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Facebook rolls in a donate button for the NGOs

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Facebook is rolling out a ‘Donate Now’ call to action for all the non-profit organizations to use on their Facebook pages and link ads to make connections easier. Previously, Facebook introduced a ‘Donate’ button in December 2013 to selected non-profit partners including UNICEF, Red Cross and DonorsChoose.org. Facebook continuously adds features to help business and organizations get more sales and interactions from the social network’s users, and now it’s added one for non-profits. The button will only be available to pages that have been categorized as “Non-Profit Organization”, and Facebook has provided directives for how to get running.

When a user clicks on the Donate button, they’re first notified that the non-profit isn’t affiliated or endorsed by Facebook, before being taken to the organization’s site where they can complete their donation. Certainly, the Donate button is a very positive step towards the non-profits as it can be seen as a great attempt and effort to help non-profits get more out of their presence on Facebook by giving them a new tool for their adverts. For its selected non-profit partners, Facebook has included some additional integration such as letting users put in their credit card information directly on Facebook.

Facebook had a call to action for Brand Pages in December of last year, which were intended to drive an organization’s fans to take further action beyond just Liking the page. These buttons included “Book Now”, “Shop Now” and “Contact Us” buttons, and appears together with the Like Button at the top of a Page. Facebook donations have proved fruitful for causes like earthquake recovery in Nepal in April, during which $10 million was raised in three days. The American Cancer Society is already using the Donate button, prompting users to make a donation directly through Facebook by typing in their credit card information. The ALS Association—the organization behind the viral Ice Bucket Challenge—is also using the button to drive traffic to its website.

Adding a Donate Button to the Facebook pages of NGO is an appreciable step, as everyday people use Facebook to create awareness and support for causes and to encourage others to do the same. However, people are still prudent about storing their credit card information with Facebook, and it’s not clear how much money the buttons will actually make for non-profits.