Are you not using Facebook Fundraisers because you don’t know how to thank Facebook donors that come to you from the platform?
Consider this: Mark Zuckerberg announced that more than $2 billion has been raised on Facebook for causes, with more than 45 million people making a donation on the platform.
Let’s think about this for a moment.
According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, which releases a new report quarterly, charitable giving is dropping, new donor retention is abysmal, and the overall number of donors is down.
We are also failing our smaller donors.
Gifts in the $250 to $999 range dropped by 4 percent, while gifts of less than $250 declined 4.4 percent, according to data in the report.
Given this climate, a positive announcement from Facebook should be seen as a beacon of light to fundraisers everywhere!
Not so. Fundraisers are still fighting this potential tidal wave of donations for their organization, simply because they can’t control every step of it, and they may not get the contact information for each and every donor who gives.
I’ve written extensively about this, and you know how I feel about social fundraising.
I believe that if we continue to vilify it and ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist, we are not only leaving much-needed funds on the table, but we are excluding a pool of new donors who WANT TO GIVE US MONEY.
If someone wants to give you money on Facebook, unless they are a convicted child rapist, why wouldn’t you want to take it?
Creating a society and a culture where giving is normalized – where everyone does it – can only benefit all nonprofits, big and small.
Why are we turning up our noses at the small dollar donor who wants to give us $20 to support a friend’s birthday, but may not be ready to get inundated with our (probably terrible) email communications?
The main conundrum in Facebook Fundraising for nonprofits is thanking the donors and thanking the people fundraising for us.
Yes, I know what you are saying right now: “OK, Julia, sure, that’s all well and good, but if we don’t get the contact information for the people raising money for us, how can we possibly thank them?
Here are 5 simple ways that you can thank Facebook donors and fundraisers.
(For more advanced ways, consider a tool like GivePanel, which helps your organize and manage all of your fundraisers in one place.)
1. Create a simple thank you graphic on your Page.
Free graphic design tools like Canva and Adobe Spark can be used to create simple, or fancy, graphics that you can share on social media.
For added exposure, boost the post or create a Facebook Ad to show it to more of your donors and supporters. You can also upload your nonprofit email list and creating a Custom Audience for the ad or boosted post.
2. Thank individuals.
On your Facebook Page, thank an individual that raised money for you!
Better yet, follow the example of Breast Cancer Care and make it be from a specific staff person so it’s more personalized and friendly.
3. Tag your fundraisers.
If you can, tag the people who have organized a fundraiser for you, or even a few donors to the fundraiser.
Remember that when you tag someone, their friends also see your post!
4. Help them succeed.
One great way to acknowledge your fundraisers is to give them tools, tips, and tricks to run a successful fundraiser and raise even more money for a cause they care about.
Consider creating a special page on your website giving people tips for hosting a successful Facebook fundraiser, like Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland does.
5. Create personalized videos.
Using video to thank your Facebook donors is a powerful way to show them that there are humans behind the brand, and to bring them behind-the-scenes to show them where their donations are going.
You can record a general thank you video and post it in the fundraiser to thank everyone.
Don’t get hung up on not having 100% of the contact info.
Thanking some is better than none!
Consider a personalized video campaign, like Josh Hirsch did for his birthday fundraiser for Susan G. Komen Florida using CauseVid:
6. Extra credit: Encourage them to connect.
Ask your fundraisers for their contact info so you can thank them more directly, and so that you can share information on how their donations helped the cause!
Post a link to gather contact information inside the fundraiser, or ask the host to do so.
Remember that no one wants to join another email list!
We may however want details on the impact of our donations, to join a movement, to help stop malaria, etc.
Write a compelling call to action focused on the outcomes rather than just saying “Give us your email.”
How do you thank your fundraisers on Facebook? What other ideas can you share? Leave your thoughts in the comments!