GoFundMe Charity to shut down

GoFundMe Charity, the fundraising-dedicated website launched in November 2019, is now scheduled to shut down on September 30, 2021, when it will merge with GoFundMe.com. The last day to start a new fundraising campaign on the platform is June 30, 2021. Nonprofits have through December 31, 2021, to view and export their donor and fundraiser data and content such as campaign images and stories.

Recurring gifts will be canceled after September 30, and campaigns won’t automatically transfer to GoFundMe.com. Organizations will need to recreate any ongoing fundraising campaigns to continue raising money on GoFundMe.com. Like the free pricing model on GoFundMe Charity, GoFundMe.com offers a 0% platform fee (plus a 2.9% transaction fee and $0.30 per donation), making it free for charities to start fundraisers.

What nonprofit employees say about cost-cutting and other measures

The 2020 Eagle Hill Consulting Nonprofit Survey, conducted by Ipsos, finds that 58% of more than 500 nonprofit employees polled say that their employer cut costs last year. And they predict similar changes in 2021, including program reductions (32%), hiring freezes (32%), salary reductions (23%), layoffs (20%) and furloughs (17%). 

Most employees (54%) report that nonprofit leaders have implemented significant changes to their organizations’ goals and activities, and 82% say their organization has altered how it serves its constituents in response to COVID-19. Nearly 90% report that their nonprofit has changed how employees work due to the pandemic (for example, remote work). In addition, 58% say their organizations have increased their focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

DAF giving continues to surge

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are posting impressive numbers when it comes to charitable giving, suggesting nonprofits would be wise to actively pursue such donations. For example, Schwab Charitable, one of the largest DAFs, recently announced a jump of 35% in dollars granted ($3.7 billion) and 39% in the number of grants (830,000) in 2020, compared with 2019. The most popular organizations among Schwab donors were Feeding America, Doctors Without Borders and the Salvation Army.

A survey conducted by the National Philanthropic Trust found that that DAF grants to charitable organizations increased 29.8% by dollar value in the first six months of 2020, compared to the same months in 2019 — from $6.41 billion in 2019 to $8.32 billion. The total number of DAF grants increased by 37.4%, from 945,044 grants in the first half of 2019 to nearly 1.3 million in the first six months of 2020.

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