Facebook has both good and bad qualities. But there is at least one thing you can do on Facebook that’s truly worthwhile, easy to do, and effective … raise money for a cause you care about. This holiday season is a great time to help support charities you like by harnessing the generosity of your family, friends, and coworkers who are on Facebook with you. And you can use the Facebook Fundraising feature to raise money for the North Country Center for Independence!
Here’s how …
First, go to your Facebook page, and click the “Create” tab located above your banner picture. You will see a drop-down menu with six choices, The one you want is “Fundraiser,” most likely located at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It should look like this:
Once you click “Fundraiser,” you will get a menu asking who you want to raise money for. Choose “Nonprofit,” like this:
You will then see another menu titled “Select Nonprofit.” Type the organization’s name in the blank search field. As you type it should gradually show you a list of registered nonprofit organizations with that spelling. Here it’s “North Country Center for Independence,” and you see the organization listed. Note that the location is Plattsburgh, NY, so you can tell for sure it’s the us! Now click on the name …
You will now see a menu where you set your fundraising goal and what date you want your fundraiser to end. Also make sure that the organization listed is the one you want. The menu also explains how donated funds will get to us, through Network for Good. It’s up to you how much you want to try to raise, and how long you want your campaign to run. Note that we get the donated money even if you don’t reach your goal. The goal amount is just a way to encourage donations and track progress along the way. Once you type in these details, click the blue “Next” button at the lower right of the menu.
Now you can give your fundraiser a title, which acts like a quick headline so people can tell right away what your fundraiser is for. Below that is an area where you can write your own personal message, asking your friends to give and telling them why it’s important to you. Facebook gives you a suggested title and description, and you can go with those if you want. Or you can write in your own. It’s up to you. Once you are done with this section, click the blue “Next” button at the bottom right of the menu.
Finally, you get the last main step … choosing a cover photo or video. Again, Facebook will automatically add a picture that roughly matches the topic you are raising funds for, and you can leave it at that. Or you can use a photo or picture of your choice. If you want, you can copy the picture of the NCCI office at the bottom of this post and use it for the cover. Once you have the cover photo you want, click the blue “Create” button on the bottom right of the menu.
That’s basically it! Your fundraiser is launched! It will appear on your page, and Facebook’s usual way of distributing articles will push the notice to your Facebook Friends. You can also click the “Share” button and select specific Facebook Friends to receive a direct request. That’s your choice. If there are people you don’t want to ask, just leave them off the list.
When your friends want to donate, they can easily do so right in Facebook, using their credit card in a secure transaction. They will get an acknowledgement, and your fundraiser announcement will show real-time progress towards your fundraising goal.
If you like doing this, a good strategy might be to do two fundraisers a year … once around your birthday, and once during the end-of-year holidays. And remember, you can do this for other nonprofit organizations too.
And if you want to know more about NCCI so you can tell friends about it, have a look around this website. The menus are at the top of the page.
You can copy and use this photo in your Facebook fundraiser if you want.
Good luck, and thanks in advance for your help!