GoFundMe Review (2024)

FAQs

Why is my GoFundMe account under review? ›

We want to ensure that your bank transfers are both safe and successful. For this reason, your outgoing transfers may be paused while our payment partner reviews your details. This is a security measure to continue keeping your funds safe, and it may happen after some of the funds have already been transferred.

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

However, to help us operate safely and securely, our payment processors deduct one small transaction fee per donation (2.9% + $0.30, which include debit and credit charges). This is deducted automatically from donations; the person receiving funds will receive all funds raised minus these transaction fees.

Even if you don't meet your goal you can still keep the money. The con to using a GoFundMe account is raise money is there is a fee deducted with every transaction.

“Under Review” Status means that the payment was collected successfully, however, those funds are in review by the Risk Management team at our payment processor called WePay. They periodically send payments through this manual review process to help protect the security of you and your users and mitigate fraud risk.

How long will it take to be fully verified? The process of setting up and verifying transfers can take 3-7 business days or longer to complete. Then, once your first transfer is sent, it will take on average 2-5 business days for the funds to safely be deposited into the bank account on file.

How Is Help Hope Live Different? The average GoFundMe medical fundraising campaign raises a total amount that typically falls between $2,000 to $2,600.

For this reason, it's wise to set a reasonable and attainable fundraising goal when asking for donations. If your total debt is $10,000, it might be a better idea to set a fundraising goal of $3,000. People will be much more willing to help when they feel like their donation can make a big impact.

When you ask for donations, you're simply tapping into that human impulse. Check out our fundraising ideas to see how GoFundMe makes it easy to raise money for yourself, someone you know, or a cause that is near and dear to your heart.

Biggest fundraiser of all time: $44.6 million in the ongoing America's Food Fund campaign, launched by Laurene Powell Jobs and Leonardo DiCaprio. Most donations: Over 500,000 to the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund, raising $14.7 million, with an average of $29 per donation.

What is the most ever donated on GoFundMe? ›

America's Food Fund becomes the largest GoFundMe of all time, raising over $44 million to help people struggling with food insecurity due to COVID-19.

You won't be issued a tax receipt from our company. Only donations made to GoFundMe charity fundraisers are guaranteed to be tax-deductible in the US, the UK, Canada, Ireland and Australia and will automatically receive tax receipts from our charity partner, PayPal Giving Fund.

GoFundMe is a trusted, well-known social fundraising platform for individuals, teams, and nonprofits with a giving community of more than 100 million worldwide. It is one of the best crowdfunding sites for personal fundraising.

Status Examples

"Under review" is a phrase that typically means your application is being screened by human resources or the hiring manager. "Applicants being selected" indicates that hiring managers are selecting candidates for interviews.

Pending review = The paper is due to be pre-checked. Under review = The paper is being peer-reviewed.

Bottom line. In most cases, a check should clear within one or two business days. There are a few cases in which a check might be held for longer, such as if it's a large deposit amount or an international check. Make sure to review your bank's policies for what to expect in terms of check hold times.

GoFundMe is a for-profit company. On fundraisers for individuals or businesses it charges a 2.9% payment-processing fee on each donation, along with 30 cents for every donation.

What time of the year is best for GoFundMe? ›

Get cozy for a winter fundraising season! The winter months might be the best fundraising season for you, and it's no surprise. Non-profits receive a large amount of their year's individual donations during the year's end, perhaps because people are in gift-giving moods and feeling charitable.

You will be able to increase or decrease your goal amount at any point. Simply follow these steps from within your GoFundMe account: On your fundraiser dashboard, select "Edit goal" beside the amount raised, or select the "Edit" button below your fundraiser title. Edit your goal amount, and then click "Publish changes"

GoFundMe requires a minimum donation of $5.00, but if you want to donate less, or just want to make your donation privately, we are also accepting donations on Venmo or Paypal.

Most people use GoFundMe to raise money for things like medical bills, educational expenses, memorials, volunteer trips, youth sports - even animals & pets! The possibilities are endless.

GoFundMe makes it incredibly easy to raise money online for the things that matter to you most. In just a few minutes, you'll be able to personalize your fundraiser and share it with the people in your life. In fact, over $9 billion has been raised by individuals on GoFundMe.

The first rule of fundraising is that people give to people. The corollary of this rule is that the people who are getting must have a viable list of prospects who can give.

Successful fundraising requires being open about your financial need. Tell your story in honest and heartfelt words you'd use to explain your cause to a friend. Highlight details that paint a personal and compelling picture.

How do you ask a celebrity for donations? ›

Generally, contributions made to “crowdfunding” campaigns (such as GoFundMe) are considered to be personal gifts, and as such, are not taxed as income to the recipient.

Zelle® is a payment platform. Zelle® does not impose taxes on transactions made on its network. If payments you receive on the Zelle Network® are taxable, it is your responsibility to report them to the IRS.

Remember: just because Zelle isn't required to send 1099-K forms, that doesn't mean you don't have to pay taxes. You still must report all taxable income you made, including income from Zelle, on your 2022 taxes.

Plumfund is a free crowdfunding site created for those raising money from friends, family, fans and their community for a cause. Causes can be anything from a charity, to a retirement fund, to health costs, business projects and more.

Money raised in a crowdfunding campaign is considered taxable when: Donors receive something of value in return for their contribution. The IRS could consider the donation to be a sale, which would mean any profits could be taxed as personal income.

If you don't want to use your full name, whether for safety or personal reasons, you can enter your chosen name here. Be sure to enter your legal name when it comes time to set up transfers.

Visit the GoFundMe campaign you'd like to support and click the 'Donate Now' button. Once you've confirmed your donation, you'll have the option to share the campaign on Facebook. On the next page, choose the 'Private: Hide my name and comment from the public' option listed below the Comment box.

Does GoFundMe hold funds? ›

Payment Processor: GoFundMe is not a payment processor and does not hold any funds. Instead, GoFundMe uses third-party payment processing partners to process Donations for a Fundraiser (“Payment Processor”).

You should receive the verification email within 10 minutes of creating your account; click the green "Verify email" button within the email (shown below). If you aren't receiving the email, check your spam or junk folders for the email titled "Verify your GoFundMe email".

Thousands of people start fundraisers on GoFundMe every single day so they can conquer their debt and the stress that goes along with it. You can find emergency financial assistance, too. If you're one of the thousands of people who search “how do I get out of debt,” take the next step in your journey.

You can withdraw your balance directly to your bank account.

Money raised in a crowdfunding campaign is considered taxable when: Donors receive something of value in return for their contribution. The IRS could consider the donation to be a sale, which would mean any profits could be taxed as personal income.

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