Yes, Facebook provides several options for creating fundraisers directly through the platform. Facebook makes it easy for individuals and organizations to set up fundraisers for a variety of causes.
Conclusion
Facebook offers a simple and effective way to create fundraisers and collect donations. With a large built-in audience and easy sharing capabilities, Facebook provides a powerful platform for fundraising campaigns. While it does take some effort to market and promote a Facebook fundraiser, the potential to quickly raise money makes it a worthwhile endeavor for many causes and organizations.
What are the options for creating a fundraiser on Facebook?
There are a few different options for creating fundraisers directly through Facebook:
Personal Fundraiser
Any individual can create a personal fundraiser for themselves, for a friend, or for a cause they care about. This is done through the “Fundraisers” option on the left sidebar of the Facebook page. You can customize the fundraiser with details, photos, and a personalized story. All money raised goes directly to your selected bank account or nonprofit organization.
Nonprofit Fundraiser
Verified nonprofit organizations can create official fundraisers tied directly to their Facebook page. These include a verified badge and have access to Facebook payment processing fees waivers over a certain fundraising threshold. Nonprofits can create fundraisers for their general mission or specific campaigns.
Birthday Fundraiser
Users can create a fundraiser connected to their birthday that friends can contribute to as gifts. The money can go to a nonprofit or personal cause.
In Memory Fundraiser
Memorial fundraisers can be created to honor someone who has passed away. Funds can go to a named individual, charity, or cause.
Emergency and Crisis Response Funds
Facebook partners with nonprofit organizations to create large-scale fundraisers during emergencies and natural disasters. For example, Facebook enabled fundraising during the Australia bushfires in 2020.
Fundraising Live Videos
The Facebook Live video streaming feature can be used to host real-time fundraisers. Nonprofits can stream videos of events, auctions, Q&As and other engaging content while soliciting donations.
What are the steps to create a fundraiser on Facebook?
The process to create a fundraiser through Facebook is straightforward:
Step 1
Go to Facebook and click “Fundraisers” in the left menu. Or go directly to www.facebook.com/fundraisers.
Step 2
Choose the type of fundraiser you want to create: Personal, Birthday, In Memory, Emergency, Nonprofit, or Live Video fundraiser.
Step 3
Fill in the name, details, photos, fundraising goal amount, duration of the campaign, beneficiary information, and any other requested info.
Step 4
Customize the look and feel with a cover photo, colors, content, and images.
Step 5
Click the “Create” button to publish the fundraiser.
Step 6
Share the published fundraiser with your networks by posting on your timeline, sharing in groups, and spreading the word to drive donations.
What payment options are available for Facebook fundraisers?
Facebook provides several payment options for fundraisers:
Credit/Debit Card
Donors can make quick donations by credit card without leaving Facebook. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards are accepted.
PayPal
For those who prefer to donate through PayPal, this option is integrated with Facebook Fundraisers. Users can log in to PayPal and confirm donations.
Donor Advised Funds
Contributions from donor advised funds (DAFs) are enabled through Network for Good. Donors can make tax-efficient grants from their DAFs to nonprofits.
Personal Checks
For nonprofit fundraisers, donors can mail in checks made out to the organization. Checks should be sent to the nonprofit address provided.
Offline Donations
Any cash or offline donations collected can be manually added to the fundraiser total. The fundraiser organizer can input these amounts.
What fees and costs are involved?
The fees associated with Facebook fundraisers include:
Personal Fundraisers
– 5% processing fee per donation for personal fundraisers
Nonprofit Fundraisers
– Zero processing fees for nonprofits
– Facebook pays processing fees for nonprofit fundraisers
Other Potential Costs
– Credit card processing fees (~3% + $0.30 per transaction)
– Custom domain registration ($10-15 for personal sites to collect donations)
– Platform subscription fees if using an external fundraising software
So in summary, personal fundraisers incur around 5% in fees, while 501c3 approved nonprofits pay no platform fees for fundraisers through Facebook. Beyond that are typical credit card processing and transaction fees.
How much money can you raise with a Facebook fundraiser?
How much money a Facebook fundraiser raises depends on a variety of factors, including:
Size of audience
The number of friends, followers and networks reached will impact potential donations. More exposure means more fundraising potential.
Engagement from audience
Actively encouraging people to share, like and donate to your fundraiser can increase engagement. Higher participation translates to higher donations.
Quality of marketing & promotion
Well-produced fundraising pages, compelling and sharable content, reminders, updates, etc. boost results. Ongoing promotion provides fundraising momentum.
Strength &emotional connection to cause
Causes that pull at heartstrings or align closely with people’s interests tend to raise more money compared to generic or distance causes.
Based on these factors, here are some fundraising ranges you can expect:
| Small personal fundraiser | $100 – $500 |
| Medium sized nonprofit effort | $1,000 – $10,000 |
| Large emergency relief fund | $10,000 – $100,000+ |
So in general, expect a few hundred dollars for personal causes and thousands of dollars for organizational fundraisers with proper promotion. Viral fundraisers connected to major events or emergencies can collect tens of thousands or more.
What are some tips to increase fundraising success on Facebook?
Here are some best practices to optimize your Facebook fundraiser:
Tell an compelling, personal story
Share details, experiences, and emotions connected to your cause to build empathy and drive donations.
Have a clear call-to-action
Explicitly ask people to donate or share your fundraiser with phrases like “Donate Now” and “Share this today.”
Market strategically with Facebook ads
Consider investing some budget into targeted Facebook ads to reach more potential donors.
Share video content
Videos communicate the essence and passion behind your cause in engaging way. Use Facebook Live as well.
Send reminders and updates
Keep your fundraiser top of mind with periodic posts sharing progress and reminding people to contribute.
Highlight your impact
Post testimonials, photos, and stories that showcase the positive impact of donations to encourage more giving.
Use engaging images
Include interesting photos, charts, graphics and videos that capture attention as people scroll through their feeds.
Tag relevant people
Tag supporters, advocates, and people connected to your cause so they share your fundraiser with their networks.
Can businesses create fundraisers on Facebook?
Yes, businesses and brands can leverage Facebook to host fundraisers for nonprofit causes under the following guidelines:
– The fundraiser must be for charity, not commercial gain. All money goes to the nonprofit, not the company.
– The company should clearly identify its corporate sponsor role to avoid appearing to be a nonprofit.
– 100% of proceeds must go to charity. The business cannot receive any portion of funds raised.
– Fundraiser should align closely with company values, mission, and philanthropy focus areas.
– Partner with well-established nonprofits to tap into their supporter base and credibility.
– Promote the fundraiser across company marketing channels and encourage employees to share.
– Spotlight corporate matching or donations to generate enthusiasm and participation.
– Share stories of the cause and positive community impact to inspire giving.
So in summary, businesses absolutely can drive fundraising results for charity partners while also boosting brand image – but they must adhere to Facebook’s corporate fundraising policies.
What are some examples of successful Facebook fundraisers?
Here are some real-world examples of impactful fundraisers held on Facebook:
March For Our Lives
This student-led gun violence prevention fundraiser raised over $3.5 million from over 126,000 donors on Facebook following the Parkland school shooting.
Stand Up to Cancer
For this celebrity-backed cancer fundraiser on Facebook, over $109 million was raised across two events in just seven weeks.
Wikimedia Foundation
The nonprofit that runs Wikipedia holds an annual online fundraiser on Facebook, raising over $3 million in donations each year.
Red Nose Day
In 2017, $1 million was fundraised in just 3 hours for Red Nose Day’s campaign to end child poverty using Facebook Live.
South Dakota Animal Rescue
A local pet shelter in South Dakota raised over $30,000 in one weekend for a new roof repair through an urgent Facebook fundraiser.
California Fire Foundation
During devastating California wildfires in 2018, Facebook enabled fundraising that brought in over $12 million for disaster relief efforts.
Conclusion
Facebook offers an easy yet effective platform for individuals, nonprofits, businesses, and organizations to quickly create fundraisers and mobilize giving. While execution takes some strategy and effort, Facebook enables even simple fundraisers to raise hundreds or thousands of dollars by tapping into robust existing networks. For causes that resonate or go viral, Facebook gives campaign organizers access to millions of people around the world for unprecedented fundraising capabilities. With powerful storytelling and smart social engagement, fundraisers both large and small can make real impact using Facebook’s tools and reach.