Facebook has been slowly taking over the world since its inception equally a networking site for higher students in 2004. In May 2017, it was reported that Facebook was nearing 2 billion users. For perspective, the estimated population of the The states is 326.4 million. Facebook has also become an important tool for nonprofit organizations, with 9 out of 10 nonprofits in the Usa utilizing the social media platform to connect with supporters. Nonprofits apply Facebook to share news, quickly mobilize their supporters, engage the public in their piece of work, and even fundraise. But recently, Facebook has been positioning itself as a competitor to platforms dedicated to nonprofit fundraising like Mightycause and aggressively marketing its new nonprofit fundraising tools, like the Facebook donate button.

GIF of Facebook's reaction emojis

Hither'southward what your nonprofit needs to know about enabling the Facebook donate push button.

The Trouble with the Facebook Donate Button

If your nonprofit is registered every bit 501(c)(3) revenue enhancement exempt with the IRS, y'all volition meet the selection to add a "Donate" button to your page and your posts. When you're posting a link to your latest Mightycause fundraiser, this may seem great . Another spot for donors to click to donate to your fundraiser, right?

Screencap of prompt to add the Facebook donate button

Unfortunately this is a rather sneaky trick. It forces users to donate through Facebook instead of your nonprofit's chosen fundraising platform.

This has proven disruptive for non only nonprofits, but donors too. Nosotros've had donors contact us, wondering why their name wasn't displayed on a fundraiser's donation timeline and why they didn't receive a receipt from Mightycause. When our staff dug into these situations, we found that the donors only thought they were contributing through Mightycause . They had really made their donations through Facebook. So, the donors had a poor experience donating to the nonprofits, and the nonprofits missed the opportunity to straighten things out and thank their donors speedily.

Where the Funds Go

If you desire to collect donations fabricated through Facebook quickly, you must apply for Facebook's donation programme, Facebook Payments. The application process requires verifying your page with your phone number, and if that doesn't piece of work, providing a laundry list of documents. Their application even asks for your CEO'southward date of nativity. If your nonprofit successfully signs upwardly for Facebook Payments, you lot'll receive your donations via straight deposit, merely those funds will be held until your donations total $100 — which means that the $xxx donation someone made through your page might be held for quite some fourth dimension unless you manage to collect more donations through Facebook.

If you're non signed up for Facebook Payments, you'll receive the funds through Facebook's partner platform. Funds volition exist sent to your nonprofit through their partner'southward donor-brash fund. Disbursements are received 60–75 days after the donation is made, which is quite a departure from Mightycause's twice-monthly disbursements for electronic funds transfer (EFT) and monthly cheque disbursements through our own donor-advised fund.

And if you become your cheque and want to pull a written report with your donor'southward information and then you can give thanks them? You've got to sign up to use the platform.

Reading the Fine Impress

Facebook has come up under a off-white corporeality of burn down for its information collection, and just as signing up for a Facebook account requires surrendering a certain amount of control over your personal information, signing upwards for Facebook Payments ways like-minded to a Terms of Use with some troubling implications. We combed through their Terms of Employ, and found that nonprofits that use Facebook's fundraising tools agree to:

  • Provide any information about your organization that Facebook requests, for whatsoever reason
  • Grant a "not-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-costless, worldwide license to use, modify, and translate any Charity Content in connection with the Charitable Donation Features"
  • Requite Facebook exclusive rights to effect press releases nigh your nonprofit's relationship with Facebook, and surrender your right to issue your own press release
  • Indemnify Facebook from any legal liability any — "indemnify, defend, and hold us harmless from and against all damages, losses, and expenses of any kind"

Using Facebook to fundraise means relinquishing control of your nonprofit'southward information. It means signing abroad the rights to the content your team works so hard to produce. You lose ability to command the public narrative about your nonprofit through press releases. About notably, the ability to concur Facebook accountable for any losses or damages.

Targeting Your Supporters

At Mightycause, we're apparently large believers in the power of peer-to-peer fundraising. One of the most powerful things a supporter tin can do for your nonprofit is create a fundraiser that helps raise sensation about your nonprofit'south piece of work, brings in new supporters, and raises money to aid your nonprofit go along doing proficient in the world. So information technology's no surprise that Facebook is also courting your supporters to start fundraisers using their fundraising tools.

One of our employees saw this appeal in her newsfeed over and once more in the weeks before her birthday.

A prompt to create a birthday fundraiser with the Facebook donate button

We dear birthday fundraisers at Mightycause! Only here'due south the question: did you lot know that Facebook was targeting your supporters in this style? Information technology'south not just close to their birthdays that they'll see these prompts. If they share a link to one of your fundraising pages, or even use words similar "donate" or "fundraise" in their posts, they volition see similar suggestions to offset fundraisers on Facebook for a nonprofit.

An ad to create a fundraiser with the Facebook donate button

And if they share your Mightycause page on Facebook to aid requite y'all a boost, they'll see this button, which means they could unknowingly divert donations to Facebook instead of the folio they linked.

Facebook, it seems, is doing everything possible to corner your nonprofit into signing up for Facebook Payments and use their fundraising tools.

Their New Nonprofit Template

If you're a Page Admin for your nonprofit on Facebook, you've probably gotten an email from Facebook prompting you lot to move over to a new page template for 501(c)(three) nonprofits. Here's what that template does:

  • Requires you to concord to their Terms of Utilize
  • Requires you to set up a Facebook Payments account
  • Puts their Donate button front end and center on your folio
  • Makes it easier for supporters to start fundraisers for your nonprofit through Facebook

If your nonprofit wants to use these tools, this is a great option for you. Notwithstanding, if you'd prefer to stick with your chosen online fundraising platform, this volition pull your nonprofit's Facebook page away from your platform of pick and steer your followers toward donating through Facebook.

What to Do

Nosotros know that choosing your online fundraising platform is one of the biggest fundraising decisions your nonprofit must make. There are so many factors to consider: fees, customization options, donation reporting, user experience. Your nonprofit makes the determination near what platform to go with after careful consideration. You've spent hours discussing your needs, researching what various platforms offering, maybe even sitting through demos with multiple platforms. Your nonprofit'south decision is important. But with Facebook's ambitious marketing of its own tools, they can terminate upwardly railroading you into using them for fundraising.

And then, what can yous practice? Hither are a few steps you tin can take:

  • Don't use the Donate Now button on posts (unless yous want to). Now that yous know how that button works, don't add together it to your posts or your page unless you lot're on board with all of Facebook'due south terms. If you lot'd like to use a CTA button on post, the "Learn More" button will accept your Facebook followers to a page y'all choose. Unfortunately if y'all've added the Donate push to a post, at that place's no way to remove it in one case information technology's published — you lot must delete the mail service.
  • Opt out of the new nonprofit Facebook folio template. If you don't want to use Facebook's fundraising tools, you can but opt out of upgrading. Don't upgrade to the new template that requires creating a Facebook Payments business relationship and stick with your electric current page.
  • Inform your donors. Make sure that donors' hard-earned coin goes to the place they intended. Requite articulate instructions to follow the link in your post to brand their donation.
  • Steer supporters to the peer-to-peer platform of your choice. While you can't control whether someone starts a fundraiser for you lot on Facebook, y'all can get in known what platform you'd prefer. Include that information on your website, your Facebook page, and in emails.

The Mightycause Deviation

We like Facebook at Mightycause. Nosotros utilise it to market place our platform and assistance your fundraisers get exposure. We've designed tools on our platform that make it easy to share your fundraisers on Facebook. But make no mistake: Facebook is non a fundraising platform. Its main goal, and how information technology collects profits, is collecting and utilizing user data. While Facebook'south founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg is extremely philanthropic in his personal life, philanthropy is not part of Facebook's mission — profits are. The company'south foray into nonprofit fundraising is a business determination that aims to divert funds processed through platforms like Mightycause to Facebook instead.

Mightycause is a small employee-owned business organisation, staffed by mission-driven individuals, over half of whom come from a nonprofit groundwork. Your nonprofit's unique needs are at the center of every decision we make. We aim to provide a service for your nonprofit that helps yous farther your mission and continue your programs funded.

We besides provide technical and strategic support to you lot, your donors, and your peer-to-peer fundraisers. Facebook'south Terms of Use make their limited function as a payment processor very clear. Just Mightycause is so much more than a payment processor. Nosotros know how important it is for your nonprofit to be in control of your donors and your data. We're focused on giving you even more options to customize your fundraising efforts and donation direction on our platform.

Nosotros as well believe in transparency. That'southward why nosotros're sharing this information with you lot. Nosotros want you to be in the driver's seat of your fundraising efforts. Mightycause will never intentionally confuse your donors, or sell their data to market place researchers. We will never, e'er hold donations hostage. We will never inquire yous to sign away your rights to your ain content. You will ever have the right to hold us accountable.

Take questions nearly Mightycause and Facebook? Feel costless to contact us at support@mightycause.com.