For businesses, Facebook is the online place to be. Nonprofits can benefit from Facebook’s vast reach and tap into the 450 million monthly users who visit nonprofit pages on the social network. In fact, creating a Facebook fundraiser for nonprofit organizations is easy and can be highly effective.
Whether it’s a Facebook Live for nonprofit campaigns or more traditional use of the network, there’s no doubt social media can drive your fundraising.
For many nonprofits, Facebook is an excellent starting point for a fundraiser because it is easy for potential donors to find you and pledge money. However, there is also a contradiction when using Facebook because many nonprofits are confused about how to maximize their potential on the network.
Is it worth putting a lot of time and effort into Facebook? Does it help to boost fundraising activity? Does it cost a lot to place ads on the site? These are some of the most frequent questions organizations ask when they are considering Facebook as a marketing tool. The good news is you won’t need a massive marketing budget to see results from Facebook’s various features and yes, you can see results.
In this article, you can read about creating a Facebook fundraiser for nonprofit activity, how to tap into the network’s user base, and how to best market yourself.
Getting Started with Facebook Fundraising
When you are readying your nonprofit for Facebook, you have two directions which you can take. Your first step is creating a Facebook Pages page for your charity with a Donate button attached. This button can either direct people to your website to donate, or they can donate directly on Facebook.
Option 1 is arguably easier for beginners because it means you won’t have to go through the process of registering your nonprofit to receive money on Facebook. However, there are some things you should think about when planning a Facebook fundraiser for a nonprofit.
Facebook has made changes in recent years to ensure 100% of all donated funds go straight to the charitable organization. When trying to attract donations, you want to make the process as easy as possible. Getting people onto your Facebook Page is an achievement, so you want to limit the steps needed to donate. Having donations built straight into Facebook avoids people needing to visit your site to go through another process.
That does not mean you should ignore your website, since your website is the best place to showcase your organization’s mission. By regularly posting on Facebook, you can steer your readers to your website to learn more and to encourage engagement on a deeper level.
How People Donate Directly on Facebook
When the donation is built into Facebook, visitors to your page can donate in seconds. Here’s how the donation process functions:
- The user clicks on your page and sees the “Donate” button
- Next, they click the “Donate” button
- Now visitors can input their chosen donation amount
Note: Facebook users can save credit card information and make the payment without entering further information. People making a payment on the platform for the first time must add their credit card.
When a donation is complete, the users will see a pop-up screen that will ask them to share the donation on their profile page. If you’re looking to clear as many donations as possible, this direct approach is better. Conversion rates will be higher through Facebook donations than re-directing users to your website.
How to Run a Successful Facebook Fundraiser for Nonprofit Organizations?
There are many ways you can leverage Facebook to boost your organization’s mission, such as running a Facebook Live for nonprofits campaign. Below are some of the things you can do to maximize your fundraising potential.
Use Your Facebook Live Streams as a Call to Action
Running a Facebook Live for nonprofits is easy and involves live streaming to your followers. While the purpose of your stream should not be only to ask for donations, there’s nothing wrong with including some call to actions. Importantly, you can add a donate button directly to your stream chat, so viewers can make donations as you talk. During the stream, followers can also see how much money has been raised during the session.
Don’t Forget the Donate Button
Most of this article has been about the Donate button and its benefits to your nonprofit. However, it is worth noting Facebook gives you the option of including the button when you start your page. Don’t forget it and include it on your cover photo. Don’t worry if you did forget or have recently decided to use the donate feature, you can activate it at any time.
Reach Out to Donors in Your Facebook Posts
When you make posts on your Facebook Pages page, you can include a donate button in the posts. This means users can donate directly from their feed if your post appears on it without needing to visit your page.
Consider Facebook Ads
One of the easiest ways to direct traffic to your Facebook page is through advertising. Facebook Ads is an excellent platform for marketing yourself on social media. You can add a donate button directly into ads to get even more conversions. It is worth noting you will have to pay to have a meaningful campaign on Facebook Ads.
Allow Individuals to Share Your Call to Action
When you start a Facebook fundraiser for nonprofit, the goal is to get as many people to your page to donate. For this, you can use your existing network of Facebook friends and contacts. Whether it’s a family member, friend, or business contact, ask them to share your donation page amongst their network.
This simple step can quickly expand the reach of your nonprofit to many more Facebook users.
