Here Are All the New Tools and Initiatives Announced at Facebook’s Social Good Forum
100 percent of donations made to nonprofits via Facebook payments will go directly to those organizations
Facebook revealed several new tools and initiatives at its second annual Social Good Forum in New York Wednesday.
Nonprofit fees have been eliminated, meaning that 100 percent of donations made to nonprofits via Facebook payments will go directly to those organizations.
The company also announced the Facebook Donations Fund, a $50 million annual fund for 2018 aimed at helping communities recover from disasters. The fun will be made up of direct contributions and matching funds.
The social network introduced its new Mentorship and Support product, which is aimed at connecting “people who may need support and advice to achieve their goals with people who have the expertise and experience to help,” vice president of social good Naomi Gleit said in a Newsroom post.
Mentorship and Support is being rolled out as a pilot with iMentor (for education) and the International Rescue Committee (for crisis recovery), and Gleit said Facebook’s goal is to expand into areas such as addiction recovery and career advancement.
Only people 18 and older will have access to the new Mentorship and Support product, and mentors are vetted by partner organizations before being matched up. Gleit said issues with mentors can be reported to Facebook.
Facebook’s charitable giving tools—including its donate button and nonprofit fundraisers—are being expanded globally, and they are now available in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Austria, Finland and Luxembourg.
Personal fundraisers are now available in the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark and New Zealand.
The social network introduced a Fundraisers API (application-programming interface), which will enable syncing of off-Facebook fundraising efforts and Facebook fundraisers.
The API is launching with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the International Development and Relief Foundation, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Movember, and Gleit said it will be rolled out to 500 more nonprofits by spring 2018, adding, “Connecting to Facebook can help participants meet their goal faster by allowing them to easily reach all of their Facebook friends. Friends can share the fundraiser with others, spreading the word and reaching new donors. And donors can give in just a few taps without ever leaving Facebook.”
Another new API, the Community Help API, will give disaster-response organizations access to data from the Community Help tool Facebook introduced in February.
The API will give organizations access to data from public Community Help posts, potentially providing them with information that can enhance their efforts.
Facebook’s Community Help API is launching with NetHope and the American Red Cross, and Gleit said more partnerships will be announced soon.
Finally, the blood donations tools Facebook debuted in India in October is being expanded to Bangladesh early next year.
Gleit said more than 4 million donors have signed up in India, adding, “In addition to enabling people in need to connect to blood donors, our tools also allow organizations to connect to donors more efficiently. Hospitals, blood banks and nonprofits can create voluntary blood donation events on Facebook, and nearby donors are notified of the opportunities to donate blood.”
