What is GoFundMe?
GoFundMe is a for-profit crowdsourcing platform that is meant to help people in need with financial help. The company is based in Redwood City, California, and has offices scattered in different cities of Europe and North America.
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You can raise money for all kinds of events and causes ranging from charities, personal campaigns, celebrations to illnesses and accidents. When you start a GoFundMe to raise money for a particular cause you have to mention the goal you want to reach and other people can donate whatever amount of money they want to.
Other users can share the donation link with people who are willing to donate over social media platforms. When the goal is reached, the money is transferred to the ones in need. Since 2010, more than $9 billion has been raised on the platform, with contributions from more than 120 million donors.
You can access GoFundMe through their website on desktop and mobile. There are also dedicated apps available for both mobile platforms – iOS and Android for portability and ease of access.
No need to raise funds anymore? Then you might want to delete your GoFundMe account. To close your account, you’ll need to meet some requirements. In this article, we will guide you through the procedure of deleting your GoFundMe account.
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Why is it a good idea to delete your GoFundMe account?
Even though GoFundMe is a crowdfunding site that helps a lot of people in need, it also has its dark side. Let us take a look at some of these controversial aspects of the company that might make you want to delete your account and leave the platform for good. If these facts make you change your perception of GoFundMe you can find other similar platforms that do a better job.
Since GoFundMe is a for-profit organization, all of the donations don’t go towards those in need. GoFundMe charges a processing fee of 2.9 % from the total amount of donation received and 30 cents from every donation made. That is a considerable amount of money if the goal is in question is quite high or the number of total donations is high. You can find other non-profits that don’t charge any processing fees and all of the money goes to the ones who need it.
And since all the transactions are transparent on GoFundMe this policy has it has also backfired on some occasions. Some people who have gone viral after receiving a lot of donations for their cause have seemingly put their lives in danger. When a fundraiser campaign becomes successful it is advertised all over social media celebrating the success of the and a lot of people get to know about the ones who receive the donations. People have had to be relocated to safer places because of the risk of them getting kidnapped for ransom.
And since GoFundMe doesn’t put a cap on donations, the creator can choose to receive donations indefinitely which might be misused to receive money for a longer time than required even after reaching the goal. It has been found that people have misused this feature to receive money well beyond the set goal.
It has also been found that fake campaigns have been set up by people asking for donations without the intention to help anyone. And it has also been found that some campaigns set up for others don’t seem to cash it out to the people it is meant for. Even though this doesn’t happen a lot of people have been found to have committed such frauds before. So you need to know why the fundraiser was created and who it is supposed to help before you donate your hard-earned money. You never know when you might be cheated by fraudsters.
I hope you got to know some of the controversies surrounding GoFundMe. If these facts made you rethink your choice of using GoFundMe, you can choose to permanently delete your account and part ways with the platform. You can always find other better platforms and organizations that will put your donations to good use.
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Ask Tech Support Live NowWhat happens when you delete your GoFundMe account?
When you delete your account on GoFundMe, you will lose all your account data including all information regarding your previous donations and your personal data. Deleting your account will remove all of your activity and campaigns and you will not be able to sign with your account anymore. You will also not be able to donate any amount of money using this account.
And before you delete your account, you need to identify what kind of account you have – Personal Account or Charity Administrator Account.
You can only delete your Personal Account if you have no active campaigns with your team members. And if you have a Charity Administrator Account you will not be able to close it completely but you can disable it by removing it from being visible on search and deactivating donations.
What happens when you delete your GoFundMe fundraiser campaign?
Deleting your fundraiser will deactivate your donation campaign. But it will still show up on your account’s dashboard as Inactive.
And remember that you have to be an organizer to delete a GoFundMe from within their account. If you are the beneficiary or team member for a fundraiser, you will not be able to delete a campaign. Please contact the organizer in order to delete the fundraiser.
When you delete your fundraiser it will not automatically refund your donors. As long as your withdrawal information has been verified, deleting your fundraiser will not have an effect on your outgoing withdrawals. If you want to refund the donated amount to your supporters, then be sure to manually refund the donations before deleting your fundraiser.
You will need to be logged in using your mobile browser or computer to delete a fundraiser. There is no option to delete a fundraiser using GoFundMe’s mobile app at the moment.
How to end your GoFundMe fundraiser campaign?
If you feel like you have achieved your target goal and don’t want the campaign to be active anymore, you can choose to end your fundraiser campaign.
There are a few ways how you can choose to end your fundraiser campaign. Let us look at some of the ways you can accomplish this.
1. Delete your fundraiser
If you want to go with this option, you can delete your fundraiser and give your supporters a final update to let them know that you’re closing the fundraiser for good. This way you will notify your supporters that you are ending the campaign permanently.
2. Turn off donations
You can choose to turn off donations and still keep the fundraiser visible on GoFundMe. This is the strongly recommend option as it allows you to continue posting updates, leaves a record for future reference, and helps inspire others. Being able to look back at a successful fundraiser will also remind your supporters of the special part they played in making a positive change happen.
3. Delete your fundraiser and deactivate your account
If you have achieved your goal and you don’t want to keep any trace of your campaign, you can choose to delete your fundraiser and deactivate your account afterward.
How to delete a GoFundMe fundraiser campaign?
If you want to delete your GoFundMe fundraiser campaign, follow the instructions below on a web browser of your choice either on desktop or mobile :
- Step 1: Visit gofundme.com and log into your account using your email address and password
- Step 2: Now click on the Your Fundraisers tab on the top right corner of your screen.
- Step 3: Now chose the fundraiser you want to delete
- Step 4: Then choose the Edit and Settings button under your fundraiser
- Step 5: Now click on the Delete fundraiser option at the very bottom of your screen
- Step 6: Type “delete” into the form as confirmation, and click Delete fundraiser
Once the process is complete, a green banner will be shown at the top of the screen showing the fundraiser has been deactivated.
If your GoFundMe has been deleted and it’s still showing in Google searches, you can use this link to request Google to remove it from its search indexes.
Turn donations off but keep your campaign active
If you want to turn off donations to your fundraiser but want to keep the campaign active to keep it visible to other users, follow the steps below on a web browser of your choice:
- Step 1: Sign in to your GoFundMe account using your email address and password
- Step 2: On your dashboard select the Edit and Settings option below the fundraiser title
- Step 3: At the bottom of the screen, uncheck Allow donations to my fundraiser
- Step 4: Finally select Save
Note: GoFundMe doesn’t allow you to close the Charity Administrator Accounts. You can only delete an Independent Account.
Before Deleting your GoFundMe account
You can only close your GoFundMe account if you don’t have any campaigns with team members, fundraising minimums, or funds raised.
How to Delete your GoFundMe Account
- Visit gofundme.com and login to your account if you haven’t
- Hover over your profile and select Account settings from the dropdown menu. If you didn’t find your profile, click on the three horizontal lines at the top right corner and choose Account settings.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Delete Account.
- A confirmation popup appears, click on Delete My Account.
How to Delete GoFundMe Charity Account
GoFundMe doesn’t allow you to close your account completely. However, you can deactivate donations and remove them from search results. If you are an admin of the charity profile or an authorized representative of the charity, you can contact the GoFundMe support team and request for account deactivation.
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs ) about GoFundMe
How long does a GoFundMe campaign stay active?
A: Your GoFundMe campaign can be active for as long as you want or need. There are no deadlines either. You can still receive donations even after the goal has been achieved. GoFundMe also doesn’t have a cap on the total amount donated to a campaign.
But if your campaign has no activity in 365 days ( or a year ), its status will be changed to Inactive.
What if I don’t have a bank account for GoFundMe?
A: If you do not meet the requirements for any of GoFundMe’s supported countries or do not have a valid bank account, do not create a fundraiser. Instead, you can ask someone who meets the requirements to create one for you. If you create a fundraiser and cannot withdraw the funds, all donations will be refunded.
What happens to GoFundMe money if the goal not reached?
A: Reaching your goal is not required on a GoFundMe campaign. With GoFundMe, you get to keep each and every donation you receive from your supporters. Your campaign will be able to accept donations even after your goal is reached.
What happens to unused GoFundMe money?
A: If it is found that something isn’t right or the money has remained unused, GoFundMe will refund your donations to its supporters. If funds aren’t delivered to the right person, GoFundMe will donate the missing amount to charity.
Does GoFundMe charge to withdraw?
A: GoFundMe charges a processing fee of 2.9 % from the total amount of donation received and 30 cents from every donation made. This total amount will be deducted from your account before you withdraw your amount.
How do I stop a donation on GoFundMe?
A: After you have signed into your account, select the menu with your initials at the top right, then select Account > Recurring Gift Plans. Or you can go directly to this link. Then, select the pencil Edit icon to the right of the donation, select Cancel plan, and Save.
How do I get my name off of GoFundMe?
A: GoFundMe fundraisers cannot be anonymous for transparency reasons, so you cannot completely remove your name from a donation. But you can choose to change your name by following the instructions below.
- Step 1: Sign in to GoFundMe using your email address and password
- Step 2: Select your name at the top right of your screen (if you’re on the GoFundMe app, tap your initials in the top right corner instead)
- Step 3: Select Account settings from the drop-down menu
- Step 4: Change your name and click Save Changes at the bottom of the screen
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