GoFundMe: Eight Questions You Want Answered
Have you recently decided to launch your own fundraiser and you want to make sure you have all the facts before getting started? Maybe you haven’t made up your mind about whether crowdfunding is right for you? Or perhaps you’re wondering why GoFundMe and does GoFundMe take a percentage? Wherever you are in your crowdfunding journey, we want to ensure you get help with GoFundMe fundraising and find all the information you need.
Crowdfunding on GoFundMe
GoFundMe is one of the major crowdfunding sites to use donation-based crowdfunding. In donation-based crowdfunding, people search for and support a cause by donating to it without receiving anything in return. The person running the fundraiser isn’t obligated to pay back donors or give them anything else in return for their contributions.
Crowdfunding can work for anybody, and there is no cause too big or small – the beauty of crowdfunding is that it exists to help an array of people and needs. At GoFundMe, we empower people to rally support for personal and charitable causes. Crowdfunding is made easy and risk-free, with a clear interface, quick withdrawals and a 0% platform fee. See how GoFundMe compares to other crowdfunding platforms.
In 2023, 39M+ donations were made on GoFundMe to help others. Every year we see millions of people all over the world use crowdfunding to help each other and securely get funds to those who need it.
8 questions about GoFundMe answered
Every fundraising platform is different, so it’s important to understand the fees involved, if customer support is offered, and details about receiving your funds. Below, we answer the top questions about using GoFundMe and how it works. To learn more, check out our video:
1. How much does it cost to set up a GoFundMe?
In the UK, there’s no fee to start or manage your fundraiser. Take a look at our pricing page for more information before you start raising funds. To set up a donation page on GoFundMe, organizers will need a phone number, an email address, and a compelling campaign story and/or photos that explain why they are fundraising. The organizer will also need a bank account to receive donated amounts.
2. How do the fees work?
A transaction fee of 2.9% + 25p for personal fundraisers and 1.9% + 20p for charity fundraisers is automatically deducted from each donation, so you never have to worry about paying a bill.
3. What percentage does GoFundMe take?
There is one small transaction fee per donation that covers all your fundraising needs. Everything else goes directly to your cause, because that’s what matters most.
4. How much does GoFundMe keep?
As previously mentioned, there is one small transaction fee per donation that covers all your fundraising needs. It’s important to us that everyone is able to get the help they need—which is why we don’t charge a fee to start a fundraiser. Instead, we accept optional tips from donors that help make it possible for us to offer powerful and trusted fundraising tools, customer support, and a global team of Trust & Safety experts.
5. How long does it take to get your money from GoFundMe?
If you are fundraising for yourself, you will need to complete our payment processor’s standard verification process before funds will be safely delivered to your bank account. This verification process may take up to 10 business days or longer if required verification information is not provided or is determined by our payment processor to be unclear or insufficient. As a fundraiser beneficiary, you may choose to receive funds on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Most of our users choose daily.
6. How does GoFundMe pay you?
Safe and secure fundraising is our top priority. That’s why we partner with industry-leading payment processors like PayPal to accept and deliver your donations.
The transaction fee is automatically deducted from each donation. It covers the costs of credit and debit charges, safely delivering donations, and helps us offer more ways to donate—through credit, debit, PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. This is the only fee deducted on GoFundMe to cover all your fundraising needs.
7. Does GoFundMe have a customer service number?
While GoFundMe does not have a customer service number, our Customer Care team is dedicated to helping through email support.
To reach GoFundMe’s Customer Care team, please access this contact page. You can also search our Help Centre for common account questions, or read our blog for countless fundraising tips and advice.
8. Where can I share my GoFundMe?
You can share your GoFundMe anywhere and everywhere! The best way to build momentum for your fundraiser is to receive support from people you know. Share your fundraiser on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms, as well as through email, text, or printed flyers. Encourage your family and friends to share your fundraiser with their community, too. With crowdfunding, it’s easy to reach people who are outside of your network.
You can also share your GoFundMe in the old fashioned way – offline! Make sure to spread the word of your fundraiser by mouth, make posters and print out QR codes so that people can easily discover your fundraiser.
Find out more about crowdfunding
Take a look at our crowdfunding tips here.
Here’s our quick and easy tips on how to create a crowdfunding campaign.
How to create a crowdfunding campaign
Take a look at some crowdfunding success stories here.
Start fundraising with GoFundMe today
Whether you’re raising funds to pay medical bills or you’re inspired to do charity crowdfunding to support a cause that’s close to your heart, GoFundMe wants to help. There are various categories you can start fundraising in on GoFundMe. These include:
- Medical
- Memorial
- Emergency
- Charity
- Education
- Animal
- Environment
- Business
- Community
- Competition
- Creative
- Event
- Faith
- Family
- Sports
Travel - Volunteer
- Wishes
It’s important to note that businesses can also use online fundraising for financial support or to raise money for a new project. What sets GoFundMe apart is our advanced social fundraising tools and our fundraising resources. Take a look at these mistakes successful fundraisers avoid to make sure you maximize donations and reach your fundraising goals. Every day people use GoFundMe to help others from around the world, and you can find support, too. Sign up today to start your fundraiser.