The GoFundMe Terms of Service: All You Need To Know

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

The GoFundMe Terms of Service: All You Need To Know

GoFundMe is a convenient website for anyone to set up their own fundraisers and receive assistance quickly. However, these fundraisers can get banned if you violate the GoFundMe Terms of Service.

TOS agreements are extremely long, so most users just click 'Agree' immediately. This could affect your ability to use the site and, more importantly, make you unaware of unlawful . You could scan these long documents by yourself, or you could let DoNotPay do the work.

GoFundMe Terms of Service

GoFundMe helps users raise money for educational purposes, medical expenses, and other emergencies. The site facilitates many forms of payment, including Paypal, allowing users from across the globe to donate.

Before you can start a fundraiser, you must agree to . While individuals and organizations can set up many kinds of fundraisers, there are some items that GoFundMe strictly prohibits.

What's Not Permitted on GoFundMe?

As of September 2021, you cannot use GoFundMe to raise money for:

  • Fraudulent campaigns
  • Election campaigns
  • Drugs or medical therapy that is considered illegal in your area
  • Pyramid schemes
  • Organizations or causes that are deemed hateful towards any group of people
  • Weapons
  • Gambling
  • Counterfeit goods and any other goods that you didn't create

Can GoFundMe Terminate My Account?

If you attempt to run a fundraiser that goes against the rules, your account will be suspended. You'll also have to pay any potential fines to the appropriate authorities.

However, GoFundMe also says that it can ban anyone at its discretion. This could either be an accident or someone could report your campaign in bad faith. Fortunately, DoNotPay can straighten out these issues quickly with our Unban Accounts product.

The Biggest Issues with GoFundMe's Terms of Service

With so many sections in a TOS document, it can be difficult to determine which ones are of the most concern. Here's what we found on the surface:

  1. Data collection. GoFundMe collects your personal identifiers, banking information, location information, and biometric data. The site says that it may share this information with third parties for marketing or legal purposes.
  2. Arbitration clause. GoFundMe demands that you waive your rights to ever be involved in a class-action lawsuit against the company. GoFundMe gives you no way to opt out of this agreement.
  3. No formal opt-out procedures. GoFundMe's TOS isn't exactly clear on opting out of selling your information, unless you live in California. CA residents can request to have their information removed using this form, or by emailing GoFundMe directly.
  4. Service modifications. GoFundMe says that it has the right to suspend or add any type of service whenever it sees fit. You may not even get a notification about these changes, even if they could infringe on your consumer rights.

How to Analyze GoFundMe's Terms of Service

GoFundMe's TOS is readily available on the site, but that doesn't mean that it's easy to read. In addition to reading the terms of service, you're expected to review the privacy policy. Reading both can take several hours, probably stretched over multiple days.

It can also be difficult to understand each segment in the agreement due to complicated legal terms. Alternatively, you can use the "ctrl+f" method to find important terms. However, that obviously won't help you find missing terms and opt-out forms.

GoFundMe allows California residents to opt-out of most data collection services with a "Do Not Sell My Information" link. However, it's a separate page from the Privacy Policy, the link for which is also buried in the monotonous TOS document. Many users don't even know how to opt out because they can't locate the link.

Analyze GoFundMe's Terms the Faster Way: Use DoNotPay

Companies often unfairly place the responsibility of finding TOS violations on the consumer. Many of these consumers don't want to deal with the stress, even if they're entitled to compensation. Stand up for your rights with DoNotPay.

If you want to analyze GoFundMe Terms of Service but don't know where to start, DoNotPay has you covered in 5 easy steps:

  1. Go to the Analyze Terms and Services product on DoNotPay.

  2. Enter the website domain you would like to scan.

  3. Wait for DoNotPay to identify any legal violations on the website (it should only take a few seconds!) If there are violations, proceed to drafting a demand letter.

  4. Enter how much you want to receive in compensation and the company name.

  5. Enter your contact information so the company can contact you.

DoNotPay Works Across All Companies

No matter how long the Terms of Service might be, DoNotPay can still find both missing and hidden information. If you need to escalate your case, suing a bigger company is just as easy as suing a smaller one. We will help you analyze the TOS of a range of companies, such as:

Instagram Terms of ServiceAWS Terms of ServiceShopify Terms of Service
Discord Terms of ServiceGoogle Terms of ServicePlaystation Terms of Service
Youtube Terms of ServiceRoblox Terms of ServiceAirbnb Terms of Service
Facebook Terms of ServiceParler Terms of ServiceSnapchat Terms of Service
Twitch Terms of ServiceTiktok Terms of ServiceOmegle Terms of Service
Twitter Terms of ServiceCash App Terms of ServiceZoom Terms of Service

How to Sue GoFundMe for TOS Violations

A violation of your consumer rights, on top of your need for financial assistance, can be overwhelming. If GoFundMe refuses to pay your due compensation, our Sue Now product is both effective and easy to use.

We also have compensation products for victims of crime or excessive robocalls. No matter the issue, your rights as a consumer are important to DoNotPay.

Why Use DoNotPay

DoNotPay provides you with:

  • Fast processing times.
  • Exactly what you need to know with just a few simple questions.
  • The most reliable and up-to-date information to support your case.

Sign up today!

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