Author's Note
This blog post was updated on December 18th, 2023 to reflect new information regarding the impact that the transition to the PayPal Giving Fund for Facebook Fundraising payment processing will have on donations made through Facebook.
Meta’s Facebook Giving Tools offers a unique opportunity for nonprofits to engage with supporters and drive donations directly through their social media platform. Since it’s original inception in 2015, nonprofits have been able to grow their mission by adding a viable, new revenue channel and access to an infinitely larger user base than any P2P event could provide.
Yet, there’s still so many questions and unknowns for nonprofits today around social media fundraising and FacebookGiving Tools in general - from signing up to get access to how to make the most of the amazing set of tools that Facebook offers for nonprofits.
In this blog, we’ll show you how to apply, set up, and utilize these tools to grow your organization’s reach and impact while taking control of your new lead and revenue stream. Whether you’re new toFacebook or a seasoned pro, this guide has everything you need to get started on your social media fundraising journey.
- Getting Started with Facebook Fundraising
- Facebook Giving Tools Application Process
- What's Next
- Additional Resources
Getting Started with Facebook Fundraising
Let’s start at the beginning: if you haven’t already, create a Facebook Page for your organization. A Facebook Page is free and foundational as we walk through using the platform for fundraising, and is crucial to build an online community. Just by getting this off the ground, you get access to follower insights and advertising.
Speaking of advertising—though not the focus of this guide—you might want to set up Meta Business Suite (which is separate from Nonprofit Manager we’ll cover in detail later).
Facebook’s Eligibility Requirements
There are eligibility requirements (which vary by country/region) set by Meta to access Facebook’s Fundraising Tools, and access types are determined by the information you provide when setting up your Nonprofit Facebook Page.
To be eligible:
- US Only: Be a 501c3, have a tax ID number, have an account registered with a licensed bank, and be registered with the IRS.
- Be registered with an acceptable nonprofit registry in your country. Find a registry.
- Be based in the U.S., Puerto Rico, or certain countries in Europe.
- Set your organization’s Facebook page category to “Nonprofit Organization” or“Charity Organization.”
- List your organization’s address in the “About” section.
Facebook Giving Tools Application Process
The Facebook Giving Tools application process is fairly straight forward and typically takes 3 weeks to process once completed.
To get started, navigate to the Facebook and Instagram fundraising tools application page.
Verifying your organization:
The application process will also ask for a few official documents (so it’ll speed up the process if you have them on hand to start):
- Information about your organization like name, address, contact information, and taxID number..
- Information about your CEO, including name, date of birth, and address
- Information about your CFO and COO, including name and date of birth.
- A PDF of a bank statement dated within the last six months with your organization listed as the bank account holder (including a SWIFT code and a bank IBAN number).
- List your organization’s address in the “About” section.
Choosing a payout method
Starting October 31, 2023, Meta is partnering with the PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF) to facilitate donations to nonprofits in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. Nonprofits using Meta's fundraising tools must switch to PPGF by the deadline to continue using most features without disruption.
Key Points
- Switch Requirement: Nonprofits must review and accept updated Charitable Donation Terms and switch to PPGF by 5 pm PT on October 31, 2023. Failure to do so will result in losing access to some of Meta's fundraising tools.
- Donation Handling: After the deadline, PPGF will handle all new donations, replacing Meta Payments and Network for Good.
- Payout Timelines: PPGF will distribute funds within 15-45 days for enrolled nonprofits and within 90 days for unenrolled nonprofits.
- Transaction Reports: PPGF will provide detailed donation reports, while Meta will offer limited transaction reports and will no longer issue tax documentation.
- Donation Receipts: PPGF will issue official tax receipts, while Meta will only provide donation confirmations.
- On-Facebook Donation Ads: Ads set up before the switch will stop delivering after October 31. New ads must be set up post-switch.
- Outstanding Funds: Nonprofits must contact PPGF for any outstanding funds.
- Processing Fees: Meta will stop covering third-party payment processing fees after the deadline.
This change aims to streamline the donation process and is crucial for nonprofits to understand and act upon to avoid Facebook Giving Tools disruption.
For a full breakdown of this update to how donations are processed, you can check out our blog here.
What's Next
As we outlined above, the application process takes approximately 3 weeks to process and complete.
If your nonprofit checks the boxes for all the prerequisites and has submitted all needed information, you will have unlocked the biggest step towards social media fundraising that your nonprofit can take, which includes:
- Access to Facebook Nonprofit Manager, including high level reports on subscribers, recurring donations, and revenue
- Have a "donate" button added to your Facebook page
- Ability to have Facebook Fundraisers created to support your mission
- Ability to host a Challenge on Facebook
Additional Resources
Gaining access to all of these tools can feel overwhelming at first... but you are not alone in this. We've got additional resources to help you work through what tools to focus on first.
