Schmidt joined attorneys general and charitable regulators from 20 other states in signing a letter sent to GoFundMe, raising concerns that the company’s actions may have caused donor confusion and potentially violated state charitable solicitation and consumer protection laws.
“Millions of Pennsylvanians donate their hard-earned money to charities across the Commonwealth and the country, and they trust their donations are being used as intended,” Schmidt said. “In this letter, we are demanding both accountability and transparency to ensure that every donation goes to the intended charity and that no corporation prioritizes profits over a charity’s mission.”
According to reports published in October 2025, GoFundMe allegedly created its own donation web pages for approximately 1.4 million U.S.-based charities without first obtaining permission from those organizations. Officials say the creation of the pages led to confusion among donors, displayed inaccurate information about certain charities, and created what they describe as a false impression of official affiliation.
The letter, sent by the California Department of Justice, also cites public reports alleging that GoFundMe used search engine optimization (SEO) practices that caused its donation pages to appear above official fundraising campaigns maintained by the charities themselves. If accurate, regulators warn the SEO strategy may have diverted prospective donors away from official charity websites.
Additionally, officials raised concerns that GoFundMe’s donation pages may have applied a default “tip” of approximately 16.5%, intended to compensate the platform directly.
In the letter, the coalition of states is demanding that GoFundMe:
- Provide proof that all unauthorized donation web pages have been removed and confirm that prior consent from charities is now required before creating donation pages;
- Demonstrate the procedures implemented to remove unauthorized pages without requiring action from the affected charity;
- Explain any modifications to SEO practices to ensure charities’ official fundraising campaigns and websites are not disadvantaged;
- Disclose all information that could reasonably affect a donor’s decision, including the legal recipient of the donation and any fees, tips, or other charges; and
- Review whether tips or other fees collected by the company should be redirected to the charities.
The states are also calling for a comprehensive review of GoFundMe’s policies and procedures related to charitable fundraising.
The letter requests that GoFundMe respond within 14 days to California Deputy Attorney General Stephen Abanise.
Upon posting our story on Skook News, GoFundMe provided the following statement
"GoFundMe is committed to helping nonprofits reach new donors by making it easier for the millions of people on our platform to discover and support the causes they care about. Nonprofit Pages were created using publicly available information to help people support nonprofit organizations, with donations going to the intended nonprofit.
After hearing feedback from nonprofit leaders in October, we acted quickly to make Nonprofit Pages fully opt-in, removed and de-indexed unclaimed pages, and turned off search engine optimization by default. The immediate changes we made in October directly addressed the concerns outlined in the letter received today from the state Attorneys General, and reflect our continued commitment to transparency, accountability, and partnership with the nonprofit sector. We welcome the opportunity to share with the Attorneys General the concrete steps we have already implemented in response to the issues raised."
The Pennsylvania Department of State oversees registration and financial reporting for more than 13,000 charities soliciting in the Commonwealth, along with more than 450 professional solicitors and fundraising counsels. Officials encourage residents to review charitable organizations and understand their rights before making donations.