Inspire Hope

The GoFundMe 2020 Giving Report

A decade of giving
Inspire hope and change lives through giving

A decade of giving

In the past 10 years, GoFundMe has become a household name synonymous with generosity, kindness, and compassion. While so much has changed in the world—especially within the last year—one thing remains the same: It's human nature to help others.

Throughout the hardships of 2020, we've seen an extraordinary outpouring of generosity from a global community that’s united by a desire to take action and help others.

We've heard incredible stories of strangers helping strangers and communities rallying behind local businesses in need, and we’ve felt the power of the experiences they’ve shared.

We saw how the simple act of giving changed countless lives.

It's important to remember that we’re our best when we come together. As we look toward 2021 and enter the next decade of giving, we can build a more caring world and inspire hope for a better tomorrow.

10 years of GoFundMe
 

10 years of GoFundMe

 
 

A timeline of GoFundMe’s history and evolution—from the very first fundraiser to billions of dollars raised.

 

May 2010

GoFundMe.com goes live

April 2013

Millionth donation was made

October 2013

Saving Eliza becomes the first fundraiser to raise $1 million

April 2015

Millionth fundraiser started

May 2015

First billion raised

October 2015

100th employee hired

August 2016

First international office opened in Dublin, Ireland

October 2016

GoFundMe Guarantee introduced to protect donors and organizers

January 2017

GoFundMe acquires CrowdRise to expand fundraising to nonprofits

November 2017

GoFundMe eliminates platform fee and moves to a voluntary tip model

April 2019

GoFundMe.org, the advocacy and charitable arm of GoFundMe, launches

December 2019

120 million donations made

September 2020

More than $625 million raised for COVID-19 relief

All monetary amounts are expressed in USD.
Decade by the numbers
 

Decade by the numbers

These numbers showcase the global generosity that has taken place on GoFundMe over the past 10 years.

150+
million donations
65+ million comments of support
379:

the number of fundraisers started by GoFundMe’s most prolific organizer

June 2, 2020:
the most generous day of all time

In response to the movement for racial justice and equality, more donations were made on this date than any other day in GoFundMe history

1,200+

how many times GoFundMe's most generous donor has donated

110,000+ charities benefited
All monetary amounts are expressed in USD.
Hope around the world
 

Hope around the world

Here are the most generous countries, US states, and US cities in 2020—see if your hometown made the list.

Most Generous Countries

(Number of donations per capita)

Most Generous Countries

(Number of donations per capita)

1. Ireland
2. United States
3. United Kingdom
4. Canada
5. Australia
6. Netherlands
7. Italy
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Denmark

Most Generous US States

(Number of donations per capita)

Most Generous US States

(Number of donations per capita)

1. Massachusetts
2. New York
3. Oregon
4. Washington
5. Vermont
6. Connecticut
7. California
8. Rhode Island
9. Colorado
10. Minnesota

Most Generous US Cities

(Number of donations per capita, population >50,000)

Most Generous US Cities

(Number of donations per capita, population >50,000)

1. Silver Spring, MD
2. Spring, TX
3. Marietta, GA
4. Alpharetta, GA
5. Fort Lauderdale, FL
6. Alexandria, VA
7. Berkeley, CA
8. Evanston, IL
9. Somerville, MA
10. Rockville, MD

70%
of donations were under
$50
In 2020, nearly
1 in 3
donors
made more than one donation.

Fastest growing categories globally

Outside of Emergencies
Business
Community
All monetary amounts are expressed in USD.
Top five fundraisers of 2020

Top five fundraisers of 2020

America’s Food Fund

Donors gave over $44 million to feed America’s most vulnerable populations experiencing food insecurity made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

40,000+ donations from 77 countries
poured in to help feed the hungry.
Official George Floyd Memorial Fund

In response to the tragic death of George Floyd, more than 500,000 donors contributed to help the Floyd family seek justice for George.

George’s family set up two foundations to support the
Black Lives Matter
movement.
Frontline Responders Fund

Donors gave over $8.2 million, which provided 47 million units of PPE and relief supplies to medical professionals courageously working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Critical supplies were distributed globally, delivering shipments to five continents and
over 230 cities.
Justice for Breonna Taylor

The world showed up to honor Breonna Taylor's life after she was fatally shot by police officers in her home. Donors raised $6.7 million for Breonna’s family.

More than
210,000 donations
have been made in Breonna’s honor for ongoing legal expenses incurred as Breonna’s family fights for justice.
Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund

Navajo and Hopi communities have been devastated by COVID-19. Donors have given over $6.5 million to protect high-risk individuals in their communities.

48,000 households
have received food, water, PPE, and cleaning supplies.
All monetary amounts are expressed in USD.
2020 moments
 

Together we are powerful

2020 has been full of significant moments—moments where people banded together to help one another when they needed it most.

January

Donors from more than 130 countries helped the thirsty koalas devastated by the bushfires in Australia.

March

The COVID-19 pandemic goes global, forcing businesses to shut down. GoFundMe launches the Small Business Relief Initiative, granting donations to thousands of small businesses in need.

April

America’s Food Fund becomes the largest GoFundMe of all time, raising over $44 million to help people struggling with food insecurity due to COVID-19.

May

GoFundMe partners with the PGA TOUR for the return of televised golf and raises over $5 million for organizations providing COVID-19 relief.

June

The Official George Floyd Memorial GoFundMe receives more donations than any other fundraiser in GoFundMe history.

August

Wildfires sweep the US and people around the country start fundraisers for families affected in California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.

October

GoFundMe introduces five GoFundMe Causes, which allow donors to come together around an ongoing need to support individuals and charities working to provide long-term relief.

All monetary amounts are expressed in USD.
COVID-19
 

Historic events, historic change

As we navigate the global COVID-19 pandemic, people around the world have continued to show up to help others—raising money for PPE for frontline workers, education supplies needed for remote learning, unemployment relief, and more. In an incredible display of global generosity, donors raised over $625 million for COVID-19 relief on GoFundMe in just six months. The data behind the donations during the pandemic displays an overwhelming message of support: We’re all in this together.

150,000+
fundraisers
were started for COVID-19 support.
9M+
donations
poured in to help frontline workers, the unemployed, educators, artists, and more.
~60%
of fundraisers
started in the US were in support of small businesses and their employees.
All monetary amounts are expressed in USD.
Justice & Equality
 

Justice & Equality

In May, George Floyd’s death brought the gross injustices and inequalities faced by people of color to the forefront of the national discussion. In response, people rallied on GoFundMe to support the movement for justice—for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, and for the families of so many others. Fundraisers have brought in donations for everything from battling voter suppression to funding legal defense to pursuing law enforcement reform. In response to the need for a more equitable society, GoFundMe started the Justice & Equality Fund in early June. To date, it has raised over $1 million for organizations addressing both urgent needs as well as broader issues tied to systemic racism.

$14.7
million
was raised for George Floyd’s family by more than 500,000 donors—the most donations ever received by an individual fundraiser.
~3M
donations
were made to Justice & Equality fundraisers in the six months after George Floyd's death.
$20
was the most common donation amount to Justice & Equality fundraisers.
All monetary amounts are expressed in USD.
Global impact
 

Global impact

Generosity knows no boundaries or borders. Take a look at how people around the world gave in 2020.

Australia

Most Generous Cities
Number of donations per capita, population >50,000
  • 1. Bundaberg
  • 2. Wagga Wagga
  • 3. Mackay
  • 4. Mandurah
  • 5. Launceston
Fastest growing donor categories
Outside of Emergencies
Animals, Community, Volunteer
The most prolific organizer in Australia started
26 fundraisers.
Australians donated more than
20,000
times
on January 6, making it the most popular day to donate.
The most prolific donor
gave 202 times to 176 different fundraisers.
The number of donors who gave more than once increased by almost 20% from 2019.
 
 

Canada

Most Generous Cities
Number of donations per capita, population >100,000
  • 1. Victoria
  • 2. Kelowna
  • 3. Kingston
  • 4. Saskatoon
  • 5. Calgary
Fastest growing donor categories
Outside of Emergencies
Business, Community, Volunteer
The most prolific organizer in Canada started 27 fundraisers.
Canadians donated more than
30,000
times
on June 2, making it the most popular day to donate.
In 2020,
1 in 4 donors
made more than one donation.
The most prolific donor
gave 201 times to 163 different fundraisers.
 
 

United Kingdom

Most Generous Cities
Number of donations per capita, population >50,000
  • 1. Derry/Londonderry
  • 2. Cambridge
  • 3. Edinburgh
  • 4. Bath
  • 5. Luton
Fastest growing donor categories
Outside of Emergencies
Business, Community, Faith
The number of donors who gave more than once increased by over 25% from 2019.
More than
55,000
donations were made
on June 2, making it the most popular day to donate.
The most prolific organizer in the United Kingdom started
33 fundraisers.
The most prolific donor
gave 145 times to 139 different fundraisers.
 
 

Ireland

Most Generous Cities
Number of donations per capita, population >50,000
  • 1. Galway
  • 2. Dublin
  • 3. Limerick
  • 4. Cork
  • 5. Waterford
Fastest growing donor categories
Outside of Emergencies
Community, Faith, Sports
The most prolific organizer in Ireland started 15 fundraisers.
More than
25,000
donations
were made on April 21, making it the most popular day to donate.
In 2020,
40% of donors
in Ireland made more than one donation.
The most prolific donor
gave 97 times to 94 different fundraisers.
 
Inspiring hope and changing lives through giving
 

Inspiring hope and changing lives through giving

Our hope for 2021

As we reflect on the past and look toward the future of giving, it’s critical that we find new ways to provide immediate relief to those in need, as well as solutions for long-term issues. The expansion of GoFundMe Causes this year—which brings donors, organizers, partners, and charities together around common interests and ongoing needs—is just the first step of many.

Our hope for 2021 is that we can all continue to come together to inspire hope and change lives through giving. Together, we can create a world where we meet adversity with generosity, unity, and hope.

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