A GoFundMe campaign purported to raise fund to build a wall on the Southern Border has failed to reach its goal.
The campaign has also changed its terms.
Now GoFundMe says it is going to return all of the funds to donors, CNN reported.
A crowdfunding effort for a wall at the southern border reached an impressive number, but it may have to give all that money back.
The GoFundMe campaign started by Brian Kolfage, a triple amputee Air Force veteran and motivational speaker, sought to provide $1 billion to fund President Donald Trump’s border wall.
If all 63 million Americans who voted for President Trump donated, each would only have to pay $80 to reach the goal.
As of Friday, the campaign raised just over $20 million, but it’s not all that Kolfage hoped for.
The campaign, GoFundMe said, was designed to be all or nothing.
“When the campaign was created, the campaign organizer specifically stated on the campaign page, ‘If we don’t reach our goal or come significantly close we will refund every single penny,’” GoFundMe told CNN. “He also stated on the campaign page, ‘100% of your donations will go to the Trump Wall. If for ANY reason we don’t reach our goal we will refund your donation.’”
“That did not happen. This means all donors will receive a refund,” GoFundMe told CNN.
However, the campaign page was still up early Saturday and accepting donations, and it’s unclear when it will be taken down. GoFundMe said it is up to the campaign organizer to determine when it will be shut down.
“When I created this fundraiser, I said if we did not reach our goal we will refund donors,” Kolfage said.
“I am honoring that commitment today.,” he said.
“We will promptly refund your donation unless you tell us you approve our new plan for action,” he said.
So, Kolfage has again updated the campaign to build the wall himself. He’s formed a non-profit (to move the $$ to) and a team
Since he broke his original promise, GoFundMe said “all donors will receive a refund”
New info here. It’s a ride https://t.co/NCtEkJpPnK pic.twitter.com/gFQbunnvt0
— Brianna Sacks (@bri_sacks) January 11, 2019
GoFundMe will refund more than $20 million to hundreds of thousands of people in a campaign to build Trump’s border wall after the Iraq War veteran behind the crowdsourcing effort changed his plans about what to do with the fundshttps://t.co/Iu2L9BPYVZ
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) January 11, 2019
The border wall GoFundMe is imploding, with GoFundMe offering refunds to donors and its founder attempting to move the money to a nonprofit. https://t.co/bALnEBPk7X
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) January 11, 2019
GoFundMe “Trump Wall” campaign to refund all donors after falling short of $1 billion goal https://t.co/Wxl4DkWe8C pic.twitter.com/XFaEt1APpa
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 12, 2019
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