DEVELOPING: GoFundMe Backtracks After Backlash to Millions of Auto-Generated Nonprofit Donation Pages (news)

*****UPDATE: After we recorded this episode, GoFundMe announced they would reverse their stance on auto-generated nonprofit donation pages made without their consent making them opt-in instead of opt-out. Unclaimed Nonprofit Pages, they wrote in a public response, would be removed and de-indexed.*****

In this episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, digital strategist at Whole Whale, dive into a startling discovery involving GoFundMe's creation of 1.4 million shadow donation pages for US nonprofits. Without outreach or consent, GoFundMe auto-generated these pages, raising significant concerns within the nonprofit community.

• Discovery of Shadow Pages: The hosts note how they discovered that many nonprofits, including Whole Whale clients, had active GoFundMe pages soliciting donations without their knowledge or consent.

• Potential Ramifications: The hosts discuss the implications of GoFundMe using nonprofit logos and public information without permission. The platform also initially set a default tip for itself at 16.5%, which has since been reduced following public backlash.

• Impact on Nonprofits: The episode emphasizes the risk to nonprofit brand management, especially with the upcoming end-of-year giving season. Nonprofits now face the challenge of ensuring their brand integrity and donor relationships are not compromised.

• Recommendations for Nonprofits: George and Nick outline a "claim, clean, and correct" strategy. They advise nonprofits to claim their GoFundMe pages, correct any inaccuracies, and make the pages private to protect their brand and donor data.

• Broader Implications: The conversation extends to the potential impact on AI systems that rely on indexed information from such pages, affecting how nonprofits are represented in digital spaces.