Nonprofits push for ethical fundraising platforms as trust concerns grow

A donation page can quietly alter who a nonprofit hears from, who it has to chase for answers, and how much of a gift reaches the mission. That is why the National Council of Nonprofits’ new ethical-platform principles matter far beyond development teams, especially for organizations like A Simple Gesture, where volunteer recruitment, green-bag pickup routes, and pantry partnerships all depend on community trust.

The council laid out four principles on June 23: nonprofit consent, transparency, partnership, and accountability. The framework was endorsed by 52 state and regional nonprofit associations representing nearly 40,000 organizations, a sign that the concern is not limited to one bad actor or one platform. The core warning is simple: if a fundraising tool controls a charity’s name, takes over the donor relationship, or obscures fees, the organization can lose credibility even when the gift itself is well intended.

That risk sharpened in 2025, when the council said GoFundMe created fundraising pages for 1.4 million nonprofit organizations without their knowledge or consent. GoFundMe later apologized, said it would remove unauthorized pages, and said it would move to an opt-in model for public nonprofit pages. For a group like A Simple Gesture, which works through neighborhood relationships and pantry partners, that kind of mismatch between a charity’s brand and its actual approval can create confusion that staff then have to unwind one donor at a time.

Donor expectations point in the same direction. BBB’s Give.org released a 2026 Donor Trust Special Report based on a May 2026 survey of more than 1,500 U.S. adults. Among giving-platform users, trust was driven by clear and accurate information about listed charities, transparency about fees and how funds are used, and assurance that charities agreed to be listed. Nearly two-thirds of giving-platform users said a charity’s presence on a well-known online donation platform would increase trust, yet fewer than half assumed the charity itself created and managed the page. Social media was the leading source for learning about charitable organizations for 54% of online giving platform users and 44% of respondents overall.

For A Simple Gesture, the practical test is whether a platform protects or weakens the relationship with supporters. Leaders should know who owns donor data, how branding is displayed, whether listing is opt-in, how fees are disclosed, and whether the charity can remove or correct a page quickly. Every.org and Give Lively both position themselves as nonprofit-friendly options, with no platform fee or built-for-nonprofit features, underscoring that platform design choices can shape both revenue and trust.

That matters on the ground, where volunteers are picking up green bags, coordinators are routing donations, and staff are keeping food flowing to pantry partners. A fundraising tool that confuses donors or hides costs does not just touch the checkout screen. It adds work, muddies accountability, and chips away at the long-term confidence that keeps a food-recovery network moving.