If you are a non-profit looking to run some donation campaigns on Facebook, you have three options to consider. All three options offer clear pros and cons to consider.
Facebook Donations: 3 Ways
- Add a Donate Button to your Facebook page. This option is simply a call-to-action button that is linked to your donation page on your website. It’s located on the upper right side of your Facebook page, right under the cover image.
- PRO- This is very simple to do, as you just add a link (URL) to our website’s donation page.
- PRO- There is no cost to add the button. It’s a free feature that comes with Facebook pages that are designated a non-profit or charity organization (in categories section).
- CON- If your page category isn’t a non-profit or charity organization this feature will not show up. You’d have to make this change. In some cases, if your page was set up incorrectly as a business, it might require extra steps to make the change.
- CON- Since this is only a button, your main credit card processor (PayPal, Merchant Account, etc) will charge a fee to process the donation.
- CON- Donors have a few extra steps. They to leave Facebook, go over to your website, and do the transaction there.
- Go through Facebook’s donation program. This option requires substantially more work on your part, including Facebook’s own verification and approval process. When complete, donors are able to donate directly through Facebook and have Facebook add your organization to the list of non-profits it recognizes.
- PRO- Facebook offers verified 501C3 non-profits to receive donations without fees deducted.
- PRO- The entire transaction takes place in Facebook for a streamlined process.
- CON- Verification process requires the admin of the page to go through a process that includes submitting financial information.
- CON- This option is best for 501C3s, as individuals will be charged processing fees for donations.
- CON- It’s entirely up to Facebook’s discretion to grant “approval”.
- Accept payments through Facebook messenger. This is available to anyone over 18 with a Facebook account who already has a bank account and debit card.
- PRO- It’s a fairly straightforward process, already built into Facebook functionality.
- PRO- There is no need to leave Facebook.
- PRO- There aren’t any fees from Facebook’s end, as long as you have a debit card and free checking/no fees associated with it.
- CON- Messenger payments require a debit card on both ends of the transaction. It takes both the non-profit and each donor to have a debit card.
- CON- Some people have reported issues when trying to make a payment this way, likely due to the other person/recipient not having a debit card on their end.
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