Facebook just made it easier to do good for the world

Social networking website launches new features


News Desk July 02, 2016
This new feature will allow ordinary users to set up fundraising pages. PHOTO: REUTERS.

While many of us have a love-hate relationship with Facebook, the social networking site has given us a feature which makes us just want to love it.

Facebook has made it a lot easier for us to do good in the world.

The social networking site on Thursday launched a new feature which allows individuals to start their own page where they can collect donations from people for a noble cause.

Facebook has restyled the like button

“Giving is really personal,” Naomi Gleit, Facebook vice president of product management for social good, told USA Today. “It’s one thing for American Red Cross to raise money for [itself]. It’s another for a friend to raise money on behalf of American Red Cross. We tend to give to people that we care about.”

These new fundraising pages will allow people to share a personal story and mission of non-profit allowing them to collect donations from their friends and set fundraising goals.

The fundraising entity will be entitled to 95 per cent of the amount raised through donations, while Facebook will take 5 per cent to cover cost of payment procedures.

Facebook will automatically translate posts into different languages

The feature is relatively new and as such is bound by some limitations. Among these is the fact that only 1 per cent users have access to it. Moreover, users only from the US will be able to start a fundraiser, but people from 39 countries around the world will be able to contribute.

All those organisations that are willing to set up a fundraising page will first have to be verified by Facebook. Further, initially only 100 non-profit organisations will be allowed to use the feature that include the Nature Conservancy, Alzheimer’s Association and Oxfam.

“The exciting part about Facebook is that 1.6 billion people are already using it,” Mason Weintraub, director of digital engagement with Oxfam America, told USA Today. “Having that built-in network should help expose more people to Oxfam’s mission just because of the ease and the reach. We will be meeting audiences where they are.”

Personal projects, key to success in the digital economy

Facebook already had fundraising pages that allowed non-profits to collect donations without requiring those who contribute to go to third party websites. However, this new feature will allow ordinary users to set up similar fundraising pages.

“The real vision has always been people fundraising,” Gleit told Mashable.

This new feature makes it fairly easy to donate. Those who contribute to a cause also have to option to share it with others. These shares would also include a ‘donate’ button.

This article originally appeared on The Huffington Post.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ