Stephanie Mullaley had a plan: raise 1.800 dollars for a trip to Ecuador. The method was the problem.
Mullaley was a full-time high school substitute teacher in Clinton, Iowa. The trip wasn’t simply for tourism: she and her husband had been invited to participate in a medical mission, she as an interpreter and he as part of the team. To cover their transportation, lodging, and food expenses, Mullaley created a personal GoFundMe. According to administrative law judge Duane Golden, during the spring of 2026 she offered her students extra credit if they donated to the campaign. The students, the ruling said, felt pressured, and some donated anyway.
The fundraiser ended up being more modest than planned: just six donations, ranging from 5 to 50 dollars, totaling 140 before everything was put on hold. On May 29, the district fired her effective immediately for violating its ethics policy. She applied for unemployment benefits, and the judge denied her claim due to work-related misconduct.
The ruling found that offering extra credit in exchange for donations constituted work-related misconduct. The campaign was later removed from GoFundMe, and the 140 dollars were returned to the donors.