The Donate Now Button makes it easier for Facebook users to donate to their favorite cause.

Facebook has been constantly adding features to help brands obtain more sales and engagement on the social media platform. Earlier this summer Facebook helped publishers shine with the Instant Articles feature. In July, the social networking giant provided aid to e-commerce websites with the introduction of the Buy Now Button.

Now its time for nonprofits to receive some much needed help. Last month, Facebook gave all nonprofit organizations a new tool to boost their presence and visibility. A spokesperson from Facebook announced:

“Now, its easier than ever for nonprofits to connect with people who care about their causes and encourage them to contribute through the website of their choice.”

As of August 2015, all nonprofits are able to add a “Donate Now” button on their Facebook page and linked advertisements.

What is the Donate Now button?

In order to add this new feature, nonprofits go their page and click “create a call-to-action” on the top of their page. You can then select the button type from a drop down menu. Pages that are categorized as nonprofits get the option of selecting “Donate Now.”

When a Facebook user clicks on the Donate Now button, they are notified that the nonprofit organization is not affiliated or endorsed by Facebook, before being taken to the organization’s website, which then allows the visitor to complete their donation.

Despite some common belief, this feature is not new per se. Facebook first introduced this feature in late 2013 to about a dozen Facebook pages that belongs to partnered nonprofit organizations. UNICEF and the Red Cross were among the partnered organizations. So in reality, Facebook is merely expanding the accessibility of this feature.

Can the Donate Now button really help?

You may be asking yourself: Should I utilize this the Donate Now button? The short answer is: Yes, you absolutely should. However, there are some factors that you should be aware if when creating the Donate Now button.

In actuality, however, the Donate Now button is merely another “call-to-action” button. Unless your nonprofit were one of the original partners, there is no transaction occurring on the social networking platform. When Facebook users click on the button, they receive a message that may cause the donor to change their mind. Since the notification explains that Facebook does not endorse the nonprofit organization, the donor may not find the organization credible. Also, if the Facebook user is donating on a whim, this notification may make the user donor think twice.

Furthermore, adding the Donate Now button does not guarantee the organizations will receive donations. Organizations still need to find ways to make their pages appear organically, so that they can reach people who care about their cause. This may prove to be difficult due to multiple algorithms that Facebook has introduced in the past year. As a result, organizations may need to use paid advertising to increase their reach. Although there is nothing wrong with paid advertising, nonprofits may find themselves exhausting a lot of money to increase their reach, despite not receiving donations.

The Benefits of the Donate Now button.

Despite some challenges that Donate Now button presents, there are still benefits to using the feature. Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge during the summer of 2014? According to Facebook, the Ice Bucket Challenge videos were viewed more than 10 billion times and reached more than 440 million people. Facebook helped bring awareness to this neurological disease; the ALS organization saw a surge of donations during the summer-long campaign.

Even if your nonprofit organization isn’t able to launch a viral campaign like the Ice Bucket challenge, you might as well add the Donate Now button anyway. After all, it only takes a minute to install onto a Facebook page.

For the latest updates of trends in social media, website design and digital marketing, we here at Kraus Marketing suggest that you follow our blog. If you have any further questions about Facebook’s Donate Now button, feel free to contact us 973-998-5742 or online at www.KrausMarketing.com.