New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with a bipartisan group of 19 other attorneys general and charitable regulators, has raised concerns about GoFundMe’s creation of over 1.4 million donation web pages for charities without their knowledge or consent. The coalition sent a letter to GoFundMe, warning that these actions could have violated state laws related to charitable solicitation and consumer protection.
“When Americans open their wallets to support a charity, they deserve to know exactly where their money is going,” said Attorney General James. “By creating fundraising pages in charities’ names without their knowledge or consent, GoFundMe misled donors and put public trust in charitable giving at risk. We are demanding clear answers and meaningful reforms to ensure charities control their own fundraising and donors are fully informed.”
In October 2025, GoFundMe reportedly set up donation pages for approximately 1.4 million U.S. charities without first seeking permission from the organizations involved. Many of these charities only learned about the existence of these pages after they were published, leading to concerns about misuse of names and logos, inaccurate descriptions of work, and donor confusion. Some organizations reported being unable to control how their identities were presented on the platform.
The letter from Attorney General James and her colleagues points out that some donation pages contained incorrect information about the featured charities and did not clearly disclose when donations were routed through a donor-advised fund instead of going directly to the charity itself. In some cases, donors may have been led to believe that campaigns were operated by or affiliated with the named organizations when this was not true. Additionally, GoFundMe reportedly applied a default tip of around 16.5 percent on contributions—money which went directly to the company rather than the intended charity—and used search engine optimization practices that could place its fundraising pages above official charity websites in search results.
These practices may be in violation of state laws requiring written consent before third parties can solicit funds using a charity’s name as well as laws prohibiting deceptive conduct in charitable fundraising.
GoFundMe has acknowledged it was wrong to create fundraising webpages for charities without consent and has promised corrective action—including removing all unauthorized pages. The coalition is now asking GoFundMe for proof that all such donation pages have been taken down and confirmation that prior written consent will be required before any new charity page is created on its platform. They also seek an explanation regarding takedown procedures and clarification on changes made to SEO practices so legitimate charity efforts are not disadvantaged online.
Attorney General James leads New York’s top legal office which works as a public law enforcement agency offering services like consumer fraud investigations and oversight of charitable activities across regional offices statewide according to its official website. The office also promotes social justice through civil rights enforcement and community advocacy, protecting New Yorkers’ rights while ensuring public safety and upholding consumer protections.
The coalition expects a formal response from GoFundMe within 14 days; further investigation may follow if necessary.
Joining Attorney General James in this initiative are attorneys general from California, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin as well as regulatory agencies from South Carolina and Tennessee.
