End of Facebook Fundraising tools: what's next for charities?

Many charities have long relied on Meta's social media platforms, to reach new donors and collect donations online. Using features like "birthday fundraisers" or "donate" buttons available on their social media platforms.

On July 1st, 2024, the fundraising tools on all Meta platforms, including Facebook and Instagram will come to an end for charities based in the European Economic Area. This change is significant for nonprofit organizations, and it's crucial that they prepare for this transition to a new digital landscape.

If your charity relies on Meta platforms for online fundraising, it's important to be aware of these changes, act quickly, and turn to effective alternatives. This article will explain how to prepare for the change, and the benefits for your charity. Additionally, it will provide guidance on what steps to take next.

1. Don’t worry, this is a good thing

2. Embracing diversified fundraising strategies

3. No more fundraising tools on Meta: what can you do next?

Don’t worry, this is a good thing

This change is actually good for your charity! Sure, it means you have to rethink some of your fundraising strategies and methods... But it also opens new opportunities and frees your organisation from the constraints associated with Meta's fundraising tools. Let's look at the main benefits: 

• Greater availability of funds raised. With the payment methods used by Meta (Meta Pay and PayPal Giving Fund), it can take up to 90 days for the funds collected to be available for your charity! If you opt for an online fundraising solution, you can choose how often you want to receive the funds collected. This allows for more efficient financial management and rapid access to your cash flow. 
• Complete data on all your donors. With Meta fundraising tools, charities receive only limited information on their donors. Only the surnames, first names and email addresses of donors who have agreed to receive emails are available. Not their postal addresses or any information about other donors!

This prevents the generation of tax receipts for certain markets. It may also limit any loyalty-building or multi-channel fundraising strategy. Opting for an online fundraising platform gives you rapid access to all your donors' information. And it can enable you to implement more effective communication and fundraising strategies!

• Rapid generation of comprehensive reports. Payment and transaction reports can be generated on a daily basis on Meta platforms, but they are not as detailed as those available on a fundraising platform or CRM tool. That's why it's important to use a powerful CRM software! With a CRM solution for charities, you can, for example, obtain comprehensive reports and detailed data on your campaigns, filter incoming donations by campaign or project, and more.

You must look at the end of Meta's fundraising tools an opportunity to simplify and speed up your online fundraising process. By equipping yourself with other digital tools, you will optimise your fundraising campaigns and, ultimately, collect more donations! Let's look at what steps you should take next.

Embracing diversified fundraising strategies

For many small and medium-sized non-profit organisations, Facebook has long been a widely used and cost-effective means to reach potential donors.

Today, while the end of donation features presents some challenges, it also offers an opportunity to innovate and diversify fundraising strategies! Although smaller organisations may fear not having the resources to compete on more expensive platforms or invest in large-scale advertising campaigns, it's important to know that alternatives exist. Nonprofit organisations can take proactive steps now to adapt their strategies, explore new platforms, and continue to meet their fundraising goals!

No more fundraising tools on Meta: what can you do next?

Redirect donations to your website

In its announcement, Facebook states: "send people directly to your website to donate". This is an excellent suggestion! It's essential to direct supporters to your website to make direct donations to your non-profit organisation through an online donation form.

You can start by modifying the "Donate" button on your Facebook Page to redirect directly to your website. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions provided by the platforms to make these changes.

On your website, it's important to convert and retain more donors, through quick, secure, and simple donation processes. To achieve this, consider integrating an online donation solution that provides a smooth and secure user experience.

💡iRaiser Tip. Redirect your supporters to dedicated donation forms adapted to each situation, donor profile and donor path. For example, for donors coming from social media, opt for a simple form, with as few fields as possible. Propose only the one-time donation option, to increase your chances of securing that first donation.

Make sure the form is adapted to mobile phones, and offers advanced payment methods like Apple Pay or Paypal for one click payments. for a donor who comes from social networks. You should also provide equivalences to show donors the concrete impact their donation will have.

And finally, provide an opt-in & opt-out for communications to show donors you respect their privacy. By creating specific forms for each donor profile, you can maximise engagement and conversion!

With many options available, it's important to find the right one that fits your charity's needs and goals. When searching for the right online fundraising solution for your charity, consider factors such as: 

• ease of use, 
• security features, 
• integration capabilities, 
• and strong reports and analytics. 

Here is a guide to finding the right online donation platform for your charity.

Launch a campaign dedicated to birthdays fundraisers

Why not take advantage of this momentum to plan a campaign dedicated to birthday fundraisers? The end of Facebook and Meta fundraising tools could be an opportunity to launch a specific peer to peer campaign on a fundraising platform, such as the Community Fundraising Platform!

During this campaign, your supporters will get a taste of the simplicity of raising funds for their birthday with an intuitive interface in your charity's colours. This is the time to introduce them to a seamless, personalised experience, which will strengthen their commitment and emotional bond with your cause! 

In your communications, you can even highlight the benefits of this change, such as the rapid receipt of funds, which makes operations easier and speeds up the implementation of donations received by your charity!

Manage ongoing online transactions and donations

If your organisation has pending funds or active transactions via Facebook, Instagram or other social media channels, it's important to contact customer support as soon as possible to ensure that all transactions are processed correctly before the service expires. For more information, click here.

Consider new fundraising opportunities

Have you heard the saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket"? Well, in fundraising, this couldn’t be more true. A successful fundraising strategy that ensures the longevity of your charity should consist of diverse revenue streams.

This change could be the perfect opportunity to seek additional funding and invest in other fundraising channels. This could be a crucial step for the future of your charity.

Here are some ideas of online channels and new fundraising opportunities that your association can explore: 

• A white-label fundraising platform (a must for any non-profit organisation!). 

This is much more than just a donation form integrated into your website! This type of solution provides an intuitive user experience that is consistent with your brand identity! On this type of digital platform, your donors benefit from a fluid and pleasant donation experience, which not only facilitates their donation process, but also improves conversion, boosting your fundraising!

• Peer-to-peer fundraising on other online platforms. 

If your supporters have already created online fundraising campaigns on Meta platforms in support of your cause, then you already have an idea of how peer-to-peer works. The principle is as follows: you allow your supporters to create their own fundraising campaigns among their friends and family, in your name. Fortunately, there are other digital platforms for launching peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns! Check out the UNICEF France platform, to see what your own peer to peer fundraising platform can look like.

• Taking part in or organising charity fundraising events 

A charity concert, an auction or a sporting challenge, there are lots of original ideas for raising funds! However, if you don't have the resources to organise your own event, you can always join forces with existing events such as sporting events or festivals! 

• Launch a crowdfunding campaign to finance one of your charitable projects. 

You've probably already heard of crowdfunding, a method where a large public contributes financially to the completion of a specific project. On a dedicated digital platform, you can offer rewards to donors to thank them for their support, send them personalised thank-you emails or set up progress bars to show how your online fundraising is progressing.

In addition to these digital channels, don't forget to explore other offline channels to diversify your charity's fundraising efforts. Wondering whether the fundraising tools you're currently using are really suited to your charity's needs? Read our article to find out! 

As you can see, if your non-profit organisation relies on Facebook and other social channels from Meta for online fundraising, it's crucial to prepare for this major change. Proactive measures like redirecting donations to your website and exploring new fundraising opportunities can ensure a smooth transition and enable your organisation to continue its mission successfully!

Our team is here to help and support you during this change. If you would like to speak to one of our experts and see what’s the best alternative for your charity, get in touch with us!