GoFundMe’s Auto-Created Nonprofit Pages

Andrea Ortega
Oct 19
3 min read

What Happened, Why It Matters, and What Comes Next

(Para Español dale click aqui)

What happened (and when)

In mid-October 2025, GoFundMe rolled out “Nonprofit Pages,” public donation pages that the platform creates automatically for active nonprofits, using information from government regulators (e.g., the IRS in the U.S.). The company’s own help materials say these pages may include a nonprofit’s logo, mission statement, and other details, and exist so supporters can donate, start fundraisers, or share the nonprofit, even if the organization never signed up with GoFundMe Pro. Meaning there could be a donation page for your organization, without even knowing it!

Why would they do that? Well, business? GoFundMe relies on donor tips instead of a platform fee, and it actively prompts donors to add a tip. This practice has drawn periodic pushback because the prompt can feel aggressive or confusing, even if the tip is optional.

Is this legal?

Mostly, yes, and here’s why:

Your organization’s core data is public. The IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File (EO BMF) and other disclosure datasets make key nonprofit information public (name, EIN, status, etc.). Platforms can (and do) reuse that data.
How gifts are routed. For “certified nonprofit fundraisers,” GoFundMe says donations are processed via PayPal Giving Fund and then granted to the designated charity—meaning donors can get a deductible receipt when applicable. GoFundMe

The sticky part is communications and brand use: GoFundMe says it auto-populates pages with things like a logo and mission. While your EIN and basic facts are public, your logo and narrative content aren’t drawn from the IRS master file. That raises practical (and ethical) questions about how platforms source and present your identity, even if the underlying page is lawful to publish. GoFundMe Pro

Why nonprofit pros are uneasy (and why they’re not wrong)

As someone who has built a consulting practice around nonprofit operations and compliance, I’ll name the tension plainly:

Consent vs. capability. Public data enables discovery, but “can” isn’t the same as “should.” Auto-creating a giving channel without the nonprofit’s explicit opt-in erodes trust, especially when a third-party tip prompt sits between the donor and the mission.
Stewardship standards. Our sector is guided by best practices, clear consent, brand control, donor transparency, and stewardship, not just what’s technically allowed.
Precedent for “tech for good.” This is likely the first of many AI-enabled moves that prioritize scale and convenience over sector norms. If platforms set the defaults, nonprofits will spend time undoing defaults rather than building genuine relationships.

Practical implications for nonprofits

Assume you have a page, check and claim it. GoFundMe instructs U.S. nonprofits to claim their page via GoFundMe Pro to verify affiliation and gain editing rights.
Decide your stance on visibility. After claiming, you can toggle off “Published on GoFundMe” to effectively remove your page from public view, and you can adjust search visibility settings.
Mind the money flow. If you don’t enroll in PayPal Giving Fund, GoFundMe notes that disbursement may default to checks mailed to the address in public records and can take 3–5 months after your first donation, another reason to claim and configure.
Brand & messaging. Audit and correct any auto-filled mission/imagery.

What this signals about the future

Automation is now the default. From auto-generated pages to AI-tuned ask amounts and auto-generated share assets, platforms are moving fast to mechanize donor journeys. Nonprofits must assert governance early.
Ethics will outpace regulation. Because much of the data use is legal, ethical frameworks, consent, transparency, control, remain our best guardrails.
Sector voice matters. If you think the default should be opt-in rather than opt-out, say so—publicly and directly to vendors. Vendor roadmaps do shift when enough organizations speak up.

💬 Book a consultation with us today to learn more about nonprofit compliance, ethical fundraising, and how to protect your organization when situations like this arise and stick around for Part 2 of this series by signing up for our newsletter!