How to Add a Donate Button on Facebook: A Comprehensive Guide for Nonprofits

With over 2 billion daily users, Facebook has the potential to turn any nonprofit into a global brand in a short time with the right marketing and message behind it. But Facebook is more than just awareness and reach, if you’ve started a nonprofit and can prove to Facebook that you are a registered charity, you can leverage the social media giant even more by accepting donations for your cause right on their platform.

In fact, you can even use Facebook as a payment processor, meaning they will take the donation payment from your donor and forward it to your bank account, all automatically if you decide to use their own Facebook Donate Button. This button is super easy to create and add to everything your organization posts on Facebook, this even includes videos and live streaming! And since Facebook does all the heavy lifting when it comes to accepting payments on your behalf, it makes a lot of sense to incorporate their donate button into ever piece of content you post and taking advantage of their massive user base to support your cause and organization.

Side Note: Once you apply for Facebook, or more specifically Meta’s charity tools, you’ll also be able to use your same account for Instagram and WhatApp as well!

How to Add a Donate Button on Facebook

The very first pace you’ll want to add a donate button to is your Facebook page. This is the easiest way to use your new button and should always be the first place it goes. You can add a button to any post, video or other types of content, and each has their own procedures, but for this article, we’re only going to discuss add your button to you page. Luckily the process is extremely easy!

Log into your organization’s page as the admin user, only the admin has the ability to add buttons...

• Click the “…” button located at the top of the page on the right
• Click the “Add action” button
• Click on “Try it”
• Choose “Donate” and click save
• Your button will show up once everything is saved

Like we said, super simple! The hardest part is actually having the ability to use the tools which we’ll talk about next.

Eligibility and Setup to Access Your Facebook Donate Button 

As of 1 July 2024, current fundraising tools are no longer available on our platforms to any charities in the European Economic Area. There are also many other countries that can not use their fundraising tools, so be sure your country is supported.

If you’re in the USA, then proving you’re a legitimate nonprofit is not too difficult, although it does take a little time and work. Below we’ll walk you through the verification process and let you know exactly what documents and information you’ll need to become verified so you can be prepared. Luckily the verification process doesn’t take longer than three weeks, so once you get everything in, it won’t be long until you can take advantage of all of Meta’s free fundraising tools.

1. Verify Nonprofit Status

• Be sure that your organization is already a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States.
• You can verify your status by checking with the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool, which is available online here.

2. Obtain a Tax ID

• Your organization must have a valid Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Federal Tax Identification Number, which is used to identify your nonprofit with the IRS.

3. Review Facebook’s Prohibited Activities

• Facebook will ask you to confirm that you are not engaged in any activity on their prohibited activities list. This includes:
  • No political fundraising.
  • No commercial activities disguised as fundraising.
  • No activities that violate Facebook’s Community Standards.

4. Have a U.S.-Based Bank Account

• Your organization must have a bank account registered in the United States, as Facebook deposits your donation funds directly into your charity's bank account. Your bank account must also match the name of your charity and not be a personal account!

5. Prepare Required Documentation

• Ensure you have the following documents ready for verification:
  • IRS Determination Letter: This letter confirms your 501(c)(3) status.
  • Recent bank statement or voided check: To confirm your banking information.
  • Government-issued ID for the person authorized to manage the Facebook Payments account (e.g., driver’s license or passport).

6. Verify Contact Information

• Make sure your charity’s legal name, address, and other contact information are current and match what’s given both on Facebook and all legal documents you’re submitting.

7. Review Facebook's Fundraising Terms and Conditions

• Go through Facebook's Terms and Conditions for fundraising to make sure that your organization meets all the specific requirements set out by Meta. This includes compliance with all local and federal laws related to fundraising as well.

8. Check Eligibility through Facebook

• You can check your organization’s eligibility directly on Facebook. To do this:
  • Go to the Facebook for Nonprofits Page.
  • Click on "Sign Up" and log in with your Facebook account.
  • Search for your organization using its name or EIN.
  • Facebook will automatically check your eligibility status and notify you if your organization is eligible to proceed.

9. Update Your Facebook Page

• Make sure your charity’s Facebook Page is fully completed and verified. This includes:
  • A profile picture or logo and a cover photo.
  • A complete “About” section with updated and completely accurate information.
  • Contact details, including a valid email address and working phone number.
  • Links to your charity’s website and other social media profiles.
• Verification can be requested through Facebook’s Page settings.

10. Contact Facebook Support (if needed)

• If you encounter any issues or have specific questions regarding your organization’s eligibility, you can reach out to Facebook's support team for nonprofits through their Help Center here.

Why Your Nonprofit Should Use Facebook’s Donate Button

There are a few great reasons to use the button when asking for donations on Facebook. 

There are a few great reasons to use the button when asking for donations on Facebook. First, people are already on their platform, so it is easy for them to recognize the button as being legit so deciding to trust the money is going to a reputable organization is an easy decision to make.

Furthermore, using Facebook’s Donate Button is a seamless donation process. Unlike traditional methods, where donors might need to visit an external website, fill out lengthy forms, and provide their payment details, Facebook allows donations to be made with just a few clicks.

Which brings us to their payment processing capability which is perfect for really small or start up charities that don’t have a large budget for profession level software solutions like PayBee or others. Facebook collects all of your supporters donations and sends your money directly to your organization’s bank account. This not only takes the hassle of making a donation off of your supporters, but makes it a lot easier for you to run your charity without needing to deal with a plethora of payment processors or how to accept donations.

Facebook also amplifies the reach of your fundraising efforts through its powerful social sharing capabilities and even paid advertising options. When someone donates to your nonprofit via the Donate Button, their action can be shared with their network, potentially inspiring their friends and family to donate too. This kind of social proof is invaluable and is essentially word-of-mouth marketing on a massive digital scale. As your cause gains visibility across users’ newsfeeds, it increases the likelihood of attracting new donors who may not have been aware of your organization before but keep seeing it being mentioned by their friends.

And since we often say data is key to increasing the profitability of your organization, it’s nice to know that Facebook offers comprehensive reporting tools that allow nonprofits to track their donations directly from the platform or can be integrated into platforms like ours directly. This data can be super important for understanding your donor behavior, identifying peak donation times, and tailoring future campaigns for even better results. By analyzing this information, your nonprofit can make informed decisions about how to optimize your fundraising strategy on Facebook backed by real number rather than just hunches.

Lastly, it’s worth noting that Facebook does not charge any fees for donations made to eligible nonprofits, meaning 100% of the funds raised go directly to your cause! This is a significant advantage compared to other platforms that may take a percentage of donations as processing fees. By using the Donate Button, you ensure that every dollar donated contributes fully to your mission, maximizing the impact of each contribution

Donate Button Drawbacks

Nothing is perfect, even Facebook's donate button. First off, you can only use the button on their platform, you can’t use it on any other platform or even your own website donation form even though you are able to use other tools in Meta’s toolbox on WhatsApp and Instagram as we’ve previously mentioned.

There is also a long list of places that can no longer access these tools depending on where you are in the world, most notably all of the EU and parts of Africa, making accepting donations using their platform impossible for nonprofits in those countries.

There is also the issue of not getting your new donor’s details, like their emails. This makes it very difficult to add them to your email marketing and keeping them within the donor cultivation cycle. It’s always best to use a platform like Paybee to accept donations as a thank you note can be automatically sent out along with a tax deductible receipt, and their email can be automatically added to your list for further donor management.

Wrapping Up

Facebook's donate button definitely has a lot of positives when it comes to cost, ease of use and general awareness for users on their platform. And although there are also a few drawbacks, all in all using their donate button is just one more way to maximize the amount of funding you can acquire from social media, whether you’re hosting an event or simply posting something and including a button. No matter how you decide to use their platform, Facebook with its billions of users should definitely have its place in your overall marketing strategy.

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