GoFundMe is a for-profit digital crowdfunding platform. Since its launch in 2010, the company, as of 2026, claimed to have helped individuals and organizations raise $40 billion, facilitated transactions between more than 190 million people, and recorded two donations per second on average. ¹

In 2017, GoFundMe launched GoFundMe.org, a nonprofit organization, to serve as a crisis relief fund facilitator. ²

As of 2026, GoFundMe charged a 2.9 percent transaction fee plus a flat fee of 30 cents on each donation processed, with a five-percent fee charged for recurring donations. This latter fee is negated for users of GoFundMe Pro, a paid version of the application with campaign-support features built primarily around the needs of nonprofit organizations and other similar institutions. ^{3 4 5}

Background

GoFundMe is a for-profit digital crowdfunding platform. It was founded by Brad Damphousse and Andrew Ballester, a pair of technology developers who had previously founded service processor Paygr, working closely with PayPal and its software code on both apps. GoFundMe’s predecessor was Createafund, a self-funded start-up that Damphousse and Ballester launched in 2008. They initially endeavored to make Createafund profitable by charging charities a subscription fee to use the platform. Rebranded “GoFundMe” in 2010, the platform came to be known for its use by independent individuals, although official charities continue to be a target market for the company. ^{6 7 8 9}

In June 2015, it was reported that Damphousse and Ballester were selling a controlling interest in GoFundMe to an investor group led by Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures. Damphousse and Ballester stepped down from their day-to-day roles while retaining board seats. The company was valued at nearly $600 million. ¹⁰

Since its official launch in 2010, GoFundMe, as of 2026, claimed to have helped individuals and organizations raise $40 billion, facilitated transactions between more than 190 million people, and recorded two donations per second on average. ¹

As of 2026, GoFundMe charged a 2.9 percent transaction fee plus a flat fee of 30 cents on each donation processed, with a five percent fee charged for recurring donations. This latter fee is negated for users of GoFundMe Pro, a paid version of the app with campaign-support features built primarily around the needs of nonprofit organizations and other similar institutions. ^{3 4 5}

In 2017, GoFundMe launched GoFundMe.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to serve as a crisis relief fund facilitator. ²

Partners

As of January 2026, GoFundMe had the following major organizations listed as partners: Meta (the parent company of Facebook), Venmo, The Knot, CaringBridge, Linktree, Eventbrite, Legacy, Nextdoor, ClassDojo, PayPal, and the PayPal Charitable Giving Fund. Partners integrate GoFundMe into their apps, allowing their users to donate to campaigns. ¹¹

Nonprofit Page Controversy

In 2025, it was reported that GoFundMe had created 1.4 million donation pages for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, often without their permission. One figure, treasurer Dave Dornlas for the Friends of the San Bruno Public Library, told a reporter that he received a phone call from a donor who asked if the group’s GoFundMe page was legitimate, a page his organization did not know existed. GoFundMe explained that the pages were set up with information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and partners like the PayPal Giving Fund. Krista Lamp, then senior director of non-profit communications at GoFundMe, said the company had facilitated donations to 70,000 nonprofits in 2024. ¹²

Dornlas expressed further frustration at the fact that GoFundMe solicits a “tip” of 14.5 percent for all donations processed, even on donations to groups that did not approve their pages, which is in addition to the 2.2 percent transaction fee GoFundMe charges nonprofits and the 30-cent charge per donation. Nonprofit organizations are asked to manually “unpublish” their GoFundMe pages. ¹²

Notable Campaigns

GoFundMe was used by the owners of Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washington, D.C., after a man brought a firearm into the store and began shooting the occupied property ostensibly to investigate an alleged child sex trafficking operation on the premises, ¹³ allegations related to the widely debunked “Pizzagate” online conspiracy theory. ¹⁴

George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, created a GoFundMe campaign “to cover funeral and burial expenses, mental and grief counseling, lodging and travel for all court proceedings, and to assist our family in the days to come as we continue to seek justice for George.” He added that “A portion of these funds will also go to the Estate of George Floyd for the benefit and care of his children and their educational fund.” Within a week, it had raised $7 million, making it one of the most highly funded campaigns in GoFundMe history. ¹⁵

1. “About Us.” GoFundMe.com. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.gofundme.com/c/about-us?_gl=1*rv0vpg*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1JLLBhCDARIsAAVfy7hEWZoGu7bVUU42BIxBPuZMvk34FYXDj7gDIBC4QKImLEKRXVIDgrEaAkzZEALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAADj5gICRBOS-BJCvMYmzzgmrd3yZ0.
2. “Public Officials + GoFundMe.” GoFundMe.com. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/public-officials.
3. “Pricing.” GoFundMe.com. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.gofundme.com/c/pricing?_gl=1*yufxhe*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1JLLBhCDARIsAAVfy7hEWZoGu7bVUU42BIxBPuZMvk34FYXDj7gDIBC4QKImLEKRXVIDgrEaAkzZEALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAADj5gICRBOS-BJCvMYmzzgmrd3yZ0#US.
4. “Solutions.” GoFundMe Pro. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://pro.gofundme.com/c/solutions/.
5. “Nonprofits.” GoFundMe Pro. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://pro.gofundme.com/c/causes/nonprofits/.
6. Empson, Rip. “Paygr Looks To Combine Facebook And PayPal In A Marketplace For Local Buying And Selling.” TechCrunch, June 7, 2011. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2011/06/07/paygr-looks-to-combine-facebook-and-paypal-in-a-marketplace-for-local-buying-and-selling/.
7. Rao, Leena. “GoFundMe Simplifies Group Fundraising.” TechCrunch, May 10, 2010. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2010/05/10/gofundme-simplifies-group-fundraising/.
8. Adams, Susan. “Free Market Philanthropy: GoFundMe Is Changing The Way People Give To Causes Big And Small.” Forbes, October 19, 2016. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2016/10/19/free-market-philanthropy-gofundme-is-changing-the-way-people-give-to-causes-big-and-small/.
9. “GoFundMe for nonprofits.” GoFundMe.com. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.gofundme.com/c/charity-fundraising.
10. Schmidt, Will. “GoFundMe Founders Agree to Massive Buyout.” Tech.co, June 26, 2015. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://tech.co/news/gofundme-agrees-to-buyout-2015-06.
11. “GoFundMe Partnerships.” GoFundMe.com. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.gofundme.com/c/partnerships?_gl=1*rv0vpg*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1JLLBhCDARIsAAVfy7hEWZoGu7bVUU42BIxBPuZMvk34FYXDj7gDIBC4QKImLEKRXVIDgrEaAkzZEALw_wcB&gbraid=0AAAAADj5gICRBOS-BJCvMYmzzgmrd3yZ0.
12. Sierra, Stephanie. “GoFundMe created 1.4M donation pages for nonprofits; some Bay Area organizations had no clue.” ABC7 News, October 15, 2025. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://abc7news.com/post/gofundme-created-14-million-donation-pages-nonprofits-bay-area-organizations-had-no-clue/18013410/.
13. “North Carolina Man Sentenced to Four-Year Prison Term for Armed Assault at Northwest Washington Pizza Restaurant.” U.S. Department of Justice, June 23, 2017. https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/north-carolina-man-sentenced-four-year-prison-term-armed-assault-northwest-washington.
14. Rogers, Katie. “GoFundMe Says It Has Helped Campaigns Raise $3 Billion.” The New York Times, December 14, 2016. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/business/gofundme-nonprofits.html.
15. Nelson, Joe. “GoFundMe for George Floyd family one of the biggest of all time.” Bring Me The News, June 2, 2020. Accessed January 12, 2026. https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/gofundme-for-george-floyd-family-one-of-the-biggest-of-all-time.