Facebook Donate Button: The basics and how to add to your page

Are you a nonprofit looking to build your online donations this year and increase your fundraising efforts? Facebook might be the perfect option to augment your existing website tools.

Now, we all now Facebook is a great digital marketing tool, allowing you to create tailored ads to laser-target your audience. However, if you drive traffic to your Facebook page how do you convert visitors to donors?

The Facebook donate button supercharges your social network page with a clear call-to-action (CTA) where users can make an instant donation directly to your nonprofit organization helping further your fundraising campaigns.

This is important as directing potential donors to other websites can reduce the chance they will follow through on your request, diminishing your contributions. By offering the Facebook donate button on your page, your donors can take action right away without having to jump through multiple hoops to make their donation to your cause.

What is the Facebook donate button?

The donation button, which is part of Facebook Fundraising Tools, allows qualifying nonprofits to implement a “crowdfunding” solution directly on their Facebook page and select posts.

This turns the social network into the payment processor for the donations and is similar to Facebook Fundraisers, however, Fundraisers is meant for true campaigns while the button is always available.

After setting up the button, it appears on your organization’s page next in the header where the contact or sign up button could also be placed.

The donation button allows visitors and followers to make easy payments without navigating away from your page. It’s a convenient and effective tool to help you build your donations and get more out of your Facebook account.

On average, the Facebook donate button only requires users to make two or three clicks to complete their contribution.

That’s critical to the success of your campaigns, as the simpler the donation process, the better the chances of your prospect becoming a supporter.

As well, posts can feature the donate button, allowing your donors to promote your page on their feed, capturing more attention and donations.

Whether you’re a local charity or an international nonprofit, the Facebook donate button is a must-have.

What about external donations via the donate button?

Previously, Facebook donation buttons came in two formats, allowing you to link to your website via a “donate” call-to-action.

However, in the fall of 2020, that option for nonprofits was removed. Now, you must use Facebook’s built-in option to have a true donate button.

But this change is likely for the better, as linking to an external website will likely cause a drop-off in donors due to typical online behavior.

By implementing the Facebook donation button, you eliminate this extra step of visiting your website and likely increase the chances that they’ll follow through with their contribution.

Facebook On-Platform Donations

The on-page donation button allows your donors to make their donation directly through Facebook Payments, reducing the extra step of visiting your website to make their donation. The donations go directly to your nonprofit’s bank account and you receive an export of donor data.

Pros

• You give your prospect a seamless donation process, and they are more likely to complete it without bouncing from the donation page.
• Facebook doesn’t charge you any payment processing fees when using this strategy.

Cons

• The on-page setup is more intensive than the off-page strategy, requiring a few rounds of review and approval.
• The on-page button limits the amount of data you can collect on the donor, and there’s no option for sending donor data to your campaign funnels for retargeting in future.

How do I set up the Facebook donate button on my page?

For the remaining sections in this guide, we’ll cover the setup and execution of the on-platform Facebook donation button.

What do I need to do to meet the Facebook donation requirement?

When signing up for the Facebook Donate button, you’ll need to ensure you meet the qualifying criteria for the service.

• Your Facebook page must fall into the categories of a charitable organization or nonprofit organization.
• The person applying for the Facebook donate button must have admin permissions for the Facebook account.
• You’ll need to verify your account and page with Facebook.
• Your Facebook page must adhere to Facebook’s Community Standards.
• You’ll also need to submit your bank account information to collect the donation payouts, which come on a biweekly basis.

Verify your nonprofit with Facebook

To set up your Facebook donate button, you’ll need first to submit your page to Facebook for verification.

The verification process helps Facebook identify scammers from legitimate nonprofits, ensuring that the platform doesn’t enable bad actors.

Submit your page for review

To start the verification process you’ll submit your page through the Facebook Fundraising Tools portal. Facebook will require you to upload all your nonprofit documentation, including the founding papers and 501(c)(3) documents.

Facebook requires these documents to prove your nonprofit’s status as a legal entity. Facebook may also require documents like an IRS determination letter, your business utility bill, or a phone bill.

After uploading your documents, click the “Submit For Community Review” button. The Facebook team will then review your request and begin the verification process.

Create a Facebook donations account

It takes around two to three weeks for the Facebook team to complete their due diligence on your account and approve your organization.

After receiving approval, you’ll need to set up your donations account on the platform along with your Facebook Payments access to receive the payouts.

Before you start the setup process, make sure you have the following information on hand.

• The official name of your nonprofit organization as it appears on your founding documents.
• The physical address of your nonprofit.
• Your IRS Tax ID number and the category for your nonprofit.
• The name, date of birth, and the business address for your nonprofit’s Executive Director or CEO.
• A bank statement with at least three months of account activity.
• Note: All the information in your application and setup should match the GuideStar database.

After completing the registration process for your Facebook donations account, you’ll receive approval in a few days to a week.

When the setup is complete and approved, you’ll find the Facebook donate button option is now available to implement on your page.

What about payment processing fees on Facebook donations?

Nonprofits using Facebook’s payment platform (known as Facebook Payments) keep 100% of the donation with zero payment processing fees. You can also receive donations via check through Network for Good.

The downside, of course, is that you’ll receive fewer data about each individual donor making follow-ups and future donor outreach a bit more complicated.

Facebook donation button as part of your larger strategy

The Facebook donation button gives your organization an effective way to collect donations using your social media account. However, it’s only a feature of the page, and your content strategy is the crux of your campaign.

Your content needs to be compelling, causing prospects to take action on your CTAs. Without an effective content strategy, you’re not going to get the attention you need or create the sense of urgency to donate to your nonprofit.

A Facebook donate button is only one part of your marketing strategy. However, it’s a powerful tool when you learn how to leverage it with your campaigns.