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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

      PO Box 1329 Redwood City, CA 94064-1329

      BBB accredited business seal
    • GoFundMe

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

    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:04/01/2025

      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 to raise a few buck 3 months ago. I had dontations within 2 weeks, so early February 2025. Recently, March 28, finally received an email from ***** @ ********************************** with a ticket number, shown below. He requested I use the original email for the gofundme (which I had neglected to use, so my bad). I provided the *** which is still up of the gofundme, AND a screen shot. ( ***********************************************************************************) Simply requesting the funds be transferred. I had been doing that a couple of weeks at that point. When I responded to ******* email query as requested, the return message was "you have reached an unmonitored email". Literally smells like a scam if the customer service responds from the email in one instance, then you get that message and nothing else. Crickets. Scamming a VET is for a VET cause is the worst kind of low life thing one can do. I just want the little money that my Vet Friends dontated to the cause. Period. full stop. G. ****** *******

      Business Response

      Date: 04/09/2025

      We appreciate you contacting us here, ******. Looking into your account, we see that some information is still needed before the funds can be transferred to you. The details of this required information were sent to you in an email on April 7th. Please review this email and reply if you need further assistance with the required information. We will reply promptly to assist you further. 
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/31/2025

      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 started a GoFundMe for my dog that has is having issues with his kidneys he need medication and treatment. I have given GoFundMe my account information. And they still not release any of my donations. My dog could start his medication today, but they refuse to deposit my donations into my account. ********************** say they are there to help people in need yet they are letting my puppy die all for greed. And then they dont even have a customer service number. So you can speak with a human. This company doesnt care about animals or humans.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/06/2025

      Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to our attention, Mia.

      We understand how important it is to have your fundraiser set up smoothly, and we appreciate your ongoing communication with our team since March 30th in the email thread titled "Hold Removal Request."

      Our payment partner typically requires up to 12 business days to review submitted transfer information and documentation. We apologize if this timeline has caused any frustration or didnt meet your expectations. Unfortunately, the initial bank documentation submitted didnt meet the verification requirements outlined by our payment partner, which prevented transfer information from being verified at that time.

      We can see that you've since updated your bank details and uploaded new documentation. Your updated transfer information is currently under review, and our team is actively monitoring the situation. Well continue to stay in touch via the existing email thread and follow up with you promptly as soon as we receive an update.

      We truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this as quickly as possible.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/06/2025

       
      Complaint: 23139091

      I am rejecting this response because:
      My new account information has been uploaded to my account. More than two days ago, also GoFundMe raised my donation amount. I never said I needed more than $1800, this appears to be very greedy on GoFundMes behalf. They are hoping my dog dies, and I will no longer need the funds. That is evil of them, whats the point of saying you help people only to withhold funds? 
      Sincerely,

      Mia Appluewhite

      Business Response

      Date: 04/09/2025

      We're sorry for the confusion here, **** It appears that you opted for a "smart goal" on for your fundraiser. Smart Goals is a machine-learning feature designed to support your fundraiser from beginning to end with enhanced goal setting. This feature gives organizers confidence about their fundraiser and helps keep donors engaged. The goal amount will adjust automatically throughout the course of the fundraiser based on a variety of factors, such as how much has been raised and how close you are to your end goal.

      To turn off Smart Goals, you can follow these steps:

      1. Navigate to the Your fundraisers page

      2. Select the fundraiser

      3. In the Dashboard, select Edit

      4. Next to your Fundraising Goal, Select Edit

      5. Select the button next to Automated Goal Setting

      6. Select Save

      The button will appear green when Smart Goals is active and grey when it's inactive.

      Also, it appears you may have missed our last email sent to you on April 7th in the email thread with the subject line 'Hold Removal Request'. Please be aware that the funds raised on your fundraiser were sent to your bank account on file on April 7th. Those funds can take up to 2-5 business days to arrive in the bank account on file, excluding holidays and weekends.

      If you have any further questions, please respond to that email and we are happy to continue helping you.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/31/2025

      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 created a GoFundMe on Friday 3/28/25. It has reached its goal, but I am unable to view transfer activity because the only thing on the transfer page is the confirmation that transfers are approved! I can't edit anything or view any activity due to the lack of options to do so. There are no buttons or menus to choose from, as stated there are in the HELP SECTION. And there is no one to ask for help besides the useless AI chatbot. It is critical for me to know whether the transfers are initiated or not and how soon I might expect them to go through. There is NO way to do so right now. GoFundMe is unusable if I can't tell when I can expect the transfers to start, or if they have even been initiated! I can't wait for weeks or months--this was an emergency fundraiser!

      Business Response

      Date: 04/02/2025

      Thank you for contacting us about this, *******.

      We're sorry to hear about the confusion. Our team just sent an email to your inbox explaining that the transfer information you're seeking is accessible through your beneficiary's account rather than your own. If you have further questions about this, please reply directly to the email we sent so we can assist you as efficiently as possible. We hope this has helped to clear up the confusion and we'll be standing by to further assist if you need anything else at all.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/28/2025

      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 GoFundMe in December 2024, and set it up through the ****** *********** (meaning the funds received would go directly to the charity). But for some reason I have never been able to close the fundraiser or transfer the money over to the charity. This morning I received an email saying if I dont set up a bank account to receive the funds, all the donations will be refunded (which makes no sense to me because of the ****** ***********). Ive tried to reach out to GoFundMe multiple times trying to figure out whats going on and how to solve this and have been told every single time there is nothing they can do to help. Ive tried adding my bank account info just in case and have been told multiple times that my bank account isnt eligible.This is very frustrating and confusing, and if those donations are refunded it will be very embarrassing for myself and everyone involved.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/06/2025

      Thank you so much for contacting us about this, *****. It looks like you had 2 fundraisersone for a charity (************************************************************************** ) and one set up as a personal fundraiser (**************************************************************************************** ).

      We can see that you received an email to set up the transfer for the personal fundraiser. The transfer was set up in time and the funds are on the way to your bank account. The funds will arrive within 2-5 business days excluding holidays and weekends.

      For the charity fundraiser, we can confirm all funds raised were sent directly to the charity via check. The check can sometimes arrive within 90 days from when the first donation is received but can often take longer (3-5 months).

      If the charity would like to receive the funds sooner, we recommend that they enroll with ****** ************ Once enrolled, the funds will be disbursed to the charity's ****** account at the end of each month. Money donated through the 15th of the month is sent to the charitys ****** account that same month. Any donations received after the 15th will be paid out the following month.

      After the funds are in the charitys ****** account, the charity will be able to use the funds in ******, transfer the money to a bank account, or have a check mailed. Here's more information on how to enroll with ****** ************ **********************************************************************************************************

      In addition, if you'd like to close the fundraiser here's a helpful article with steps to do this from your account: *********************************************************************************************

      If you need any help with ending your fundraiser, just reply to the existing email thread in ticket #******** and we can take care of this for you on our end. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. 
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/28/2025

      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.
      We set up a Go Fund Me for our nonprofit organization. We need to transfer the funds to pay invoices. The account has been on pause with no authentic response from Go Fund Me. All information requested has been provided. We have entered several emails and group chats to have this resolved with no answer as to why it is paused. They just keep stating it is being reviewed and nothing happens and then we enter another ticket and they say it will be escalated and will take another few business days . It is an endless loop

      Business Response

      Date: 04/04/2025

      Thank you for getting in touch. We sincerely apologize for the delay.

      Our Risk Team requires information to ensure customers are protected and our Terms of Service are upheld. This may result in withdrawal holds and we apologize for any inconvenience caused.

      In this case, we can confirm our team completed its review of your fundraiser and the funds are due to be sent to your account on file. Please note once a withdrawal starts, it may take 2-5 business days to arrive in the account.

      Please get in touch with us if you do not receive your funds within the timeline mentioned above.

      Kind regards,
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/28/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      ResolvedMore 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 October 19th, 2024 I made a donation through gofundme to a campaign to assist those under attack in ****. The person who organized that campaign has repeatedly abused the thank you note system on gofundme to continuously send further requests for donations and funding to other donation campaigns. Multiple times per month I have received these emails.On January 5th, 2025 I attempted to reach out to gofundme to have these emails stop arriving in my inbox. (support ticket number included below). Despite two seperate times where I was assured that these emails would no longer arrive, I have continued to get this regular and unwanted spam in my inbox that I have no way of ************* fact at this point I have entirely deleted my gofundme account, however this has not taken me out of their automated emailing system. It is absurd that my contact information is still being held onto at this point. The most recent email I have received was on the 19th of this month.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/02/2025

      Hello ******.

      We sincerely apologize for the continued emails you have received. We understand how frustrating it must have been to experience this more than once, and we deeply regret the inconvenience it has caused.

      We worked closely with our engineering team to ensure the problem is fully resolved. We want to assure you that you will no longer receive these emails.

      We truly appreciate your patience and your willingness to bring this to our attention again. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve, and we are taking steps to prevent this from happening in the future.

      If there is anything else we can do to make this right, please dont hesitate to reach out.

      Kind regards,

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/02/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Of course, I cannot be entirely sure, as the timing between these emails has been quite long. But I don't wish to hold this ticket open forever in the off chance that another email *might* arrive. I am hopeful this marks the true resolution of the issue.

      Sincerely,

      ****** *********
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/26/2025

      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 started crowdfunding campaign as a student ************ with ************************** link: ************************************ Kaigalura complete his *** study on Feb. *******.On Nov. 4, 2024 I was given a link: ****************************************************************************** and a verification:**************************************************** on Nov. 27, 2024 I received an instructions from ************************** as: I quote " Hello,Your GoFundMe account [ Ticket # ******** ] No longer able to process donations for your account. We won't be able to disclose any further information for the protection of our GoFundMe Community.We have removed your GoFundMe account and any fundraisers within it. We refunded any donations to your fundraisers that were not aleady transferred. Those down will receive their money back within 7 business days. " End of ******** Compaint is as:1.Since Feb. 26, 2019 todate I am a bona fide member of GoFundMe Community then I wonder to whom GoFundMe is protecting excluding me?**** GoFundMe account belong to me; then who authorised all transactions without my concent 3.On Nov. 4, 2024 I was link: ****************************************************************************** with a verification; ***************************************. why then within 23 days my GoFunMe account became unable to process my donations to my account.4. On Jan. 8, 2025 my GoFundMe account balance was $ 6275, what that means from all transactions which were done without my authority ?Kindly help my study program is on suspence.Thank you in advance for your action.!Sincerely,******* Kaigalura.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/10/2025

      Thank you for reaching out to us.

      Our Risk Team requires information to ensure customers are protected and our Terms of Service are upheld. 

      Please keep an eye on your inbox for an email from our team with the status of your account, as well as a request for any information required. We invite you to send our Risk team the information requested in order to proceed with the next steps.

      We appreciate your patience and understanding.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/25/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      ResolvedMore 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 fundraiser with GoFundMe a few months back.I have raised several thousands of dollars for a needy family in **********GoFundMe is not allowing me to transfer donations to my ********** account. The name of my fundraiser is New Baby for Unjustly Jailed Venezuelan Woman I see there have been several of these kinds of complaints in the past. What have the authorities done to remedy this situation?Will it take a class action suit?Thanks,*** *****

      Business Response

      Date: 04/03/2025

      Thank you for reaching out to us.

      Our team conducts reviews on accounts to help ensure they are compliant with all applicable laws and strictly enforced policies from our payment partners. We also ensure 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.

      It looks like a member of the GoFundMe Risk team sent you an email on Friday, March 28th, detailing the information which is required in order to proceed.

      We invite you to send our team the information requested, which will allow us to help you move forward.

      Thank you for your understanding.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/03/2025

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 23116101.

      I have named the three adults.

      GoFundMe now needs to allow me to transfer funds from them to my account so that i can forward money to these people.

      Please follow up with them to see that they have done this. 

      Thank you,

      *** *****

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/25/2025

      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 sister passed away on February 19th of this year after a sudden ailment. When she passed she was supporting 2 16 year old children. We set up a gofundme account to support the *********** far we have raised 5687. From March 4 thru March 12, funds were transferred to an account we set up solely to support the 2 children. Staring on March 12, we received a Transfers Paused message on the site and have not had any funds transferred since that date. I have worked with two support people, ***** and ******** and neither can get this resolved. I am regretting choosing gofundme for fund raising and want this resolved. I have sent them my drivers license, our last bank statement, my sister's death certificate and a LetterOfTestamentary showing that I am the executor of my sister's estate, but nothing is working. They keep telling me thru chat since I cannot speak to a real person..."We are still waiting for a reply from our payment processor at this time." and nothing is getting done. I sent them the ******** page for my sister showing that we set up the gofundme for the children:**************************************************************************************************************************************** I sent them the celebration of life service so they could see my other sister talking about ******* passing:******************************************* I sent them the gofundme link to show this is legitimate:******************************************************************************************************************************************** I also sent them my sister's obituary to prove that she has actually passed and that is the reason we set up the account.They have spent the last two weeks and have not resolved this. At this point, I just want to get the funds that were donated by our friends and family and just close the account as I will never use gofundme again.Thank you for anything you can do to assist.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/26/2025

      Thank you for contacting us here, ****. We are very sorry to learn of the loss of ***** and cant imagine how challenging that must be for you and your family. While the verification process for your bank transfers is standard procedure, we are sorry to hear that there were multiple delays. Taking a look at your account, we are glad to see that your transfers have since been enabled and that the remaining funds are on their way to you. Funds may take 2-5 business days to arrive in your bank account from the date they are transferred. If you do not receive your remaining funds by April 2, please reach out to us again so we can investigate further. We hope that the funds can aid with this challenge, and if you need anything else, feel free to reach out again. 
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/20/2025

      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.
      3-15-2025 I donated ****** to gofund me acount, which was mine. I wait 5 days for money transfer into my personal bank account. Today they emailed me said they closed my account and was sending money back to the donor, which is me. I have not received my money and would like it back. I have stage 4 incurable cancer on oxygen and apnea machine.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/01/2025

      Thank you for getting in touch, ******.

      We're sorry to say that GoFundMe is no longer able to process donations for your account.  As a result, we have removed your GoFundMe account and any fundraisers within it. The donations that were not already transferred to the bank account tied to your fundraiser were refunded on March 19, 2025.

      This decision was made in order to keep our platform safe and to assure GoFundMe is abiding by our Terms of Service, payment industry requirements, and applicable laws.

      We appreciate your understanding.

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