Facebook has expanded the fundraiser tool it launched last year to include individual users, part of an effort to get more people involved in raising money for their favorite charities.
The idea for the tool came out of 2014’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a personal fundraising fad that took Facebook by storm and helped the ALS Association raise $115 million for its research. After the social network proved it could be a force for fundraising, Facebook set up special pages so people could donate to charities directly on Facebook.
Now, Facebook is taking that model even a step further by letting individuals run their own fundraising pages, so people can give to organizations through a personal connection. The rationale behind this move is that people are more likely to donate money to a friend than to a faceless organization. Successful fundraising is always a very personalized pursuit, and by setting up pages like Kickstarter or GoFundMe, Facebook hopes to capitalize on that fact and help nonprofit organizations raise more money for their causes.
Facebook will take 5% of all funds collected, 2% to cover fraud prevention and security costs, and 3% for payment processing. Facebook has stated that its goal with this venture is not make money per se, but to allow nonprofits speak more directly to donors through individual Facebook users.
Right now, the tool is only available to 1% of Facebook users, but the company promises to open it up to the general public soon.