Their photos and comments will appear at the bottom of your campaign page, as a feed of activity.

While you are unable to tag a commenter, you are welcome to add your own comment by clicking in the comment box, writing your response, and clicking "Post."

If you'd like to send a message directly to a participantwho donated to your campaign, you can use the thank you note function.

To delete comments:

Sign in to GoFundMe and navigate to your campaign Dashboard

Select "Comments"

Select the three dots to the right of the comment and select "Delete comment"

To turn all comments off:

Sign in to GoFundMe

Choose the green "Edit" button under your campaign title (or if you're on a mobile device, simply scroll down instead and choose "Edit")

Select the "+ Additional options" button at the bottom

Toggle the "Allow donors to leave comments on my campaign" option on or off

To turn all comments off from the app:

Sign in to GoFundMe and click "My campaigns" at the bottom right hand corner of the screen

Select your campaign and click the "Edit" tab at the bottom of your screen

Select the "+ Additional options" button at the bottom

Toggle the "Allow donors to leave comments on my campaign" option on or off

Important: If someone is leaving harassing comments on your campaign, we recommend turning off the commenting feature on your campaign and notifying our team!

The organizer and beneficiary will always be able to see your name and comment if you left one, even if your donation is anonymous to the public. This is for transparency reasons.

Please note, you are required to enter the name on the credit card you are using even if you plan to make your donation anonymous. Using a name other than what is on the credit card you’re donating with, may result in your donation being refunded.

Before Donating:

To donate anonymously from a desktop or laptop computer:

Visit the GoFundMe you’d like to support and select the "Donate Now" button

Choose the "Hide name and comment from everyone but the organizer" option underneath the donation amount and name fields

Verify your donation information to save your donation as anonymous

From a mobile phone, please:

Visit the GoFundMe you'd like to support and select the "Donate Now" button

Once you've confirmed your donation, you'll have the option to share the GoFundMe on Facebook

On the next page, choose the "Private: Hide my name and comment from the public" option listed below the Comment box

Select "Continue" to save your donation as anonymous

After Donating:

Keep in mind, you can switch your donation to public from being anonymous by following these same steps!

To make your donation anonymous from your confirmation receipt:

Scroll down to the bottom of the receipt

Select "Manage" in "My Donations"

"Make donations & comments private" by toggling the switch to the right. If you prefer your donation to be public, please toggle the option to the left.

If you do not have your confirmation receipt, please follow these steps to request a new one through our contact form:

Follow this link to our contact form here

Choose "Continue" and then "I still need help"

Select “I am a donor or supporter” under “What best describes you?”

Select “Requesting a new copy of your receipt”

Enter the email address you used to make the donation

Select “Get Donation Receipt”

Note: Once your donation is set to anonymous, it will not appear on your donor profile.

If you've already made your donation and you don't have access to the receipt, contact us to make it anonymous.

Finding a campaign

In order to make a donation, you will need the campaign URL, but you will not need a GoFundMe account to donate.

If you don’t have the campaign URL, find any public campaign on the GoFundMe home page. Just select "Search" at the top of your screen if you're on a computer, or tap on the magnifying glass symbol on the top left of your screen if you're on a mobile device.

We recommend that you search by any of the following criteria:

The full name of the organizer

The full name of the beneficiary

The GoFundMe title

After you land on the fundraiser page, you can simply click, "Donate Now" to get started.

Best practices when donating

To prevent your donation from being automatically refunded:

Donate with your own personal card and from your own device. Do not use someone else's card.

Donate with your own name. Do not use a nick name. If you would like to change your name after the fact, you will be able to do so from your receipt.

Do not donate multiple times in a row. Instead, it's best if you donate one larger amount.

Trouble donating

If you are having issues contributing to a campaign, please read more about how to troubleshoot a failing donation.

Accepted Cards

Donations can be made to any GoFundMe using most credit and debit cards.

Here is a helpful list of accepted payment methods:

Visa

Mastercard

Discover (Canada excluded)

American Express

Sofort (For German donors)

GiroPay (For German donors)

iDeal (For Dutch donors)

PayPal Accounts (These are specifically for certified charity campaigns)

Be sure to check the currency of the campaign before submitting your information!

PayPal

Donations made to a charity campaign can be made by PayPal, but personal campaigns cannot accept PayPal, only credit or debit card donations.

If you're unable to donate using a credit or debit card, you can always get in touch with the campaign organizer to ask whether they're able to receive your donation another way.

To do this, visit the campaign you'd like to donate to and click or tap the envelope icon next to the campaign organizer’s name. This will allow you to send them a direct message.

Unsubscribing from campaign updates

If you wish to unsubscribe from email updates about the campaign you donated to, please follow these steps to do so through our contact form:

Follow the link to our contact form here

Select “I am a donor or supporter.”

Select “Unsubscribing from emails”

Enter your email address in the prompt and click “Unsubscribe”

The GoFundMe campaign link is the bridge between social networks and your campaign. The link is how you share your GoFundMeand how your networks will see your campaign. The link is also how social networks share your GoFundMe for you. This is why the campaignlink is so very important.

GoFundMe will always assign you a link, which is unique to your campaign. You can choose to customize this link. Even after you customize your link, both the original link and the custom link will work.

Customizing Your Link

Your link helps people find and share your GoFundMe. This is what people will use to find and donate to your campaign, so it's important that it's easy to remember.

Let’s take a quick look at two examples:

www.gofundme.com/help-gary-stay-in-school-this-semester

www.gofundme.com/HelpGary

The second example is much easier to type and find. As a rule of thumb, try to make your link as clear and simple as possible. The link should also let your donors know how they can take action. In this case, all Gary’s network needs to do is see the link and they will know he needs help.

To customize your link from your computer,follow these steps:

Sign in to your GoFundMe account and select the campaign you’d like to edit

Click the 'Edit' tab on the left-hand side underneath the campaign title

Click the ‘Additional options’ button

Create your campaign link and click 'Save' at the bottom of the page

To customize your link from your phone, follow these steps:

Sign in to your GoFundMe account and select the campaign you’d like to edit

Tap 'Edit'

Type your new campaign link

Tap ‘Save’ in the top right corner

If you've already customized your link and would like to edit it, just contact our team here and we'd be happy to help.

How Do I Share My Campaign Link?

There are many ways you can share your campaign link. See: 25 Creative Tips for Sharing Your GoFundMe.

First, when you signin to your GoFundMe account, click the 'Share' button, at the top of your Dashboard. Once there, you will see the 'Facebook,' 'Twitter,' and 'Email' options. Sharing from there is a simple way to share your campaign link with your social networks.

We also suggest texting your campaign linkto your friends right when you launch your campaign. See: Top 9 Ways to Share From Your Phone. This will ensure they see your campaignas soon as possible, and can offer feedback. You can then share your campaign link through Facebook message, email, or even over the phone.

If you haven’t received your funds and it has been more than 5 business days from the date they were sent, then you will likely need to upload documents for verification. Keep in mind, the verification process will take 2 business das. Documents won't be needed for every customer, but it's good to have them on hand in case our payment processors requests them. There are a few ways to do upload documents:

Check your email inbox for a message titled "Action required - upload documents." From that email, follow the directions to upload your information.

Click "Withdraw" within your account to see if you're prompted to upload documents there.

Here is what may be needed based on who is withdrawing the funds:

Personal Bank Account

A government-issued ID

Must not be expired

The photo must be in color

The photo must be clear and show all four corners of the document

The file size must be at least 100 KB, but no larger than 2 MB

JPGs work better than PDF formatting

A banking statement that clearly shows the following:

Full name

Bank logo

Account number

Sort code (if in the UK/ ROI)

Organization's Bank Account

Government issued ID of the person withdrawing (cannot be expired)

A copy of the organization’s governmental registration, such as the organization's Articles of Incorporation

A document that shows the connection of the individual withdrawing for the organization like a pay stub or an organizational chart

Organization's bank statement

If you can't find an email from our payment partner, we recommend looking at the other reason your campaign may be on hold.

Sharing is the key to success! This checklist covers the best sharing strategies and helps your GoFundMe maintain momentum.

Starting Your Campaign: Planning

So your GoFundMe is live; now what? At this point, you’ve completed signing up and most likely already shared to Facebook. Now it’s time to get strategic with sharing your GoFundMe and organizing your contacts. Taking the time to learn how to share your GoFundMe can make a huge difference on the amount of donations you receive!

Build a Winning Fundraising Team : Think of your closest friends and family members. Now, let’s think of 2-3 people who would be willing to share your campaign for you. This can be through any type of communication (online or offline), as long as they share! Every additional person that shares your GoFundMe increases your sharing network by 100\% ! This is the perfect way to include your loved ones and raise awareness about your story and goal.

Not sure what to say? See: 9 Message Templates to Send Right Now

Gather and organize your contacts

Dig into your phone and email contacts. Are those same contacts on social media? If so, be sure to add them as followers and friends on your social media accounts. You’ll want to divide your contacts into 2 groups:

Potential Donors: Are there certain contacts you feel are more likely to donate than others? These should be grouped together as “potential donors” and sent personalized outreaches via text, email, or even a direct message on social media.

Potential Promoters: These are people who you feel are less likely to contribute due to extenuating circumstances. However, these people can help you promote and share the GoFundMe.

Update your social media accounts

Even the most active social media users should update their accounts from time to time! Now’s the time to update your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even your Linkedin to share your GoFundMe with your network. Add your link to your each of your profiles, and write a new status/post to share the exciting news. You can even use the “suggested friends” features on these sites as well to add new contacts. See: How to Make the Most of Facebook

Create a soft deadline: GoFundMes with a sense of urgency often receive more donations. Including a soft deadline or end date in your GoFundMe story will encourage supporters to donate sooner, rather than later!

Not on social media? No problem!

Fundraising without Social media can take a little more planning, but we have seen a lot of organizers find even more success by being so strategic! You'll want to rely on the contacts that you do have, and seek out friends who are on social media to have them help you promote your GoFundMe.

How to Print a Campaign Sign

Printing and posting a campaign sign is one great way to gather support without the use of social media.

You can print a campaign sign by following these steps:

Sign into your GoFundMe account and select the correct campaign

Click “share”

Click “Print campaign”

Note: If you’re a campaign organizer or a member of a “Teams” campaign, the links on the campaign signs you print will be connected to your GoFundMe account, so any donations made by following that link will count towards your personal total of donations raised from sharing the campaign.

Personal messages to friends and family

The best way to share your GoFundMe with your contacts is to share your GoFundMe link with them in emails, text messages, phone calls, Facebook posts, or private Facebook messages. When sending the link, include a bit about why your fundraiser is so important to you, and even ask them to share on your behalf with their networks, too. Imagine if one of your friends shared, and then one of their friends shared your fundraiser (and so on and so on)! That is how your GoFundMe could become a viral fundraiser, like the ones you see on TV and the internet.

Frequent multi-platform social media posts

Challenge yourself to share daily across multiple platforms. For example, Monday could be a Facebook share, while Tuesday could be a fun Instagram post! This ensures you're not over sharing on one platform. See: How to Share on Other Social Media Sites

Update your supporters

The best way to engage your supporters to build and maintain donation activity is to post frequent updates on your GoFundMe. This allows you to share your progress with your community, keep them interested in your GoFundMe, and encourages them to continue promoting your fundraiser online. A compelling update can include any of the following: a thank you to your supporters, a personal story or quote related to the situation, any recent news, and photos or videos. See: How to Use Updates: The Key to Success

Create urgency with final updates

It is smart to remind people that you need help now. Campaigns don't actually have an end date, so you can continue to raise funds for as long as you'd like. However, you can create a soft deadline by making a countdown within your update posts on social media. Try posting a "final update" at least two days before the end of your GoFundMe.

Thank donors

Don’t forget to thank all of your donors for their support! Showing appreciation and gratitude for your donor’s support is a key part of fundraising.

Welcome! GoFundMe is the world’s largest crowdfunding platform, with over $5 billion raised so far. With a community of more than 50 million donors, GoFundMe is changing the way the world gives.

With GoFundMe, it’s easy to raise funds quickly for the causes you are most passionate about. Donors from all over the world can securely donate using any major credit or debit card. Backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, GoFundMe is the safest, most secure platform for giving. The GoFundMe Guarantee protects donors’ generosity and ensures funds are sent to the right person.

Signing up is completely free and every donation is yours to keep, whether or not you reach your goal. While it’s free to launch your GoFundMe, transaction fees are deducted from each donation. For more information on our fee structure, click here.

Before you get started, here is an overview of what to expect when you start a GoFundMe.

What can I use GoFundMe for?

The short answer is: you can use GoFundMe for just about anything.

Most people use GoFundMe to raise money for themselves, a loved one, or a friend in need during life's most important moments. This can include anything from medical expenses, education costs, trips & aspirations, volunteer programs, youth sports, funerals & memorials, or animals & pets. GoFundMe can also be used to raise money for your favorite charity.

We encourage you to check out some recent Success Stories or Take the Tour. You may also review our Terms & Conditions if you're unsure that the content of your campaign is allowed.

Starting your account

To sign up, you will need to use an email address that you use regularly. You can also use your Facebook to create an account, but first check that your Facebook email is one that you still have access to, to ensure you can receive our important emails regarding withdrawals.

add contacts

Creating your campaign

After signing up, you will begin creating your campaign.

If you already have a GoFundMe account, all you need to do is choose to “start a new campaign”. You can have up to 5 active campaigns on your account at one time! If you need more, reach out to our team.

1. Choose goal amount

Your goal is important but you’ll want to make sure it’s attainable. It’s always a good idea to reflect on how much you’re looking to raise, but you always have the option to edit this later in your campaign if you find the goal is too low or too high.

2. Create a campaign title

This is your chance to stand out. Create a title that is specific to your cause. It has to be 35 characters or less, so make sure it fits!

3. Who are you raising funds for?

This helps establish whether you’re creating a personal campaign (for an individual or organization) or a certified charity campaign (for a charity or non-profit). You can find out more about either of these options here.

4. Enter your zip or postal code

GoFundMe is home to many causes around the world but we aren’t in every country just yet. This helps our site know if the currency you’ve selected matches up with the code you’re entering.

5. Choose your category

Choosing a category can help your donors know what you’re raising funds for, but no need to overthink this part. It’s mainly helpful for our team to provide tips that are related to your category.

6. Are you fundraising as a team or as an individual?

You can choose either of these options when setting up your campaign. If you’re the sole organizer, then you will manage all aspects and sharing for the campaign. If you want a bit of support from friends or a club that can help you share the campaign and post updates with you, then this might be a good option for you. Find out more about teams here.

You can always opt in to adding a team after your campaign has already been created.

7. After agreeing to our terms and privacy policy, you willadd a main image.

We always suggest adding an image of yourself or what you’re raising funds for. The image you choose should be 550 pixels wide by 300 pixels tall. You will want to use a JPEG, PNG, or BMP to ensure that it’s uploaded properly. Check out this article on image tips.

You also have the option of embedding a video that you uploaded to YouTube. Make sure it’s public, so that everyone can see it!

8. Write your story

A great story will be open and descriptive, and include a bit about who you are, what you're raising funds for, and how the money will be spent. If you're raising money for someone else, it's a good idea to share how you know them! You can also use the bold formatting or photo upload links in this section to further bring your story to life!

Read more about campaign stories here.

Sharing your campaign

At this point, your campaign can start receiving donations. However, no one will see your campaign until you start to share it!

That’s why we ask you to connect your Facebook and even attach your Facebook photo! If you don’t have social media (or prefer not to connect it just yet) you can skip this option.

Another option is to email your friends about your campaign. You can start to share it by connecting your email with GoFundMe. This is a great way to import your contacts and send invitations to invite your network to view your campaign.

Remember, sharing is the key part to getting donations on GoFundMe. If you aren’t sharing your campaign with your friends and family, then it’s likely not going to get donations. Using your personal network can help get you closer to your goal.

Finally, you can create your own memorable link to easily share. You can simply choose the “Edit link” button to change it to something personal to your cause. You can only change your link once, so if you make an error, reach out to our team and we can get that edited on our end.

Setting up Banking Information and Managing your Campaign

You should now be taken to your dashboard. This is where you’ll manage all aspects of your campaign. Edit your story, share your campaign, post an update, set up the withdrawals, ! It’s all found here!

Pictures and videos can help share your story and impact your donors in a significant way. When adding a picture, you'll want to be sure to select images that are good quality and highlight your campaign.

You can add photos to two places on your campaign:

Your main image -This is what appears at the top of your campaign. It's also the image that will appear when you share your campaign on Facebook, Twitter, etc. You will need a main image to create your campaign

Your story -This appears below the main image. You can add as many pictures and/or videos as you'd like.

To edit your pictures/videos:

Sign into your GoFundMe account and head to your dashboard

Choose the green "Edit" button under your campaign title (or if you're on a mobile device, simply scroll down and choose "Edit")

Select "Photo" to change your main image, and select "Story" to edit the photos/videos you added to your story

Troubleshooting tips for uploading a photo

Make sure your image isn't too small. We recommend pictures that are 550 pixels wide by 300 pixels tall or photos with a similar aspect ratio.

Make sure your image is horizontally-oriented. Portrait-shaped pictures don't appear well as your main image.

Try using another web browser or device if the photo upload tool keeps loading.

Note:If you are uploading a video, it will need to be uploaded to YouTube first. Then, you can add the link to your video onto your campaign page.

Stripe is our payment partner for accounts in select European countries and some older Australian accounts that have not already opted into our new pricing model.

You will know if your account is connected to Stripe because you will be directed to activate your account with them when you click "Withdraw" for the first time.

How to withdraw with Stripe

To withdraw with Stripe, you will need to activate your account, then add your bank information.You can activate your account two ways:

Select “Withdraw” from your GoFundMe Dashboard

Follow the instructions in the activation email sent from Stripe

Important: Be sure to activate your Stripe account as soon as possible!

If you don't activate within 7 days of your first donation, your campaign will stop accepting new donations, and after 21 days all donations to your campaign will be refunded.

Not getting your Stripe activation email? Sign in to your GoFundMe account, then click here to activate your Stripe account. Please click here if you forgot your Stripe password.

Adding a bank account:

If the funds are for you, you can add your own bank information

If the funds are intended for someone else, you can add their bank information

Please note that once you add a bank account to Stripe, all future campaigns created with the same GoFundMe email will be tied to this account.

Once you add bank information, funds will automatically be sent on a rolling 7-day basis. For example, a donation received on Monday would deposit the following Monday. If you are in Australia, your funds will be sent on a 2-day rolling basis.

How to update your bank account on Stripe

Once you've activated your Stripe account and added your bank information, you can follow these steps to change your bank account:

Sign in to your Stripe account

On the left-hand menu bar, select “Balance” and then "Settings"

Select "Edit"

Enter the new bank account information in the fields

Choose "Update Bank Account" to save

To close the window, select "Done" in the bottom-right corner

To read more about Stripe and how it works with GoFundMe, read their GoFundMe FAQ here.

To ensure your account is protected, when you create a GoFundMe campaign, you will be prompted to add a phone number for verification.

If you’ve already verified your account with a phone number, you can follow these steps to reset it:

Sign into your GoFundMe account

Select the "Withdraw" button

Next, choose the link labeled "Need to change phone number"?

On the next screen, enter your old phone number and select "Reset". Once your old phone number is verified, you'll be able to enter your new phone number.

sign up for a number from TextNow here.

Note: If you do not remember your old phone number, please contact us directly at the bottom of this article and we’ll help you reset it. Please be sure that you have a photo of your ID ready.

If you do not have a phone number:

For customers with Google accounts, you can sign up with Google voice here.

For our US or Canadian customers, you can This is a free number you can use to receive texts and phone calls on your computer or tablet.

If you have one, you can also try using a Skype number. Our verification codes will work with them, even if you are overseas.

Finally, you can ask a close friend or family member to provide a phone number in the country you signed up with. They'll need to be able to give you the code each time you log in to GoFundMe on a new device. The codes expire in 10-15 minutes so make sure it's someone that you can easily speak with.

Donations made to a personal GoFundMe campaign, rather than a charity campaign, are generally considered to be personal gifts and are not guaranteed to be tax-deductible, but you can always check with a tax professional to be sure. You will not be issued a tax receipt from our company.

Only donations made to GoFundMe charity fundraisers (available in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada), are guaranteed to betax-deductible and will receive tax receipts automatically from our charity partner, PayPal Giving Fund.Donations to these fundraisers are collected by PayPal Giving Fund, a non-profit organization, and distributed to the designated charity.

Receiving another copy of your receipt

If you want another copy of your donation confirmation receipt, please follow these steps to request one through our contact form:

Follow the link to our contact form here

Select “I am a donor or supporter.”

Select “Requesting a new copy of your receipt”

Enter your email address in the prompt and click “Get donation receipt”

Receipts from certified charity fundraisers

If you donated to a certified charity fundraiser, you should have received a tax receipt from PayPal Giving Fund (or FirstGiving, prior to November 3, 2016). You can also visit the fundraiser you donated to and look for the certified charity badge listed on the campaign.

If you don't see the"certified charity"badge on the fundraiser you donated to, then the fundraiser is a personal fundraiser. In this case, you'll want to consult with a tax professional in your area to see if your donation is eligible to claim as a tax deduction.

For UK charity campaigns, PayPal Giving Fund will also claim any eligible Gift Aid on behalf of the organization and forward 100\% to the charity. Unlike other platforms, no fees are deducted from Gift Aid contributions. Gift Aid is a government policy that enables UK charities to claim an additional 25p on every pound donated by a UK taxpayer. Donors must opt into Gift Aid in order for the charity to claim it.

Click here to learn more about Gift Aid.

To read more about how certified charity campaigns work,click here.

Thoughts of self-harm or suicide should be taken seriously. Asking for help is brave.

If you or someone you know is in immediate physical danger, contact your local emergency services right away. We also suggest contacting professional resources in your area, and we have included a list of available resources below.

If you or someone you know is expressing self-harm or suicidal thoughts on our platform, please reach out to our team here.

Below are questions to consider when assessing if someone on our platform is expressing thoughts of self-harm:

Does this person’s GoFundMe contain signs of self-harm or suicidal thoughts?

Has this person posted photos of self-harm on their campaign? Does their campaign story mention self-harm?

Resources

There are many resources and people available to help you right now, if you or someone you know is expressing suicidal thoughts.

If you’re in the US:

To talk to someone, reach out to a counselor on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

If you prefer text message rather than a phone call, text HOME to 741741 to reach a counselor from Crisis Text Line. They're available to talk over the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also visit their website by following this link.

Lastly, if you would rather speak with someone through chat, you can do so on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

If you are outside of the US: Please follow this link for a list of international suicide prevention hotlines.

If you’re in the UK: Text HOME to 85258 to reach a counselor from Crisis Text Line via text message. They're available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you’re in Canada: Text HOME to 686868 to reach a counselor from Crisis Text Line via text message. They're available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

GoFundMe’s approach to self-harm and suicide threats

GoFundMe is dedicated to the safety of our users on and off our platform. When GoFundMe locates a campaign suggesting self-harm or suicide, our Trust & Safety team contacts the customer to provide them with professional resources and encourage them to seek help.

GoFundMe 101

With GoFundMe, it’s easy to raise funds quickly for the causes you are most passionate about. Donors from all over the world can securely donate using any major credit or debit card. Backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, GoFundMe is the safest, most secure platform for giving. The GoFundMe Guarantee protects donors’ generosity and ensures funds are sent to the right person.

Signing up is completely free and every donation is yours to keep, whether or not you reach your goal. While it’s free to launch a GoFundMe, transaction fees are deducted from each donation. For more information on our fee structure, click here.

We encourage you to check out some recent Success Stories and learn more here. You may also review our Terms & Conditions if you're unsure if the content on your teen’s campaign is allowed.

Want to learn more? Here are some of our popular help topics:

Creating a GoFundMe From Start to Finish

How to Withdraw Money

Safety & Security

Can my teen start a GoFundMe if they’re under 18?

Some of our most inspiring campaign organizers are under 18! Your teen can certainly raise money for a cause they’re passionate about like these kid heroes. However, GoFundMe requires that customers be at least 13 years of age to have an account.

If your teen meets this requirement but is under the age of majority in your jurisdiction (typically 18 or 19), we will need a parent or legal guardian to handle the donations directly as the beneficiary. You can learn more about how to add a beneficiary here.

When setting up the campaign and withdrawals, it’s best to make it clear on the campaign that the parent or legal guardian is handling the funds. You can learn more about withdrawing funds for someone else here.

It’s great to note that you also have the option to start a GoFundMe on your child’s behalf. You can learn more here.

How do I report harassment or bullying on GoFundMe?

Abusive or hateful language is never acceptable on GoFundMe. This is a safe space for people to come together and help each other. If you see this kind of language on your teen’s campaign or anywhere on the site, please let us know immediately so we can take appropriate action.

I found out that my minor has a GoFundMe. What do I do?

If you’d like to report a minor’s account to our Trust & Safety team, you can do that here. Our Trust & Safety team will then be able to help you further.

Can I have access to my teen’s account?

We can certainly understand your concern for your teen’s safety; however, we are unable to provide unauthorized access to the account if you’re not the account holder. Please keep in mind that all users ages 13 and older are considered authorized account holders.

If you have any additional questions about accessing your teen’s account, or how to remove your teen’s campaign from public view, please get in touch with us for further guidance.

How can I remove an image of my child from GoFundMe?

GoFundMe wants to ensure that your child’s photo is used only with a parent or guardian’s authorization. If a photo of your child appears on a GoFundMe without that permission, please report it to our Trust & Safety team here.

How do I make sure my teen’s GoFundMe account is secure?

All of your teen’s account data is encrypted and private. Additionally, we suggest you go over tips on how to keep a GoFundMe account secure together. If your teen is having trouble signing into their account, please refer to this article for further guidance.

If you are raising funds for someone else, we strongly recommend that you set them up as the beneficiary, rather than withdraw them yourself.

Reasons you should send a beneficiary invitation:

The funds are to benefit someone else

Future donors will see your beneficiary is receiving the funds directly, further adding to your GoFundMe's credibility ( Click here for an example of how this looks. )

Your beneficiary can easily set up automatic withdrawals and receive all funds directly

To invite someone else to accept their donations, just select the "Withdraw"button on your dashboard and select the option for "Someone Else'to withdraw. If you don't see this option, please contact our team.

If you’ve considered these points and would still like to withdraw the donations, it’s best that you post an update on the GoFundMe that explains the following:

How you are related to your beneficiary

That you will be withdrawing the funds in your name

How exactly you will be delivering the funds to your beneficiary

If you’ve already sent an invitation, select "Cancel Invite" on the beneficiary information screen.

Note: If you haven’t sent an invitation, you can choose "Myself" on the beneficiary invitation screen so you can withdraw the funds into your own account.

Donations made to GoFundMe campaigns are usually considered to be personal gifts which, for the most part, aren’t taxed as income.

However, there may be particular case-specific instances where the income is in fact taxable (depending on amounts received, use of the funds, etc.), so we recommend that you maintain adequate records of donations received and consult a tax professional to be sure. GoFundMe will not report your donations as income at the end of the year, or issue any tax documents. Because everyone's situation is different and tax rules can change from time to time, we’re unable to give any tax advice.

For information about tax deductibility and Gift Aid for donors to certified charity campaigns, please click here.

Residents of California, USA are protected by the California Consumer Privacy Act. Subject to certain exceptions and exemptions, the Act provides you, as residents, (a) a right to access the personal information we have collected about you over the last twelve months, and/or (b) a right to have us delete personal information about you that we hold. Please see our California Consumer Privacy Act Notice.

To have these records removed, or sent to you, please file for a request here.

You’ve made your campaign, shared it, and now you’re ready to add a bank account to receive the funds you raised.

If the person withdrawing meets the requirements, please follow these steps below.

Step 1.Start by selecting "Withdraw" on your campaign Dashboard.

If you don't see the option to withdraw, you likely have a team member account and are not in charge of the withdrawals.

If you click "Withdraw" and you're taken to a page where you see an organization listed below the amount raised, it means that you have a charity campaign and that you will not need to withdraw from GoFundMe. Learn more about charity withdrawals here.

Read more about the document verification requirement here.

Note: If you are on the app, the "Withdraw" button will be located here, instead:

Step 2: Confirm your email

If you haven’t done so by this point, you will need to confirm your email. Click here if you haven't received the verification email.

Step 3: Verify your phone number

If your phone number hasn’t been verified from your device in the last 30 days, you’ll be prompted to add your number after selecting “Set up withdrawals”. This is an important security feature called Multi-Factor Authentication and it’s a way of protecting your account information from being tampered with.

Step 4:Select beneficiary

Once your phone number is verified, you’ll be given the following options to choose who will manage the funds:

Myself:choosing “Myself” means that you will be either withdrawing to your own bank account or withdrawing to an organization's bank account that you manage money for (You must be a financial administrator for the organization to add the organization's banking information).Do not select "Myself" and then add another individual's personal banking information.

Someone else: Choosing "Someone else" means that you’re sending the funds to someone else’s bank account or you're sending funds to the person managing the money for an organization.

Personal or Organization: “Personal” means that an individual will be withdrawing to their own bank account. “Organization” will set a company up to add their bank account. Learn more about organization withdrawals here.

If you created a certified charity campaign, which is connected to the PayPal Giving Fund you may not need to withdraw. Read more about the certified charity campaign and the PayPal Giving fund enrollment process here.

If you’re not using Stripe or the PayPal Giving Fund, but you still don’t see an "Organization" option, please reach out to us if you need help adding organization information to your account.

Keep in mind, charity campaigns are sent directly to the charity's PayPal Giving Fund account. With personal campaigns you are able to add your bank account directly, but you cannot send your funds directly to your PayPal.

If you chose “Someone else” to withdraw

You will then be directed to send an email invitation to the person managing withdrawals. If the invitation doesn’t send, try sending it to another email of theirs. It usually does the trick! If they don't have an email, we recommend setting them up with a Gmail account so that they can withdraw.

Make sure this person meets the requirements to withdraw from your campaign.

Choose wisely. Only one person is allowed to withdraw per each campaign. Once funds go out, you cannot change the person who withdraws.

If you chose “Myself” you will verify your own personal information and add your bank account. Do not add someone else’s information to your own account.

Step 5: Adding your banking information

GoFundMe does not necessarily verify whether your banking information is correct before withdrawals are sent out, so it's up to you to ensure that there are absolutely no typos or incorrect information.

To ensure that you have the correct account information, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Double check that you're using an ACH or EFT transfer number and that it goes with your correct bank

Make sure the name you entered when filling out the personal information matches the owner of the bank account. Do not fill out your own personal information and someone else's banking information.

If all else fails, verify the correct information with your bank before you begin withdrawals

BIC numbers (ForAustralian customers)

A BIC (Bank Identifier Code) is the SWIFT Address assigned to a bank in order to send automated payments quickly and accurately. It uniquely identifies the name and country, (and sometimes the branch) of the bank involved. BICs are often called SWIFT Codes and can be either 8 or 11 characters long.

Something went wrong error

If you receive an error when filling out your information that says "Something went wrong - Contact our team" this could be due to a number of reasons. You'll want to check the following:

Do you have the correct routing number? In the US, routing numbers are exactly 9 digits long and you will need to use the number for ACH (also known as EFT) transfersonly. Contact your bank for the most accurate information.

Are you entering the correct state or province code? It will need to be 2 letters long. For example, if you are in California, you will need to enter "CA". If you are in Alberta, you will need to enter "AB".

Are you entering an address that starts with a letter? If so, you'll need to start the address with a number,then a letter. Do not enter a PO box when filling out your personal information.

Step 6: Documents Needed for Verification

If you set up withdrawals but haven't received the funds to your bank account in 2-5 business days after you got an email that they've been sent, it's likely that our payment processor sent you an email requesting more information.

Please look through your email inbox for a message titled "Action required - upload documents." If you don't see that email, you can also click "Withdraw" within your account to see if you're prompted to upload documents there.

This will not happen for every customer, but it's important to have on hand in case they need it.

Important Withdrawal Expectations

After you add your banking information and set up withdrawals, new donations that come into your account will go through a verification process, which can take 1-7 business days (weekends and holidays do not count as business days).

Once they become available,all verified donations held within the account will be automatically sent at the frequency that you choose (daily, weekly, monthly) and will be delivered to your bank account in2-5 business days.

No Partial Withdrawals

Our payment partner isn’t able to offer partial withdrawals. This is because they’re an online payment processor and aren’t allowed to act as a bank by holding your funds for long periods of time. Each time a withdrawal initiates, it'll always be for your full available balance.

Keep in mind, withdrawing will not affect your campaign at all. Your campaign’s "Total Amount Raised" meter will stay the same and you can continue accepting donations for as long as you’d like.

If your bank account closes or if you want to direct your funds somewhere else, you can always change your banking information. Keep in mind, GoFundMe does not verify whether the information entered is accurate, so please double check your details and make sure you're only entering your own banking information!

To change the bank account that your funds are sent to, follow these steps:

Sign in to your GoFundMe account here

Select the "Withdraw" button

Select the "View withdrawal overview" button

Select the edit or pencil icon next to "Account Info"

Enter your new bank account information and save the changes

Future withdrawals will be sent to that bank account. Please keep in mind that bank withdrawals typically take 2-5 business days.

If you are the beneficiary, you can skip directly to step 3.

If your account is connected to Stripe or is a certified charity campaign connected to PayPal Giving Fund, you will need to update your withdrawal method by logging in to those accounts. You can read more about Stripe here and certified charity withdrawals here.

The GoFundMe Tip

Rather than charging a platform fee on personal campaigns, GoFundMe gives donors the option to add a voluntary tip. Your donation receipt will show you a breakdown of your donation and tip amount. On your statement, this will either show up as a single combined charge or as two separate charges.

These tips allow GoFundMe to maintain and improve our free platform. We are incredibly grateful for the donors who help keep GoFundMe the safest, most trusted, and most successful option for personal fundraising. Only with your help can we continue to provide help to others when they need it most.

If you would like us to refund the tip, please contact us using the following link:

Click here to submit a refund request.

Other Pending Charges

If you only donated once to a campaign, but see extra pending charges on your bank statement, don’t worry! It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be charged multiple times.

Credit card companies sometimes show attempted charges on statements as a security precaution to let their customers know how their cards are being used. These charges will usually drop off within 24 hours of your payment attempt once your bank sees that the payment didn't actually go through.

In connection with our GDPR efforts, we are unable to share certain donor information with our campaign organizers.As such, we cannot provide a full list of your donor's email addresses and you will no longer be able to download and export a list of your donor's email addresses from your account.

We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but keeping our users' information safe and honoring their preferences is our top priority.

For any new campaigns, the reward levels feature has been removed.

If you have reward levels on a campaign that was created before this change, please reach out to our team if you need help editing your campaign rewards or reaching out to your donors.

If your campaign has reward levels and you need to export a list of your donors' contact information, please reach out to our team.

For all other campaign organizers, you always have the option to thank your donors directly from your account! Check out this article for tips and steps on how to express your gratitude on GoFundMe.

Phishing is an attempt to get personal information (such as a username, password, or financial information) by pretending to be a website or person. People with bad intentions can use the internet for this type of fraudulent behavior.

Phishing behavior on GoFundMe includes contacting campaign organizers through their campaigns and posing as a legitimate donor, organization, or even as GoFundMe or a GoFundMe employee.

Please take extra precaution in opening suspicious emails or links, especially urgent requests or promises of additional donations. Don't use the links in an email, instant message, or chat to get to any web page if you suspect the message might be fake or the sender untrustworthy.

GoFundMe will never contact our customers through the campaign contact form to request contact, identification, or other personal information.

If you ever suspect that someone is impersonating GoFundMe or an employee of GoFundMe, please contact us to verify the authenticity of the message.

Additionally, customers should only sign in to their GoFundMe accounts via GoFundMe’s official website. Customers should always look for the green lock showing the site is securely encrypted.

If you have received any suspicious correspondence regarding your GoFundMe campaign, please do not respond; instead, forward it to [email protected] or write our team directly by clicking the "Contact Us" button below. We also encourage you to reset your GoFundMe and payment account passwords any time you receive a suspicious email. If you need assistance with that process, just let us know.

We appreciate you staying vigilant and helping us keep GoFundMe safe.