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Business Profile

Crowdfunding

GoFundMe

Important information

  • Customer Complaint:

    GoFundMe came to BBB’s attention in November 2016. A review of the company’s complaints was completed in February 2025. Complaints on file state issues with users experiencing delays in withdrawing their funds due to GoFundMe's verification process.

    BBB encourages users to review Transferring funds and GoFundMe Terms of Service  (please see 5. Payment Processors and 7. Transfers, Holds & Chargebacks).


Complaints

This profile includes complaints for GoFundMe's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Find a Location

GoFundMe has 3 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

    Country
    Please enter a valid location.
    • GoFundMe

      855 Jefferson Ave Redwood City, CA 94063-9992

      BBB accredited business seal
    • GoFundMe

      815 E St Box 121270 San Diego, CA 92101-6426

    • GoFundMe

      PO Box 1329 Redwood City, CA 94064-1329

      BBB accredited business seal

    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 426 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 152 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

    Sort by

    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/18/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I started a GoFundMe page for a family I've known for 12 years leave ***** since they are Christians and Aliwates and the new regime are killing these religious groups now in *****. They are accepted to live in ****** and the funds from family and friends is for the family to resettle. After raising the funds I followed the instructions to transfer the funds and then GoFundMe shut down the link and said it's under investigation. Initially, the funds would be transferred to me (which is fine as per the instructions) then I would deliver or fund the family. They now have all the government documentation and a bank account which I can send all the funds. I have provided GoFundMe with bank accounts, passport information, Rwanda identification and no additional response. If I don't fill out the system by May 15th they refund all the money raised... which I have no access to contact the donors to let them know what is going on. Plus, many made donation anonymous. This family needs my help to establish them in the new country. I met them in ****** three days after the arrived and helped with housing and other introductions to a new country. No responses have been received from GoFundMe after complying with all the requests.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/27/2025

      Thank you for reaching out to us. We apologize for the delay given the urgent circumstances.

      Our team conducts reviews on accounts to help ensure they are compliant with all applicable laws, strictly enforced policies from our payment partners, that fundraiser organizers and donors are protected, and that funds are delivered safely and securely to their intended recipients also known as beneficiaries. This may result in withdrawal holds and we apologize for the frustration.

      Please keep an eye on your inbox for an email from our team detailing the status of your account review as well as the next steps. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/18/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I started a go fund me a few weeks ago to help fund cost for my high school cheerleading team. For the past week I have been trying to get the funds transferred to my bank account and its not working. I have spoke with that customer service bot, followed all the steps and it still wont release the funds.All my bank account information is valid. Go fund me keeps saying I need to provide more information. I have uploaded my ID and banks statements. This is ridiculous and embarrassing. I just want the money. I will not use this platform in the future.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/28/2025

      Hello ****.

      Were really sorry for the frustration caused. We understand how important it was to access your funds, especially for such a meaningful cause.

      After reviewing your case, we saw there were issues verifying the original bank account, which led to another account being added as the beneficiary of the funds. We have since assisted the beneficiary, and the verification issue has been resolved. The funds have now been successfully sent to the beneficiarys account.

      Thank you for your patience throughout this process. Were glad we could get this sorted out for you.

      Kind regards,
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/15/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      My Ex Wife has started a campaign on gofundme where she is attempting to extort my house from me. She is not on the mortgage and is trying to run some sort of scam to get people to donate money to her using my name (*********** *******) and my former band name (Hatebreed) in an attempt to slander and defame me to the public. This is libel. She is also using our sons image which she did not get my permission to do. I tried to contact GoFundMe to report her and to take the post down, but they are not responding. I am getting hate messages on my social media accounts because of this campaign. Its harassment at this point and our son is embarrassed and getting teased as school. This goes against the GofundMe policies but they are not removing the campaign or responding to me. I want the campaign removed immediately. Her Name is ********* ******* and the campaign is called : *********************************************************************************** This is all false information. Thank you for your help.*********** *******

      Business Response

      Date: 04/24/2025

      Thank you so much for contacting us about this.

      Our sincerest apologies for the delay given the urgent circumstances. Our team has opened an internal investigation into the account based on the information that was provided.

      While this is not necessary at this time, if you have more information on anything related to this case, please submit any additional evidence within a new report through this claim form (?**************************************************************************?) for our Risk team's review.

      Our team will be in touch in the event that further details are needed.

      Take care,

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/24/2025

       
      Complaint: 23209362

      I am rejecting this response because: this is a very serious complaint and needs immediate attention. 

      ********* ******* is my ex wife. The foreclosure is in a paused state until she can come to an agreement with me. This is not unbeknownst to her. We have been going thru this process since 2023 and the amount is not $27k to bring it current. ********* is not disabled either. She pretends to be so she doesnt have to work to pay for the mortgage on her own. This campaign is just a way for her to try to blackmail me and extort the house from me because Im a celebrity. She original post named my band Hatebreed that I am no longer a part of. ********* has no problem driving all over the state of CT purchasing heavy antique furniture from estate sales and auctions, loading it into her car and unloading to bring into the house. She makes a very lucrative living from these sales. She also receives royalties from her successful **** career in the early 2000s. If you would like to look her up  her stage name is ******* ********. I filed an ex-parte contempt motion in court for her gofundme campaign as it is defamatory toward me and it is also libel. It is also embarrassing our son with his peers to see his mother begging publicly for money, her campaign is very inappropriate. We also have an order that states we cannot slander or post derogatory content publicly or on social platforms. She was just ordered on 4/23/25 by the court to remove the post from social media and any identifying information about our son, me and my band. She still has the post on your gofundme website with identifying remarks where she uses the words "my son", "my ex husband" and a picture of our house in the campaign. I am requesting that this campaign be removed and she not be allowed to post any other campaigns asking for money. She doesnt need it.  Below is a link to the foreclosure so you can see that the foreclosure process has been ongoing since 2023 and she is fully aware of what is happening. I am also including the court order where she was ordered by the judge to remove the post. 


      *****************************************************************************************
      Sincerely,

      *********** *******

      Business Response

      Date: 04/29/2025

      Hi Aspen,

      We're requesting to close complaint #23209362. Our team has covered everything in the first response, the fundraiser in question has been updated, and our Risk team will follow up with the customer to solve out the case.

      Thank you,

      --


      **** ********

      Supervisor, ************* | she/her

      Helping People Help Each Other

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/14/2025

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      April 11, 2025 A donation of $200 USD was made to help with family costs or so it was thought. Once into donating the "GoFundMe" program requires you to add a $35 fee or an additional 17.5% making the total cost to a donor $235.00 USD. Then I paid with my Canadian Mastercard and instead of "GoFundMe" submitting a $235 USD charge to my Canadian Mastercard it charges my Canadian Mastercard $341.90 Canadian or $235 USD at a premium exchange rate of about ***** and about a 5% premium over the premium I would have got charged by my ********** provider. I didn't see anywhere that informed a donor of the gratuity/other charge and what exchange rate they would be charged by "GoFundMe" directly. The amount is minimal but the less than forthright revenue practice used by "GoFundMe" is negative on an already negative bases for the donation. So here I am at the "Better Business Bureau" commenting about a business practice that appears to be lacking scruples and good faith business, and doesn't fit with what I would consider reasonable business practice and deserving of a good BBB rating.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/15/2025

      Hi ***, we're really sorry this experience was frustrating. We truly appreciate your generosity, and we understand how upsetting it can feel when a charge ends up being more than expected.

      The fundraiser you donated to is raising funds in US dollars, rather than Canadian dollars. This is why the amount in your bank statement appears differently than on the fundraiser. For future reference, the currency the fundraiser is raising funds in is always shown on the donation page. GoFundMe does not charge conversion fees, but you may want to check with your card issuer to see if they do on their end.

      In addition, we've refunded your tip of $35, and the funds will be returned to your card in 3-7 business days. Also, I wanted to let you know that leaving a tip is certainly not mandatory. When donating, the tip amount can be changed to 0 by adjusting the slider under Tip GoFundMe Services as shown here: *****************************************************************************************

      If you need anything else at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to us by visiting our *********** (*************************************************** ) and selecting "Contact us." 
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/14/2025

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have a gofundme account. I have summited all of the paperwork. I have been asking for the funds since last year. They always say you need to submit more paperwork. I dont know what more they need.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/14/2025

      Thank you for contacting us here, *******. We're sorry to hear that you are having trouble locating your funds. Taking a look at your account, we can confirm that these funds have been sent to you. We have followed up with you directly via email to help you locate your funds. Please reply to our outreach there for further assistance. 
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/09/2025

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I had begun a gofundme fundraiser page, and did not realize that they cut off the time to put your bank information in. Now the funds collected was placed on hold and I cannot retrieve the monies collected.Gofundme Email: ****************** ****** ******** Support Rev.Dr. and ********************** journey

      Business Response

      Date: 04/11/2025

      Thank you for contacting us about this, ******. We're so sorry for the confusion. We were able to locate your fundraiser and it appears to be connected to a different email address than the one provided, which is causing some of the trouble. We've sent an outreach directly to your inbox to help you regain access to the account and transfer the funds. When you have a chance, please reply to the email we sent so we can resolve this together. We're looking forward to hearing from you and helping you receive your funds promptly.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/09/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have submitted information to set up bank transfers for money that was donated to my non-profit. I submitted the information on March 28, 2025 and the website says it will take 2-3 days for them to review the information. I have reached out to gofundme several additional times with no resolution. Prior to that, the sender of the funds requested a refund and that was not done either. they are just holding the funds and drawing interest on it at my expense. I want the entire $50 refunded or transferred to the nonprofit account.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/13/2025

      Thanks you so much for contacting us about this, ********. To continue looking into this, our team has sent you an email directly so we can help you from there.

      Please keep an eye on your inbox for an email from our team.

      Thanks again!

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/05/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      My friend ******* made an account to help me raise money to lay my son to rest as he passed away and I am running out of time to pay the rest of the money to the funeral home , we have reached out to you he support team but have not got any where,they say they will look into it and work as fast as they can but closed on weekend and his funeral is sat april *******

      Business Response

      Date: 04/10/2025

      Hi *******, first and foremost, please accept our sincerest condolences for your familys loss. We appreciate you taking the time to bring this matter to our attention. Upon review, I can see our team was able to work directly with you to address the issues related to your account and the associated transfers. Further, they sent an email to the inbox linked to the fundraiser confirming the funds were recently sent. Please note that the funds will take 2-5 business days to arrive in the account from the date they were sent out. If you require any further assistance or have additional questions, we encourage you to respond directly to the support email so our team can continue to assist you promptly.
      Sincerely,
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/02/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On March 22, 2025, I started a GoFundMe to assist with a family members funeral service. I collected $3150 for the funeral. I have been unable to add my banking information and have not been able to access any of the funds that were donated. I have had several "chats" with *** the ** -powered HelperBot and with a couple of people with no results. It is very frustrating not being able to speak to a person! I have been told that there is a glitch in their system in verifying accounts and that they would get back to me. I have been dealing with this for over a week. Funeral has since passed, and I need the funds to pay for it. A large company as such should have an IT specialist available to fix any glitches in the system as soon as they arise. I am sure that I am not the only one whose funds are being held up by this. GoFundMe is supposed to help people not create chaos at difficult times in their lives. I will never use them again.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/04/2025

      We're so sorry for your loss, Ms. ****** and for the trouble with transferring your funds. We currently offer full customer support through live chat and email, and we apologize for any trouble you've had reaching us. Our engineers are working hard to resolve the issue with the verification emails, and we will shortly follow up with you with an update.  We'll be here for you until this is completely resolved, as we truly want you to receive your funds promptly.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/01/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I started a go fund me to help raise money for my fathers funeral service and on March 22 was trying to transfer to my bank account and still have not been successful. I have escalated this and the care team is apparently working on it and Ive sent screenshots and still not resolved. It will not go past the step of verification of email, I verify email and confirms email is verified and will not let me go to step 2 to transfer to bank account. I need this resolved and is unacceptable to encounter these problems at a time of grief and suffering and having to worry about this problem and not having the money.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/04/2025

      Hi ********,

      Thanks for contacting us here. Our engineering team is aware of the verification email issue and they are actively working on a solution. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

      We are actively monitoring the situation and we'll let you know as soon as the issue is fixed in the same email thread #********. We expect this to be resolved in the coming days. Thanks so much for your understanding.

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