Facebook fundraiser is a feature that allows users to create fundraisers for causes and organisations they care about. Since launching in 2015, Facebook fundraisers have raised over $2 billion worldwide. But is this feature available to users in India?
What is Facebook fundraiser?
Facebook fundraiser allows users to create dedicated pages to raise money for nonprofits, personal causes or community organisations. It provides an easy way for individuals to leverage their network of friends and family on Facebook to contribute to causes they care about.
Some key features of Facebook fundraiser include:
- Ability to choose from over 1 million verified nonprofits to support
- Customizable fundraiser title, story, goal amount and cover photo
- Tools to share the fundraiser via News Feed, Facebook Stories and Messenger
- Secure donation processing with no fees deducted
- Real-time progress tracking and donor management
Facebook partners with nonprofit fundraising platforms like PayPal Giving Fund and Network for Good to process and distribute the donations. 100% of the money raised goes directly to the nonprofit, less the applicable payment processing fees charged by the donor’s payment method.
Availability of Facebook fundraiser in India
Yes, Facebook fundraiser is available to users with accounts registered in India. The feature can be accessed via the desktop site as well as Facebook’s Android and iOS apps.
Facebook officially launched fundraisers in India in March 2018, after testing it in the country since November 2017. Some key aspects about fundraiser availability in India:
- Any Facebook user aged 18 years and above with an account in India can create a fundraiser.
- Only individuals can create fundraisers, not Pages or groups.
- Users can raise money for over 200,000 Indian nonprofits registered with Facebook.
- Personal fundraisers can be created for events like birthdays, anniversaries, runs, walks, or medical treatments.
- The money raised by fundraisers goes to the selected nonprofit via direct bank transfer.
How to create a Facebook fundraiser in India
If you want to create a fundraiser on Facebook from India, here are simple step-by-step instructions:
- Click the “Fundraisers” link on the left sidebar of your Facebook account.
- Click on the “Raise Money” button.
- Select the nonprofit you want to support from the database or search for it by name.
- For personal fundraisers, choose “Raise Money For Yourself” and select a category.
- Customize your fundraiser by adding a title, goal amount, cover photo, story etc.
- Click “Create” to publish your fundraiser and start receiving donations.
Once published, you can share your fundraiser on your News Feed, profile, in Facebook Groups and via Messenger. The fundraiser page will show real-time progress towards your goal amount as donations come in.
Types of Facebook fundraisers available in India
There are two main types of fundraisers that can be created from India:
Nonprofit fundraisers
You can create a fundraiser for any nonprofit registered with Facebook in India. This includes:
- NGOs
- Charitable trusts
- Societies
- Religious organizations
- Educational institutions
All nonprofits available for support have gone through Facebook’s verification process. Just search for the name of the organization you want to raise money for.
Personal fundraisers
If you want to raise funds for yourself, a loved one, or a personal cause or event, you can create a personal fundraiser:
- Education: School fees, college tuition, exams
- Medical: Medical treatments, healthcare costs
- Pet Medical: Veterinary care costs
- Crisis Relief: Personal emergencies like accidents or natural disasters
- Memorial: Funeral costs or memorial events
- Celebration: Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings
- Dreams: Help achieving dreams like publishing a book or starting a business
- Sports: Training costs for a marathon or other sports event
- Volunteer: Raising money for a volunteer trip or to support volunteers
Choose the category that best fits your fundraiser purpose when setting it up.
Nonprofits and causes supported by Facebook fundraisers in India
Facebook fundraisers allow you to support thousands of registered and verified nonprofits in India across diverse sectors like healthcare, education, human rights, environment, children, animals and more. Here are some examples of popular nonprofit causes supported:
| Nonprofit | Category |
|---|---|
| Pratham Books | Literacy & Education |
| Akshaya Patra | Hunger & Poverty |
| Being Human Foundation | Healthcare & Research |
| Habitat for Humanity | Housing & Homelessness |
| World Wildlife Fund | Animals & Wildlife |
You can browse trending fundraisers or search for specific nonprofits in categories like community development, disaster response, cancer support etc. Personal fundraisers can also be created for individual medical treatments, education costs, personal emergencies and celebration events.
Steps for nonprofit organizations to register with Facebook fundraiser
For Indian nonprofits to receive funds from Facebook fundraisers, they need to register and be verified on the platform. Here are the steps for a nonprofit to register:
- Visit the Facebook for Nonprofits registration page.
- Enter your organization’s name, website, contact details and tax identification number.
- Agree to Facebook’s terms and conditions.
- Submit identity documents like tax filing, bylaws, legal registration etc when prompted.
- Facebook will review the registration and verify the nonprofit status.
- Once verified, the nonprofit will be available for users to support via fundraisers.
The verification process ensures only legitimate nonprofits receive funds raised through Facebook. Organizations have to maintain their good standing status to continue receiving fundraiser donations.
Benefits of raising money via Facebook fundraiser
Compared to traditional fundraising methods, raising money through Facebook fundraisers has many benefits:
- Zero platform fees: 100% of funds raised go to nonprofits or personal causes
- Large reach: Ability to leverage large friend networks on Facebook
- Convenient sharing: Integrated tools make it easy to share and promote fundraiser
- Mobile friendly: Donors can contribute via Facebook’s mobile apps
- Secure donation processing: Facebook partners with legit payment processors
- Real-time tracking: Dashboard shows up-to-date progress and donor details
- Recurring contributions: Donors can opt for monthly recurring donations
By providing a seamless, mobile-optimized way to crowdfund for causes, Facebook fundraiser makes it easy to garner funds from your extended friends, family and community networks. The large reach and zero fees structure makes it an attractive fundraising option.
Steps for donors to contribute to a fundraiser in India
If you come across a fundraiser on Facebook created by a friend, family member, public figure or organization you want to support, you can easily contribute via the following steps:
- Click on the fundraiser page or post shared by the fundraiser creator.
- Scroll down and click the large “Donate” button.
- Choose the amount you wish to donate and select payment method.
- Enter your payment details like credit card info or UPI pin.
- Confirm if you want to cover payment processing fees or not.
- Click “Donate Now” to complete your contribution.
You will get an acknowledgement, and your donor name will be visible on the fundraiser page (you can choose to donate anonymously as well). If you wish, you can opt for monthly recurring donations too.
Top tips for creating successful Facebook fundraisers in India
Here are some top tips to help create Facebook fundraisers that are engaging and achieve the funding goals:
- Choose a concise, descriptive title that explains your cause.
- Personalize the fundraiser story to share why people should donate.
- Set an achievable funding goal amount.
- Use high-quality photos and videos to bring your fundraiser to life.
- Share the fundraiser while it is still trending and new.
- Post regular updates and milestones to keep donors engaged.
- Leverage Facebook ads to expand your fundraiser’s reach.
- Give donors incentives like thank-you gifts or rewards.
- Follow up with donors and share impact stories after fundraising.
The more personalized and engaging your fundraiser is, the more likely people will be to contribute. Show donors exactly how their money can help make a difference to catalyze support.
Conclusion
Facebook fundraisers provide Indian nonprofits and individuals with an effective, low-cost fundraising channel to supplement traditional donation efforts. With zero fees, built-in payment processing and the ability to leverage social media networks, fundraisers make it simple to garner support for causes that matter.
Both nonprofits and personal fundraisers are available to users in India and can be set up easily via desktop or mobile app. Funds raised go directly to the selected organizations or causes, minus payment processing charges. With strategic promotion and consistent donor engagement, Facebook fundraisers offer a dynamic new way to fundraise in India.