San Antonio Archdiocese Opposes GoFundMe’s Unauthorized Donation Pages

San Antonio, Texas — The Archdiocese of San Antonio is raising concerns after GoFundMe created over 1.4 million unauthorized donation pages for nonprofits, including itself, using public data without consent. This revelation came to light in a statement issued by the archdiocese on October 22, 2025.

The archdiocese stated that the created pages impacted several of its parishes, schools, and ministries. It clarified, “We do not use GoFundMe to collect donations for any purpose.” Instead, it encouraged potential donors to use its official online platforms to ensure their contributions reach the intended programs.

Rich Fisher, senior sales director at Our Sunday Visitor, expressed the ethical implications, noting, “Auto-generated pages do not allow the true authenticity of the organization to share their mission and potentially undermine the trust of prospective donors.”

In response to the backlash, GoFundMe announced plans to remove logos from unclaimed pages and required organizations to verify their pages to gain control over branding and donor data. The response included an apology from GoFundMe’s CEO, Tim Cadogan, who acknowledged the confusion caused by the unauthorized accounts.

Cadogan emphasized that trust is essential for nonprofits, committing to improve communication and collaboration moving forward. Jennifer Rodriguez, from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, criticized the auto-generated pages, calling them “unethical in nature.”

The growing controversy reflects deeper concerns among nonprofit organizations, particularly within the Catholic community. Josephine Everly, a director at Stand Together, outlined risks posed by auto-generated pages, highlighting potential misrepresentations of mission and values. She argued that the principle of informed consent is crucial for partnerships.

With ongoing adjustments to its policies, GoFundMe aims to establish clearer guidelines and verification processes to protect nonprofits from similar issues in the future. Organizations are advised to claim their pages promptly to secure their branding and data.

This situation continues to develop as nonprofit leaders seek clearer assurances from GoFundMe and other fundraising platforms.