GoFundMe Trust & Safety
Secure fundraising you can count on
Since 2010, GoFundMe has become a trusted leader in online fundraising, helping to raise and safely deliver billions of dollars to communities around the world.
Learn how we keep our community safe:
Real people and technology keeping you safe
We have a team of experts working around the clock to review fundraisers and prevent misuse. During natural disasters and other crises, our team proactively monitors and verifies fundraisers so the communities impacted can receive the quick and trusted support they need.
GoFundMe protects donations worldwide
As part of our commitment to keep our community safe, we created the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee —our money-back donor protection guarantee. We guarantee you a full refund in the rare case something isn’t right.
Securing your payments and identity
We partner with world-class leaders in the payment industry and invest in leading security technology to ensure donations from our global community are processed securely and with the speed that our users need.
Misuse on GoFundMe is rare. If someone creates a fundraiser with the intention to mislead donors, our team takes swift action to protect our community. GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and cooperates with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing.
How GoFundMe verifies fundraisers for hubs
For a fundraiser to be considered verified, it must go through a robust due diligence review process. This process includes:
- A robust human review from our world-class Trust & Safety experts.
- Technical tools designed to catch misuse.
- Partnerships with law-enforcement to verify outstanding cases.
- Identity verification for any customer who receives funds.
- Machine learning to catch higher risk donations.
- Image and video review to mitigate abusive behavior.
We’ve put systems in place allowing anyone to report a fundraiser at any time if they have unanswered questions or concerns, and our team will promptly review it.
How we deliver funds safely
To help keep the platform safe, donations are processed by our payment partners, held, and then released to the person named as the recipient of the funds (the beneficiary). The only fee on GoFundMe is a standard transaction fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per donation, which helps us pay these payment processors and safely deliver funds.
GoFundMe is primarily powered by voluntary tips and relies on these completely optional contributions from donors to maintain our quality customer service, trust and safety protections, and world-class fundraising technology. Learn more about our pricing.
GoFundMe has your back—especially in times of crisis
We have a dedicated team that monitors and verifies fundraisers created to help individuals, businesses, and communities affected by crises. To maximize the impact donors can have on the lives of others, we may share verified fundraisers with news organizations, on our social channels, and on a dedicated crisis-specific hub for verified fundraising efforts.
How receiving help from GoFundMe impacts FEMA support
According to FEMA’s website, “By law, FEMA cannot duplicate benefits you receive from another source. However, there are many different types of assistance available through FEMA and we review each application to ensure you receive the aid for which you are eligible.
If you receive money from a GoFundMe page for a specific disaster-related expense–such as home repairs, funeral expenses or other emergency needs—you may not be able to receive FEMA aid for the same expense. For example, if you receive donations to clean up storm damage to your home, FEMA may not be able to also grant you financial assistance for home clean up. We encourage all survivors to apply for assistance regardless so we can review your specific case.”
We’re here to support your success
Our Customer Care team is invested in your success by offering seasoned coaching and account support throughout the fundraising and donation process. If we can help in any way, please contact us here.
Community safety tips
To learn more, please visit our Help Center.
