Friday Buzz: Facebook Introduces a New Fundraising Tool

Over the past few years, Facebook has transformed from a social media platform into an internet multitool, jumping into various projects, from cybersecurity to virtual reality  (opens in a new tab). Now, Facebook is adding a new offering to its digital suite: fundraising.

According to a news release  (opens in a new tab), the company has designed a new page layout for nonprofits to raise donations for campaigns.

Through the new feature, dubbed “Fundraisers,” organizations can “tell their campaign story, rally supporters, collect donations and visibly track progress toward a goal.”

This is not the first time Facebook has expressed interest in working with and supporting charity groups.

After April’s destructive earthquake in Nepal, for example, Facebook sent a message to users  (opens in a new tab), giving them the option to donate to support emergency response teams.

Now, donations will be collected through an updated version of Facebook’s “Donate Now” button, which was made available to nonprofits earlier this year.

As part of the button update, an organization can add a donate button to any post or page it creates.

Facebook hopes this new tool will help nonprofits use its immense global network of 1.01 billion daily users  (opens in a new tab) to make a positive impact on the world.

“We’ve seen from our community that when people take action, lives are changed,” Naomi Gleit, Facebook’s VP of product management, wrote in a press release. “We know we can do more to enable these connections.”

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