Charity brands will soon be able to elicit donations directly from Facebook with the social network adding a 'Donate' button that not-for-profit organisations can add to their pages.
The 'Donate' button will sit alongside the 'Like' and 'Share' buttons and is designed to enable more direct action from supporters and deliver charities better ROI on Facebook activity.
When non-profit organisation in the scheme share posts on Facebook they will feature the button offering supporters the ability to chose the amount they give, and share the post with friends to encourage further donations.
It has launched initially in the US with 19 charity partners including Red Cross, UNICEF, and Oxfam. The 'Donate' button will roll out to further organisations.
It is expected to roll out to Australian users, but a Facebook spokesperson could not offer a timeframe.
The permanent feature was born out of a trial Facebook ran in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross in November this year in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan allowing Facebook users around the world to donate to relief efforts in the Philippines.
In a statement Facebook said: “In times of disaster or crisis, people turn to Facebook to check on loved ones, get updates, and to learn how they can help. After seeing the generosity of people around the world toward [the Typhoon Haiyan] effort, we’ve been inspired to help everyone donate, at any time, to the organisations they care about most.”
The feature also makes it easier for charities to make a direct call to action for fundraising – something that has been missing from campaigns on the network which may gain traction and awareness but have had a disconnect with fundraising.
Local charities will be able to spread their message and invite donations from the global network.
YouTube added a direct donate function in 2011, but the feature is so far only available to US and UK users.
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