Choosing a fundraiser type

If you are creating a fundraiser in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or Canada, GoFundMe has two different fundraiser types to choose from: personal or non-profit.

For a personal fundraiser, you’ll either transfer funds to a personal bank account or to the bank account of an organisation you’re associated with. Funds on a non-profit fundraiser are transferred directly to the organisation via PayPal Giving Fund. 

We cover the following in this article:

• Differences between personal and non-profit fundraisers
• How to create a fundraiser for an individual or organisation
• How to create a fundraiser for a non-profit

• Raising money for multiple non-profit at once 

• Raising money for a non-profit that isn't eligible for a non-profit fundraiser 
• Additional resources for raising funds for a non-profit

Compare the differences between personal and non-profit fundraisers

How to create a fundraiser for an individual or organisation 

On the first fundraiser creation page, you will need to select "Myself or Someone else" when asked who the funds are for. After you've finished creating your fundraiser, you will be able to set up bank transfers for yourself or an organisation or add a beneficiary.

When setting up the bank transfers, follow the steps to set up the appropriate individual. Make sure that you choose who receives the money wisely, since you can't change who handles the funds after they have already been sent to their bank account.

If you represent an organisation setting up a fundraiser, the beneficial owner at the organisation must receive the funds. If you don't know the beneficial owner, you must receive the funds in your personal bank account and then send them to the organisation outside of GoFundMe.

A beneficial owner is someone with significant responsibility to control, manage or direct the organisation (e.g. a Chief Executive Officer, Vice President, Treasurer or a controller).

How to create a fundraiser for a non-profit 

To set up a non-profit fundraiser, you will need to choose "Non-profit" and fill out the organisation's information on the fundraiser creation page. Be careful to make sure you’re selecting the correct organisation since we cannot direct the funds to another organisation once raised.

If you don’t see the organisation listed, you will need to ask the person in charge of the finances at the organisation to enrol with PayPal Giving Fund.

To create a non-profit fundraiser for an organisation you work for, sign up for a GoFundMe charity account.

Raising money for multiple non-profit at once 

GoFundMe non-profit fundraisers can only connect to one benefitting organisation per fundraiser. If you would like to raise money for multiple organisations, you can do one of the following:

• Create a different fundraiser for each organisation that you would like to fundraise for. Since the fundraisers will be separate, you can choose a different non-profit for each.
• Create one personal fundraiser and transfer funds to your own bank account. Once you have received the funds, you can split the money between the organisations. Bear in mind that you must state in your story how the funds will be shared between the organisations. 

Raising money for a non-profit that isn't eligible for a non-profit fundraiser 

If you want to use GoFundMe to fundraise for your non-profit, but your organisation is not a United States 501(c)3 public charity, registered charity with the UK Charity Commission, Canada Revenue Agency, or Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, one option available to you is fiscal sponsorship.

Fiscal sponsorship means that you would set up a non-profit fundraiser for an eligible non-profit. This non-profit (known as your fiscal sponsor) will collect funds raised on your behalf, then honour a predetermined agreement to give those funds to you at the end of the fundraising period. Use the steps in the section above to create a non-profit fundraiser using the fiscal sponsor's tax ID. You will be the fundraiser organiser, so you will be responsible for sharing the fundraiser and asking for donations. Be sure to understand how your fiscal sponsor receives funds and the scheduled frequency to plan how funds will be transferred to your intended organisation in the end, and within what time frame. 

All language on GoFundMe (including confirmation emails and donation receipts) will indicate that the fiscal sponsor is the benefiting organisation. It is the responsibility of the recipient organisation to work with the fiscal sponsor to communicate to donors how their funds will be used. We recommend including language in the story section of your fundraiser to explain the fiscal sponsorship relationship. 

Additional resources for raising funds for a non-profit

• Check to see if your non-profit is already on our list
• Learn more about how to get on the GoFundMe non-profit list if you don't see your organisation in our system
• Learn more about bank transfers on a non-profit fundraiser