WAIVE THE FEES

GoFundMe Ripped by L.A. Official Over Fire Fundraiser Fees: ‘Families are Suffering’

A member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors said she would reach out to GoFundMe to urge them to “cut the cost” of transaction fees.

A member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger, criticized fundraising platform GoFundMe’s transactions fees Saturday, claiming she had to pay an additional $95 to donate $500 to a friend affected by wildfires scorching through the area. “I was shocked to find out that to give $500, they were going to charge me $95,” Barger said during a press conference. “So, I’m going to be reaching out to the CEO of GoFundMe to find out if, at the very least, they can cut the cost in order to ensure that the money goes directly to the family.” She added that she understood that GoFundMe is a company and needs to be able to “pay for their overhead” but that “families are suffering.” A spokesperson for GoFundMe told Business Insider that the “comments made at the press conference were inaccurate.” They said that the platform charges 2.9% plus $0.30 for each transaction to help pay “payment processors and safely deliver funds,” with Business Insider adding that that would mean a $500 donation would incur less than $15 in fees.