Facebook and fundraising have not always been on the best of terms. Facebook held the promise of a lucrative channel for online fundraising by giving you access to the engaged millions – but many charities have been left wondering ‘where are the donors?’

Chock it up to a different demographic, a different way of thinking, a clunky way of giving, or even finding the right time to ask amidst the videos of cats being scared to death by cucumbers! Whatever the factors or reasons, we haven’t been able to crack the Facebook fundraising nut in a sustainable way.

This may be about to change.

Facebook recently launched ‘Fundraisers’:

“A fundraiser is a dedicated place to raise funds from your Page for a specific campaign. You’ll be able to get the word out, rally supporters and collect donations directly on Facebook. Plus, you can show your progress toward your goals for things like year-end drives, disaster relief and themed campaigns.” (https://donations.fb.com/)

Currently this is only available to a small subset of US-based 501C3 non-profits – with the expectation of it reaching Canada within the next year.

On the one hand I admire that Facebook has made an attempt to address its broken fundraising model with this new approach. On the other, my biggest question is whether or not this actually means we have a chance at raising real dollars via this social behemoth.

Of course, we won’t know until it’s tested south of the border and here. But this new addition to the social mix does force us to reassess our online fundraising strategies including social media, crowdfunding and even email fundraising.

Here are some discussion topics on what Facebook Fundraisers could mean to your charity

1. The online giving experience
   What effect will Facebook Fundraisers have on your donors’ overall giving experience, online and offline?
2. Putting the ‘network’ back in Social Network
   These new pages boast easier sharing and message distribution on behalf of both the charity and the donor, which can translate very quickly into reaching new audiences. Does this present a new strategy for online networking and acquisition?
3. Facebook advertising
   Not much has been communicated by way of the role of advertising in this but it’s still early days. How much has Facebook advertising played a role in your online fundraising to date? In what ways do you think the combination of fundraising pages and advertising change the way you communicate to existing and new audiences?
4. Remember Facebook Tabs?
   They still exist but in a different form and were all the rage for creating customized experiences within Facebook. They were also the introduction of Facebook-only campaigns. Do you think Facebook Fundraisers is designed to reintroduce the Facebook-only campaign?
5. Data, data, data!
   We wouldn’t be good fundraisers if we didn’t talk about data. Will you get access to donor data from Facebook? The answer to this doesn’t seem to be known. But if you didn’t, how does that change your answers to any or all of the above?

So much food for Facebook thought! I love seeing technology progress, pushing us to consider new possibilities. Sometimes those possibilities make our lives easier and, unfortunately, sometimes they don’t. But one thing is quite certain to me, Facebook just changed the landscape of social giving and it’s only getting started!

Simren Deogun

Simren, Director, Digital Innovation, helps ST’s clients exceed their marketing and fundraising objectives through strategic thought leadership. 

Simren earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in Business and English, then began her career in the technology sector, starting her off on a journey to becoming an expert in digital fundraising. 

She has a proven track record of attracting new donors and supporters to her clients’ cause while making sure existing donors feel even closer to the organizations they’re supporting. From developing strategic campaign plans and leading website builds to launching online and email fundraising and marketing programs, Simren leads the agency’s digital and integrated efforts for all of ST’s clients including Kids Help Phone, Médecins Sans Frontières, Surf Life Saving Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society, and more.

Simren has established herself as an expert in digital marketing, fundraising, and advocacy in the non-profit sector at large, and as a thought-leader with regular articles in Hilborn’s CharityInfo.ca and other industry publications, webinars and speaking engagements.