Facebook’s fundraiser feature allows users to create fundraising campaigns for causes they care about. Fundraisers on Facebook make it easy for users to raise money for personal causes, nonprofits, and charities directly on the platform.
What is a Facebook fundraiser?
A Facebook fundraiser is a campaign created by an individual user to raise money for a specific cause or organization. Fundraisers can be set up for birthdays, weddings, medical expenses, charities, nonprofits, memorials, or any cause a user supports.
The money raised from a Facebook fundraiser goes directly to the designated organization or individual, with no fees taken out by Facebook. This allows for more of the money donated to go towards the cause itself.
How to create a Facebook fundraiser
Creating a fundraiser on Facebook is easy and completely free. Here are the steps:
- Go to the Fundraisers section on your Facebook feed and click “Raise Money.” You can also click the three dots at the top of your news feed and select “Fundraiser.”
- Choose the nonprofit or cause you want to support. You can search for specific charities or causes or browse trending and popular ones.
- Select whether you want to raise money for your own birthday, in honor of someone else, or simply for a cause you care about. If raising money for a nonprofit, you’ll need to verify your relationship with the organization.
- Give your fundraiser a title, set a fundraising goal amount, and write a description explaining why you are raising money.
- Customize your fundraiser image by uploading a meaningful photo or video. This will appear at the top of your fundraiser page.
- Click “Create” and your fundraiser will be published on your Facebook feed. You can now share it with friends to spread the word.
The process is very quick and easy – you can set up an entire fundraiser in just a few minutes.
Sharing your Facebook fundraiser
Once you’ve created your fundraiser, it’s time to get the word out to your network. Sharing your fundraiser to invite donations is easy:
- Post the fundraiser on your Facebook timeline so all your friends and followers see it.
- Personally message close friends and family to ask them to donate or share the fundraiser.
- Share the fundraiser link on other social networks like Twitter or LinkedIn.
- Email your fundraiser page to extended friends, family, co-workers, etc.
- Text or instant message the fundraiser link to your close contacts.
Facebook also makes it easy to track and share fundraiser progress. You’ll get notifications when people donate and can post updates about reaching certain milestones. Sharing these updates keeps people engaged and reminds them to spread the word further.
Donating to a Facebook fundraiser
When someone comes across a fundraiser on Facebook, donating is quick and secure. Here’s how it works:
- Click “Donate” on the fundraiser page. This will take you to a secure payment page.
- Choose your donation amount – you can give any amount large or small.
- Enter your payment information. Facebook supports credit/debit cards, PayPal, and Facebook Pay.
- Confirm your donation. You’ll get a receipt via email and your donation immediately goes to the fundraiser organizer.
Facebook processes all transactions securely. The fundraiser organizer will not see any of your financial information.
You can also choose to cover the processing fees when you make your donation. This allows 100% of your gift to reach the intended cause.
Benefits of fundraising on Facebook
There are many advantages to using Facebook fundraisers compared to other crowdfunding platforms:
- No fees taken out – Facebook covers all payment processing fees so donations go entirely to the fundraiser, not towards overhead costs.
- Reaches a large audience – Facebook provides a huge platform to quickly spread the word about your fundraiser to all your contacts.
- Secure payment processing – Facebook handles donation payments securely through industry standard encryption and tokenization.
- Tax benefits – Donations may be eligible as tax deductions depending on the fundraiser cause.
- Real identity – Fundraisers are always tied to real people you know on Facebook, not random crowdfunding pages.
- Simple tracking – You can watch your fundraiser progress in real time and see all supporters.
For personal causes or nonprofits you support, a Facebook fundraiser provides an easy and effective way to gather donations.
Fundraiser types
There are several categories of Facebook fundraisers available depending on the type of cause you want to support:
Personal fundraiser
Personal fundraisers let you raise money for yourself, family, or friends for significant life events and challenges:
- Medical bills
- Memorials
- Education costs
- Pet healthcare
- Accident recovery
- Emergency relief
- And more
Nonprofit fundraiser
Nonprofit fundraisers allow you to support charitable organizations like:
- 501c registered nonprofits
- Schools
- Religious institutions
- City funds or foundations
- Animal welfare organizations
- Libraries
You’ll need to verify your relationship with the nonprofit to create a fundraiser for them.
Birthday fundraiser
Turn your birthday into a force for good! Birthday fundraisers let you celebrate your special day by raising money for a cause instead of receiving gifts.
Gaming marathon fundraiser
Gamers can live stream gaming marathons on Facebook while fundraising for charity. Viewers can donate in real time as they watch.
No matter what type of fundraiser you create, the money raised goes directly to your designated recipient once you hit the minimum transfer threshold.
Transferring raised funds
Once you’ve finished fundraising, how does the money get to the intended recipient? Facebook will transfer the money once your fundraiser hits these milestones:
- For personal fundraisers, you must raise a minimum of $300 before money can be transferred.
- For nonprofit fundraisers, you must raise at least $100 before funds are sent to the organization.
This helps ensure meaningful amounts are raised before any processing and transfer fees are incurred.
If your fundraiser does not hit the minimum threshold within 30 days, the funds are simply refunded to the donors. You can always create a new fundraiser and try again.
Once you pass the minimum, funds will be transferred within 2-5 weeks after the end date via:
- Personal fundraiser – check or direct deposit to you or designated beneficiary
- Nonprofit fundraiser – direct payment to the nonprofit organization
Facebook covers the costs of transferring the money so 100% of what is raised goes to the intended recipient.
Fundraiser best practices
To run an effective Facebook fundraiser, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose a concise, descriptive title that explains your cause for donating.
- Tell a compelling story in the fundraiser description – share why you’re passionate about this cause.
- Set an achievable but ambitious fundraising goal amount.
- Upload eye-catching photos or videos that best represent your fundraiser cause.
- Share weekly updates on your progress through the fundraiser page.
- Send personal messages to close connections asking them to donate or share.
- Post consistent reminders about your fundraiser so it stays top of mind.
- Tag relevant friends or organizations in posts to expand your reach.
- Use #hashtags strategically to get found in broader searches.
- Thank all donors publicly when they contribute.
Following fundraising best practices takes some work up front, but drastically improves your results.
Are there fees associated with Facebook fundraisers?
One of the best aspects of Facebook fundraisers is that there are no fees taken out of donations received.
100% of the money raised goes directly to the chosen fundraiser recipient once the minimum transfer threshold is reached.
Facebook pays for the processing charges on donations so that maximum impact is achieved. Donors also have the option to cover transaction fees at checkout.
The only potential fee is if you choose to receive fundraiser money via check – in some cases the check issuer may charge a nominal check processing fee. Direct deposit transfer is fee-free.
Overall the lack of overhead, platform fees, or commissions allows your fundraiser donations to go further compared to other fundraising sites.
Are Facebook fundraisers tax deductible?
Donations made to nonprofit fundraisers may be tax deductible, but donors should consult their tax advisor. Personal fundraisers are generally not tax deductible.
For the fundraiser organizer, money received from a personal cause is not counted as taxable income. But donations raised for a nonprofit are not tax deductible for the organizer.
The nonprofit receiving fundraiser donations may need to provide documentation of tax deductible contribution for the donor’s records. This can vary based on whether the nonprofit is a 501c3 and other factors.
Can businesses do Facebook fundraisers?
Facebook fundraisers are intended for individual personal use only. Businesses cannot create Facebook fundraisers on behalf of themselves or their brand.
However, business employees can start personal fundraisers on their own individual Facebook profile and share with their networks. This indirect method allows businesses to get involved with fundraising causes.
The fundraiser must still adhere to Facebook’s rules and standards. And all money raised would go to the individual user or cause, not back to the business itself.
Conclusion
Facebook provides an incredibly powerful platform for launching successful fundraisers with minimal fees and easy setup. Whether you want to raise money for a nonprofit close to your heart or get support during challenging times, Facebook fundraisers make community fundraising simple.
By clearly communicating your “why,” sharing consistently, and incorporating fundraising best practices, you can exceed your goals and make meaningful impact for causes that matter most.