Facebook Fundraising Tools

Facebook’s new fundraising tools are now live, and they’re pretty awesome. Exactly how powerful are they? On Giving Tuesday alone, Facebook’s fundraising tools brought in $120 million, and more than 1.1 million people used them to support 97,000+ organizations.

Not bad for just one day.

Now you can use Facebook’s fundraising tools to show people the things you’re passionate about (besides your business, of course). Use them to support your favorite causes, AND connect with your audience in a way that urges them to engage with you.

Let’s dive into some details to learn the what, the why, and the how about using these cool tools.

What/who are Facebook fundraisers for?

Facebook fundraisers benefit charitable organizations and personal causes. Thousands of nonprofits are online, so you can use Facebook’s fundraising tools to support the causes you care about most. And they’re also great for raising money for yourself or someone you know (help the single mom whose car just crapped out).

The cool thing is, a nonprofit doesn’t have to be registered with Facebook in order to get the money that you raise on Facebook. It just needs to meet certain requirements, like being registered as a 501(c)(3) organization, having a tax ID number, and providing a few other key pieces of unique info. All donations go directly to the organization, and Facebook waives its fees so the nonprofit gets 100% of the money.

Personal fundraisers are a little different. Besides being subjected to Facebook’s fees (and also possibly being taxed based on the amount), personal fundraisers need to fall within one of the approved categories. Right now there are 13 categories, like Community Projects, Education, and Personal Emergency, and any money raised can’t end up going to a nonprofit organization.

Either way, fundraisers are pretty effective on Facebook (since 2015, they’ve helped raise more than $2 billion!)

Why use Facebook’s fundraising tools?

It’s simple: they make it easy to show what you really care about. And that’s got oodles of benefits.

Sure, you already put a lot into showing the personality behind your business. But when you invite people to put their money behind a cause, it shows that you’re dead-serious about supporting something. It helps you establish a deeper connection with your audience.

Not only is that awesome for building awareness and supporting your cause, it’s great for your business, too. Fundraisers are a fantastic way to boost community activity and get people to rally behind your business. More buzz about you means there’s more potential for you to grow, and who doesn’t want that?

Just think about what’s important to you, and Facebook’s fundraising tools can help you get involved.

For instance, if you’re all about supporting veterans, set up a fundraiser to benefit your local veterans organizations. The people who know your business get another opportunity to engage with you in a meaningful way, and even share your fundraiser (and you) with others.

Win-win, right?

How do you use Facebook’s fundraising tools?

It’s super easy to create a fundraiser:

1. When you log into Facebook, check out the left menu and click Fundraisers.

2. Click Select Nonprofit or Select Category (depending on who you’re raising money for).

3. Select an organization or a category (again, based on who the money’s for)

4. Add a cover photo and fill in the details about your fundraiser.

5. Click Create. All done!

Now, your audience will be able to donate from a post you share, directly from your fundraiser, and from the organization’s Facebook page. There are lots of convenient payment methods, too, like Amex, Mastercard, Discover, Visa, and PayPal.

You can also add fundraising stickers to Stories, and add a Donate button to live video.

Facebook has had a huge impact when it comes to fundraising. Now it’s your turn. With Facebook’s fundraising tools, you can show your support for the things you care about most. It’s easy to engage your audience and build your brand in meaningful ways.

Stick around for more Facebook tips and the latest social marketing news. Because remember, it’s my mission to help you not give up on marketing!

Smiles,

Shalimar