150: All Press is Good Press? | GoFundMe Creates 1.4M Nonprofit Donation Pages Without Consent with Ephraim Gopin

150: All Press is Good Press? | GoFundMe Creates 1.4M Nonprofit Donation Pages Without Consent with Ephraim Gopin

Author: Jess Birken, MNM, JD October 30, 2025 Duration: 27:46

What happens when a for-profit giant "helps" nonprofits without asking first? Spoiler: chaos, confusion, and a lot of angry fundraisers.

In this episode, I sat down with my good friend and fundraising pro, Ephraim Gopin of 1832 Communications, to unpack the wild story of GoFundMe auto-creating donation pages for 1.4 million nonprofits — without their consent.

Real Listener Question: "What do we do if our nonprofit suddenly has a GoFundMe page we didn't create? Is that even legal?"

When news broke that GoFundMe scraped IRS data to create "official" donation pages for nonprofits, my inbox blew up. In this episode, Ephraim and I dig into what this means for your organization — from donor confusion to legal implications — and why this so-called "help" might do more harm than good.

We cover everything from the basics of what a good donation page should look like, to why this move could affect your nonprofit's SEO, compliance status, and even your donor relationships.

What You'll Learn:

  • What a solid, conversion-ready donation page really needs
  • Why GoFundMe's "auto-created" nonprofit pages are a huge problem
  • How this affects your branding, donor data, and trust
  • Why accepting those donations could mess with your state fundraising compliance
  • Whether you should claim your page, delete it, or ignore it entirely
  • How big platforms exploit "helping nonprofits" to make a profit
  • And what to do right now if your org was affected

Bottom line: Just because something is legal doesn't mean it's ethical. Nonprofits deserve respect — not to be treated like SEO bait. Whether you're claiming or deleting your GoFundMe page, make sure the donations that come in are on your terms.

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Ever find yourself wishing for a direct line to seasoned nonprofit leaders, a chance to unpack the real challenges that don’t make it into the glossy annual reports? Charity Therapy is that conversation. With host Jess Birken, who brings her background as a lawyer and a Master of Nonprofit Management to the table, each session feels like pulling up a chair with a trusted advisor. The discussions move beyond theory, tackling the granular details of operations that leaders actually face-whether it’s navigating a tricky IRS compliance question, rebuilding a fundraising strategy from the ground up, or managing the complex interpersonal dynamics that define any mission-driven team. This podcast digs into the operational heart of the sector, offering pragmatic insights you can apply directly to your own work. It’s a resource built on the understanding that running a nonprofit is a continuous practice of problem-solving, and Jess guides these explorations with clarity and a deep respect for the work. Tune in for honest dialogue that treats the daily grind of management as the serious and nuanced craft that it is.
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