Alaska Sues Crowdfunding Platforms Over Unauthorized Charity Pages

State alleges GoFundMe, PayPal, and others created donation pages for nonprofits without consent, potentially misleading donors

Mar. 11, 2026 at 4:52am

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The state of Alaska has filed lawsuits against six crowdfunding and charity-related platforms, accusing them of creating online donation pages for nonprofits without the organizations' knowledge or consent and then soliciting contributions through those pages. The attorney general's office said the platforms used publicly available information to generate fundraising pages for over 1 million nonprofits nationwide, including thousands in Alaska, without first obtaining permission from the charities.

Why it matters

The state argues that nonprofits have a right to control fundraising in their name, including the strategies they use, the vendors and platforms they partner with, and how they manage donor relationships. Unauthorized pages can collect fees, display outdated or inaccurate information, compete with a nonprofit's own campaigns, or prevent the organization from knowing who donated and when.

The details

The lawsuits name GoFundMe, PayPal Inc., Charity Navigator, JustGiving, Pledgeto and Network for Good. The state's investigation found the platforms engaged in similar conduct, hosting pages that appeared to represent Alaska nonprofits even when the organizations had not agreed to allow the platforms to solicit donations on their behalf. The state is seeking court orders requiring the companies to remove unauthorized donation pages for Alaska charities and is seeking civil penalties for each alleged violation of Alaska's Unfair Trade Practices and Charitable Solicitations laws.

  • The lawsuits were announced on March 11, 2026.

The players

Stephen Cox

The Attorney General of Alaska who announced the lawsuits against the crowdfunding platforms.

GoFundMe

One of the crowdfunding platforms sued by the state of Alaska for creating unauthorized donation pages for nonprofits.

Laurie Wolf

The president and CEO of The Foraker Group, a nonprofit support organization in Alaska, who praised the legal action.

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What they’re saying

“Generosity depends on trust. Some Alaskans may have donated believing they were supporting a specific charity even though the organization did not authorize the page and may never have received the donation — or may have received less than donors intended because of fees.”

— Stephen Cox, Attorney General of Alaska

“Philanthropy relies on the ability to honor donor intent and donor trust. Such transactions lack nonprofit consent, transparency and accountability.”

— Laurie Wolf, President and CEO of The Foraker Group

What’s next

The judge will decide whether to issue court orders requiring the companies to remove the unauthorized donation pages for Alaska charities.

The takeaway

This case highlights the importance of nonprofits maintaining control over their fundraising efforts and the need for crowdfunding platforms to obtain consent before soliciting donations on behalf of charities. It raises concerns about potential donor confusion and the misuse of nonprofit names and reputations.