TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – GoFundMe is reversing its decision to automatically create fundraising pages for nonprofit organizations after the move sparked confusion and concern among local groups.

The crowdfunding platform created pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations last week without the organizations’ knowledge or consent. The move had nonprofits wondering who controlled the pages, and how would groups get their donations if they hadn’t discovered the pages.

Kevin Burton, president of the Topeka Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, said he heard of at least a dozen local groups who discovered pages. The Topeka Zoo, United Way Kaw Valley, Topeka Public Library Foundation, Topeka Symphony, Helping Hands Humane Society and Ballet Midwest were among the organizations affected.

“Who’s controlling this information and who’s putting it up there and how do we claim that information as a nonprofit?” Burton said.

Outdated information raised concerns

While GoFundMe used publicly available IRS data to create the pages, some groups nationally reported their logos, contact information or names were outdated.

Burton said he advises all nonprofits to check if they have a page. If they do, a representative should claim it as soon as possible.

“Once you have the organization and claimed it as yours, you can do a variety of steps that include increasing the promotional imagery of it to match your organization’s brand, or you can hide it and de-activate it if you choose to go that route,” Burton said.

Thursday afternoon, GoFundMe posted a statement to LinkedIn acknowledging the problems. The company said their mission is to help, but they understand their efforts were “causing confusion, concern, and distraction from the vital mission of the very nonprofits we aim to support.”

“We are very sorry for this and take responsibility for missing the mark,” the statement said.

Platform switches to opt-in model

GoFundMe said it would move all nonprofit pages to opt-in only and de-index any pages that are not claimed.

Burton said donors should verify any GoFundMe page. He also suggests people who want to support their favorite nonprofits reach out to them directly.

“GoFundMe is easy and if that is what works for you, great,” Burton said. “GoFundMe does take a percentage off the top of all donations and all transactions, so if you want more of your money to go directly to the organization, all organizations in our area have websites.”

GoFundMe said it is committed to creating strong feedback loops with nonprofits. Their full statement is below.

From GoFundMe Pro, via LinkedIn:

At GoFundMe, our mission has always been to help people help each other. This mission extends to every nonprofit: we strive to connect nonprofits with new donors, empower supporters to give and fundraise, and enable communities to rally behind the causes they care about.

However, we understand clearly that our recent efforts with Nonprofit Pages have caused confusion, concern, and distraction from the vital missions of the very nonprofits we aim to support. We are very sorry for this and take responsibility for missing the mark. Trust is foundational to our work with nonprofits, and we are fully committed to rebuilding it through better communication, collaboration, and partnership.

Rebuilding trust starts with action. After speaking with many nonprofit leaders and advocates, and listening carefully to members of our community, we are taking swift action:

Nonprofit Pages are now opt-in only: Moving forward, only nonprofits that opt-in to their Nonprofit Page and complete the verification process will have a public Nonprofit Page that is searchable on GoFundMe – making these Nonprofit Pages a completely opt-in experience. Nonprofit Pages for organizations that have not been claimed and verified will be removed. SEO will also be turned off by default. Nonprofits that opt-in to their Nonprofit Pages will gain enhanced visibility, control, and access to certain supporter data for fundraising and compliance purposes. Nonprofits can verify their pages and learn more here: https://gfme.co/47o885i

Unclaimed Nonprofit Pages will be de-indexed: We will remove and de-index the Nonprofit Pages that are not claimed so they no longer appear in search engine results. Once a nonprofit opts in, they can choose to index their Nonprofit Page, turn SEO on, and edit their Nonprofit Page.

Nonprofit directory listings will continue: As we have done for many years, we will maintain basic nonprofit directory listings so nonprofits are discoverable and organizers can create fundraisers to support nonprofits.

We are committed to creating stronger feedback loops with nonprofit representatives to ensure future product releases are shaped in deeper partnership with nonprofits. Our goal remains to support the nonprofit sector – making giving easy for donors, empowering nonprofits with tools to thrive, and doing so in a way that reflects our shared values of trust and transparency.

Thank you for your feedback and ongoing commitment to making the world a better place.