GREENSBORO, N.C. — Two donation sites for Sgt. Dale Nix are being reviewed by GoFundMe. The main goal is to make sure your money goes to the family for whatever they need.
In a statement to WFMY News 2 a GoFundMe spokesperson writes:
Our hearts go out to Sergeant Nix's wife and entire family. GoFundMe's Trust & Safety team is currently reviewing both fundraisers and working with each respective organizer to ensure the safe delivery of funds to the Nix family. All donations to both fundraisers are being safely held by our payment processors during this verification review.
While GoFundMe is talking with the organizers of both of these fundraisers to make sure their pages and their processes meet the criteria, 2 Wants To Know talked with both organizers as well so you can have a better idea of why they started their donation pages.
One of the donation pages was organized by Ken Wong. He says as a former marine, first responders have a special place in his heart. He started his page before he even knew the name of the officer. It became even more personal when he heard it was Sgt. Nix. Their sons played on sports teams together years ago.
"I remember Sgt. Nix and I used to talk back and forth on the sideline, we have a lot of common friends. First responders, they have a special place in my heart, always," said Wong.
Wong is part of the Greensboro Chinese Association. The group was able to get the word out to their members and raise money quickly.
The other donation page is organized by Back The Blue NC. The non-profit was founded back in 2020 by a former police detective.
"We have assisted the families of over 17 police officers and deputies and their families in North Carolina. We've been able to distribute more than a million dollars to these families,” said Lindsay LiCausi, Back The Blue NC founder.
Back the Blue NC has the GoFundMe page on its website, along with all its financial statements, so you can see how the non-profit has operated since it was founded.
- For a fundraiser to be considered verified, it must go through an enhanced due diligence review process. This process includes both a robust human review from our world-class Trust & Safety experts as well as technical tools designed to catch misuse.
- For our team to verify a fundraiser, it must be clear who the organizer is, as well as the person, business, or charity they are raising funds for, the organizer’s relationship to the recipient of the funds, and how the funds will be used.
- To help keep the platform safe, donations are processed by our payment partners, held, and then released
- only to the person named as the recipient of the funds (the beneficiary). Before funds are transferred to the beneficiary, their personal information must be verified. If any questions arise, our processors will hold the funds until the recipient is verified.
- If additional information is needed to complete the verification review, our team places a hold on a
- fundraiser which prevents funds from being withdrawn, pending further review.
- If at any time donors have questions about a fundraiser, they can use the contact button to reach the
- organizer and ask directly. If there are unanswered questions or concerns, click the ‘Report Fundraiser’ button to alert one of the specialists to investigate the fundraiser. We take these reports very seriously, and we will take immediate action if anything is wrong.
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN DONATING ONLINE
BBB offers the following tips when deciding to donate to a crowdfunding cause:
- Give to individuals and organizations you know personally. Charities can be vetted, but it is much harder to verify the trustworthiness of individuals who have posted a request for financial help. The safest way to donate on a crowdfunding platform is to give to someone you already know.
- Photos don’t mean a campaign is legitimate. Con artists often use pictures of victims without their permission to make donors believe the campaign is legitimate. This is especially true in the wake of a major tragedy.
- Not all crowdfunding sites have the same rules. Some platforms do a better job of reviewing projects and postings than others. Make sure you read up on the website’s rules, regulations, and procedures. For example, on one site, if a post claims to support the victims of a recent tragedy, the site holds any funds collected for victims and distributes them directly to the identified persons or families. On other sites, donors must rely on the creator of the post to follow through on any assistance they promise to give.
- Transparency is key. Vague descriptions of how donated funds will be used is a big red flag. Trustworthy charities and individuals will clearly explain the intended use of collected funds.
- Avoid duplicate efforts. Stay up to date on the latest news about victim support efforts. If government agencies offer to pay for healthcare or funeral costs, for example, any crowdfunding pages that offer the same assistance may have to ask donors if their funds can be used in an alternative way.
- Beware of emotional appeals and images. Scammers love to con people out of money by telling overly dramatic tales that elicit an emotional response. They usually pair their appeals with urgent pleas, saying they need the money right now. In addition, they may support their stories with heart-wrenching images.
- Protect your personal information. Before you make an online donation, make sure the charity’s website is secure (the web address should begin with https://) and that a privacy policy is in place regarding the use of your name, email and other personal data.
- Not all donations are tax deductible. In general, donations made to help a specifically identified individual or family are not deductible as a charity donation for federal income tax purposes. Also, if a nonprofit organization is soliciting for donations, see if it is tax exempt as a charity under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- Read the fine print. Besides the privacy policy, a website’s fine print will tell you under what conditions (if at all) donations will be refunded and how the site handles credit card and administrative fees.
- Consider donating on specialized crowdfunding websites. When crowdfunding sites are dedicated to a specific kind of giving, such as medical funding or school projects, they are more likely to have experience spotting problems or scams. General crowdfunding sites may experience more challenges overseeing user activity.