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GoFundMe

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Internet Website

The Resume

    (May 10, 2010- )
    Formed in San Diego
    For-profit crowdfunding platform
    Allows users to raise money for charitable causes
    Created by Brad Damphousse and Andrew Ballester

Why GoFundMe might be annoying:

    It is ripe for fraud or just out-and-out rank opportunism.
    It ideally is reserved for people in challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses, but very often campaigns are started just to crowdsource funds for large purchases or for users’ business startups.
    A New Jersey man raised over $14,000 in donations after breaking his dog’s legs and claiming that the dog had been in an accident requiring emergency surgery (April 2018).
    The page was shut down after the discovery was made and he pleaded guilty to animal cruelty (did we mention he killed the puppy after being found out?).
    One case in 2018 saw a boyfriend-girlfriend and a homeless man nearly get away with over $400,000 from a fraudulent page until they blew it all on trips and then turned on each other, exposing the scam to law enforcement.
    Its leadership has been inconsistent and sometimes prejudicial as to which fundraisers it chooses to shut down and which it keeps open (particularly when it comes to legal defense funds).
    Website leadership blocked all further donations to the Canada Trucker Convoy in early 2022, and expressed their intent to redistribute prior donations to other causes.
    Widespread outrage and threats from lawmakers to investigate prompted them to backtrack and issue automatic refunds to all users who donated.
    Its name is self-serving (Instead of Go Fund Others, it is Go Fund ME).

Why GoFundMe might not be annoying:

    In its first decade of operation, it has raised over $9 billion for various causes.
    It can’t be faulted if users are gullible enough to fork over money for obviously fraudulent causes (We The People Build the Wall anyone?).
    It has brought in contributions from over 120 million online donors.
    It helped to raise funds for vulnerable Indigenous communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
    It has proven invaluable to families who are unable to pay funeral costs for their loved ones.
    It raised over $10 million for victims of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Shooting in 2018.
    A GoFundMe campaign launched by Leonardo DiCaprio for America’s Food Fund raised over $45 million and was distributed to various homeless shelters and kitchens throughout the US (April 2020).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 15 Votes: 46.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying