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Determining if a fundraiser is trustworthy

With over $15 billion raised from more than 200 million donations, HopeFundMe offers users a dependable platform for fundraising. Our team works hard to ensure all funds raised on our platform are used only as stated in the fundraiser story and that all donations are delivered securely to the right person. As part of this, HopeFundMe relies on the help of our community to keep HopeFundMe secure. 

Below are some guidelines and questions you can use to determine a fundraiser’s legitimacy.

Read the fundraiser

 

The fundraiser page should answer the following:

  • How is the organizer related to the intended recipient of the donations?
  • What is the purpose of the fundraiser, and how will the funds be used?
  • Are direct family and friends making donations and leaving words of support?
  • Is the intended recipient in control of the withdrawals? If not, is there a clear path for the funds to reach them?

 

If any of the points above are missing on the fundraiser, we encourage you to message the organizer by clicking ‘Contact’ next to their name to ask for more information.

Ask yourself these questions

      • Does the HopeFundMe include intentionally misleading or factually incorrect information?
      • Are the funds not being used for the stated purpose within a reasonable amount of time (including withholding funds from the beneficiary)?
      • Is the HopeFundMe impersonating someone else and/or copying their story?
      • Is the HopeFundMe violating any of our terms and conditions?

 

You may be wondering what it means when a HopeFundMe has surpassed its goal but is still accepting donations.

More often than not, it simply means that the fundraiser is getting more traffic than the organizer expected, and they may not be aware of the option to increase the goal from within their HopeFundMe dashboard. While the organizer is always able to raise the goal amount if they see fit, some may prefer to leave the goal as is, regardless of whether or not the goal was met.

 

Leaving the goal the same is not a sign of misuse and should not be cause for any concern regarding a fundraiser’s legitimacy.

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