Answers to Common Fundraising Questions

GoFundMe makes it incredibly easy to raise money online for the things that matter to you most. In just a few minutes, you’ll be able to personalise your fundraising campaign and share it with the people in your life. In fact, over £5 billion has been raised by GoFundMe users.

With GoFundMe, the money you collect goes directly to you. There are no deadlines or limits – every donation that you receive is yours to keep. Raising money for yourself or a loved one has never been easier. What’s more, we’re here to help whenever you need it. GoFundMe will respond to your emails round the clock, 7 days a week.

How it works

We see people using GoFundMe to raise money for themselves, friends and family or even complete strangers in random acts of kindness. People raise money for just about anything, including medical expenses, education fees, volunteer programmes, youth sports, funerals & memorials, and even animals & pets.

We are always amazed at the ways people use GoFundMe to raise money. Read about some recent success stories or see how GoFundMe works.

GoFundMe features the very best in secure payment encryption technology. Your donors’ online payments are safe and your money is stored securely until you are ready to request a withdrawal via electronic bank transfer.

Once your GoFundMe starts receiving online donations, you can easily request a withdrawal whenever you like. Withdrawing money does not affect the progress meter displayed on your campaign. Simply click “Withdraw” while logged into your account and follow the instructions. You can withdraw your balance and transfer it directly to your bank account. Bank transfers take 2–5 working days to appear in your account.

Learn how to start making withdrawals

Yes. GoFundMe makes it easy for another friend or family member to securely access the funds you have raised through crowdfunding. Through GoFundMe, they will receive direct access to the money you have raised. Please note: You will not be able to enter their cheque or bank details during the withdrawal process personally. They will need to do this themselves.

Find out how to invite a beneficiary

While there are deadlines to set up withdrawals you will need to observe to avoid donations being refunded, your fundraiser will remain live for as long as you want. After that, you can choose to turn off donations, or remove the fundraiser from the site. Many organisers decide to leave their fundraisers active, so they can look back at all the wonderful comments and support they received.

Learn more

No problem. Reaching your goal is not required. With GoFundMe, you keep each and every donation that you receive. Your campaign will be able to accept donations even after you’ve reached your goal. Once the goal is reached, the progress meter on your campaign will show that you have received more than your goal amount. If you would like to continue raising money, you can keep your campaign running for as long as you like.

Learn more about goals

GoFundMe provides an easy way to raise money with the support of your friends, family and online community. Our platform makes it simple to share your campaign in a variety of ways to bring in donations, track your progress and post updates to engage your community. Check out our fundraising tips and fundraising ideas for advice on how to raise more donations.

Check our list of supported countries and currencies to ensure that your country is supported.

Absolutely! With GoFundMe, organisers can easily raise money for you and even make sure that donations go directly to your bank account.

Learn about being a beneficiary

GoFundMe delivers your funds to you quickly because we know that many fundraising needs are time-sensitive. You can set up withdrawals and add your bank account details as soon as you accept the campaign organiser’s invitation to make you a beneficiary. Bank transfers then take 2–5 working days to appear in your account.

Learn about being a beneficiary