GiveSendGo
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Crowdfunding |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Crowdfunding platform |
GiveSendGo is a United States-based Christian crowdfunding platform that was introduced in 2015 as an alternative option to GoFundMe. The site adopts a minimal approach to content moderation, citing the principle of free speech as its justification. Recognized as part of the alt-tech ecosystem, GiveSendGo has attracted controversy due to its role in facilitating fundraising for far-right extremists and hate groups.
History and philosophy
Established in 2014, the platform was created to support fundraising efforts for "missionary journeys, medical aid for families in need, and various charitable initiatives," motivated by the founders' belief that GoFundMe exhibited an anti-Christian stance.
Unlike GoFundMe, which bans campaigns soliciting funds for legal defenses related to violent crime charges and those promoting hate or intolerance, GiveSendGo became known for hosting fundraisers removed from GoFundMe. Notable examples include campaigns supporting Kyle Rittenhouse, participants in the January 6 Capitol riot, and the Canada convoy protest.
The founders of GiveSendGo present their platform as one that upholds freedom and opposes censorship, maintaining that platforms should not limit lawful activities. They argue that restricting speech poses a greater threat than the speech itself and emphasize the importance of presuming innocence along with the right to raise funds for legal defense.
Relationship to right-wing extremism
In January 2022, British anti-disinformation group Logically identified GiveSendGo as a central node in a far-right financing network, which includes supporters of QAnon, anti-vaccine advocates, and the far-right organization Project Veritas. A report published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in January 2023 disclosed that GiveSendGo hosted 230 fundraising campaigns associated with extremist groups, collectively raising $5.4 million since 2016. The ADL characterized GiveSendGo as "a uniquely significant component of the extremist fundraising infrastructure."
Observers have labeled GiveSendGo an "alt-tech" platform.
Data breaches
GiveSendGo has been subjected to several cyberattacks.
April 2021 data breach
In April 2021, internal information was leaked to Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), revealing donor details connected to far-right organizations such as the Proud Boys, many linked to fundraising efforts for the 2021 United States Capitol attack. The platform drew criticism for permitting use by far-right extremists. The leaked data also exposed contributions from U.S. law enforcement officers and public officials to support Kyle Rittenhouse. In May 2021, USA Today reported that nearly $100,000 had been raised for the Proud Boys from donors of Chinese heritage prior to the Capitol attack. The subsequent month’s data unveiled an anonymous donation from a member of the Koch family toward campaigns endorsing 2020 election fraud conspiracy theories.
Data breaches in February 2022
In February 2022, after anonymous contributions were made to the 2022 Freedom Convoy, DDoSecrets released a hacked database containing personal details of donors from GiveSendGo to journalists. Later that month, GiveSendGo suffered another cyberattack, exposing donor information for every fundraising campaign ever hosted on the platform, which DDoSecrets then distributed to media outlets.
A report by TechCrunch on February 8 revealed a security flaw that compromised donor data. On February 11, hackers redirected GiveSendGo’s website to givesendgone.wtf, displaying a message criticizing both the platform and the Freedom Convoy as threats to democratic values, accompanied by a clip from Frozen II. Additionally, a .csv file purportedly listing donor identities was uploaded. Although the domain was quickly restored, as of February 14 the site remained offline and showed only a maintenance notice.
According to Vice News on February 13, a breach disclosed personal information for 92,845 Freedom Convoy contributors, including a $90,000 donation from American software billionaire Thomas Siebel. Among these donors, 55.7% were based in the United States while 39% resided in Canada; some U.S. contributors corresponded with names linked to Donald Trump’s political campaigns. The leak also uncovered donations from members of the Ontario Provincial Police, which triggered an internal inquiry.
On February 15, The Daily Dot reported an additional breach that revealed a complete database dump along with source code, customer service records, and partial credit card details. The Daily Dot noted that GiveSendGo had been alerted to security weaknesses since 2018. Following these disclosures, several donors experienced harassment and professional repercussions after their identities became public.
Another breach on February 24 exposed further donor data connected to the Freedom Convoy fundraiser, as covered again by The Daily Dot.
Kyle Rittenhouse
A fundraising effort for Kyle Rittenhouse on GiveSendGo collected more than $250,000 after similar campaigns were removed from GoFundMe. In reaction, Discover blocked payments to GiveSendGo. This campaign helped establish GiveSendGo’s image as a platform willing to host fundraisers deemed too contentious for other services. A leak published by DDoSecrets revealed that certain U.S. law enforcement officers and public officials had contributed to Rittenhouse’s campaign.
Daniel Penny
Daniel Penny, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran facing charges related to the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, raised over $2.9 million through GiveSendGo for his legal defense.[1][2]
2021 United States Capitol attack
PayPal halted its payment services to GiveSendGo after the platform facilitated fundraising for individuals involved in the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[3][4][5] In January 2021, GiveSendGo ceased accepting donations on pages associated with the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and conspiracy theories related to the 2020 election after pressure from payment processor Stripe.[6][7][8][9]
2022 Canadian convoy protests
During early February 2022, supporters of the truckers’ convoy occupying Ottawa and obstructing Canada-U.S. border crossings in opposition to vaccine mandates amassed more than $9 million through GiveSendGo.[10]
On February 10, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, acting upon a request from the provincial government, had issued a restraining order to freeze all funds collected for the protesters.[11] In response, GiveSendGo’s founders took to Twitter to affirm that donations are transferred directly to recipients and rejected both the freeze and Canada's authority over their fund management.[12]
During parliamentary testimony in March 2022, co-founder Jacob Wells underscored GiveSendGo’s dedication to free speech, indicating that even organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan or Proud Boys would be permitted to raise funds on the platform provided their activities complied with legal standards.[13][14]
Convoy to Canberra
The Convoy to Canberra protest against vaccine mandates in Australia was coordinated via GiveSendGo along with other online platforms.
Alleged shooter of Brian Thompson
"The December 4th Legal Committee" established a legal defense fund for Luigi Mangione, the suspected shooter in the death of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. By May 2025, the fund had accumulated more than . Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, expressed gratitude for the backing and indicated the funds would support his defense in all three pending cases.
2025 fundraisers
In April 2025, Karmelo Anthony’s family, implicated in the killing of Austin Metcalf, initiated a fundraiser that surpassed $515,000 by May 1, drawing considerable contributions from the Black community. Shortly thereafter, in early May, a woman featured in the Rochester, Minnesota racial slur video launched a campaign titled "Help Me Protect My Family," which had raised over $700,000 by May 6. Some conservative commentators interpreted this as a response to the financial support received for the Metcalf case. On May 2, GiveSendGo disabled comments on both fundraising pages due to an "unacceptable volume of racist and derogatory remarks." Co-founder Jacob Wells reported that each fundraiser had approximately $500,000 raised with close to 15,000 donors at that point.
Also during May 2025, Mohammed Adnan Khan ("Mo Khan") secured $16,000 through GiveSendGo after facing criticism for a video showing his role in acquiring an antisemitic sign at a Barstool Sports bar in Philadelphia. Khan set up two more fundraisers on the platform amid ongoing controversy. Initially apologizing and agreeing to visit Auschwitz concentration camp to learn about the Holocaust, Khan later retracted this commitment and described his behavior as an "edgy joke," accusing Dave Portnoy of "hypocritically lynching" him. Khan promoted his fundraiser on the white nationalist Stew Peters show, where he received an additional $100,000 in JPROOF cryptocurrency.
- ↑ "Crowdfund gives Daniel Penny millions for legal defense in alleged killing of homeless man Jordan Neely". ABC News. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ↑ "GiveSendGo founder compares Karmelo Anthony case to Kyle Rittenhouse". The Independent. 3 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ↑ "Before the Capitol Riot, Calls for Cash and Talk of Revolution". The New York Times. January 16, 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-13.
- ↑ Kimball, Whitney (January 11, 2021). "PayPal Dumps GiveSendGo, the 'Christian' Crowdfunding Site Used By Proud Boys". Gizmodo. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ↑ Singh, Kanishka (January 12, 2021). "PayPal blocks site that helped raise funds for those who attended Capitol violence". Reuters. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedrefuge - ↑ Ballhaus, Rebecca; Safdar, Khadeeja; Ramachandran, Shalini (June 16, 2021). "Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, Forceful on Jan. 6, Privately Are in Turmoil". The Wall Street Journal.
- ↑ Solon, Olivia (January 13, 2021). "'Too little, too late': Extremism experts criticize payment companies".
- ↑ Linebaugh, Kate; Knutson, Ryan; Mendoza, Jessica (June 28, 2021). The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/oath-keepers-and-the-business-of-extremism/325b7c0a-d2cd-43bb-a2dc-07764d111275.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ McIntire, Mike; Keller, Michael H. (February 15, 2022). "Canadians are responsible for roughly half of the money raised online for the trucker convoy, leaked data shows". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Ontario court freezes access to funds raised for protest convoy on GiveSendGo platform". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. February 10, 2022.
- ↑ Murphy, Paul P.; Newton, Paula (February 11, 2022). "Crowd fundraising site says they will defy Canadian court order to stop disbursing funds to convoy protesters". CNN.
- ↑ "Co-founder of Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo says his company would allow fundraising for KKK if activity was legal". The Globe and Mail. March 3, 2022.
- ↑ Connolly, Amanda (March 3, 2022). "GoFundMe, GiveSendGo defend handling of convoy blockade fundraising campaigns". Global News.