Facebook Fundraisers are changing the game in the nonprofit sector. Some charities are delighted to find themselves with a massive new revenue stream they didn’t even have to work for. However, others find the back end process too confusing or time consuming, and are struggling. Some nonprofits don’t have time to invest nurturing a social media community, or learning about Facebook Fundraising Tools, so they just cash whatever checks come in and don’t even try to manage them.

Are Facebook Fundraising Tools Worth My Time?

If you’re wondering if Facebook’s new social giving tools are worth your time and attention, the answer is “yes”. For example, the veteran service organization Stop Soldier Suicide suddenly started seeing thousands of dollars a month in donations when birthday fundraisers caught on with their community. For that non-profit, spending time managing the process and nurturing fundraisers and donors is worth the time investment.  

But – are Facebook Fundraisers a fad? Will people get tired of them? The research says no. In fact, behavioral research supports a continued growing trend of giving on Facebook.

Why People Give

Research shows that people give more to charity when:

• A friend asks: Giving is a social activity. Studies show that people give significantly more to a charity if it’s a friend, or someone they admire, who’s asking them to give[1].
•  They see other people giving: When people see other people giving, they are four times more likely to give too[2].
• Somebody (anybody) just asks: While people are likely to give more money if a friend asks, they're twice as likely to give if somebody - anybody at all - just personally asks them to give[3].
• They’ve given before: If people have given before they are likely to do it again[4]. Repeaters are going to give to someone - why not you?

Want to learn more? Read or download The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Fundraisers.

Want to make Facebook fundraisers work for you? Here are four tips:

Sources:

[1] Peer Effects in Charitable Giving: Evidence from the (Running) Field (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecoj.12114/full

[2] Social Influences and the Private Provision of Public Goods: Evidence from Charitable Contributions in the Workplace (http://rwj.harvard.edu/scholarsmaterials/carman/SocialInfluences.pdf)

[3] A warm glow in the after life? The determinants of charitable bequests (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/cmpo/migrated/documents/wp326.pdf)

[4] Evaluating Youth Social Action – Interim report (http://www.behaviouralinsights.co.uk/publications/evaluating-youth-social-action/)