It’s a great day for non-profits, as the ability to use Facebook as a fundraising platform is about to become a reality. Today, Facebook announced the introduction of “Fundraisers,” their soon-to-be revolutionary fundraising tool.
As a non-profit up until now you probably either a, didn’t use Facebook for fundraising or b, relied on third party apps like PayPal’s “Donate Now” to run your campaign.
The new Fundraisers tool will allow nonprofits to raise funds directly on the social media site. Facebook hopes that the new tool and it’s features will allow non-profits to “reach new supporters, engage their community and get the valuable funding they need to continue their good work.”
With over 1 billion active users on Facebook, developing a successful fundraising campaign just became incredibly accessible.
You will now be able to collect donations, display your progress and your goal, share your story, and collect supporters all from your own fundraising page. Your supporters can even donate and then share their donation with their followers. This shared post will include the donate button, further encouraging others to throw their support behind your cause.
When a supporter arrives to your fundraising page they are invited to engage with your fundraiser by joining the cause, sharing the cause, inviting people to donate to the cause and finally by donating to your cause.
Facebook has recognized the importance in collecting as many donations as possible and this new fundraising tool puts the donate button in every possible shareable space.
On mobile the donate button will sit at the top of your page, below your cover photo and on a normal screen the button will sit to the right of the Facebook wall. In posts, the donate button will sit along the bottom right side.
The tool is currently in the testing stage; Facebook has partnered with 37 worldwide organizations for the initial phase. For now, smaller non-profits can sign up through Facebook to learn more about using the tool and the timeliness of its availability.
We suggest checking out the World Wildlife Fund or National Multiple Sclerosis Society to see Fundraisers in action.
As Facebook says in their video, this tool will ultimately allow non-profits to “connect with people who care, quickly, easily and directly, to raise funds and awareness.” Learn how social media and inbound marketing ca nhelp increase support and awareness of your non-profit website below.