Facebook Fundraising That Works: Tips & Examples

This post was most recently updated on June 16, 2020.

In the 21st century, Facebook plays an important part in communicating your nonprofit’s mission to the world. Your social media marketing strategy may produce great blog posts and clickable Tweets. But without cracking the code of Facebook fundraising, you may be missing a lot of people.

In this post, we’ll share 6 tips for effectively fundraising on Facebook for your next campaign or crowdfunding initiative. Then we’ll share some examples of Facebook fundraising appeals from nonprofits to help you get started on your own.

6 Tips For Writing Facebook Fundraising Appeals

1. Don’t Oversell

It’s important to remember that people use Facebook for socialization and entertainment. Asking too much, too early, might make potential supporters want to tune out. Instead, create a relationship with your Facebook followers, educating and inspiring them about the cause you represent. When your followers on Facebook understand your mission and see it in action – that’s when it’s time to make an appeal.

2. Appeal to the Heart

When asking for donations or volunteers, it’s important to tell a story that resonates emotionally. Use words like “you” to emphasize how direct participation can effect change. Provide a clear call-to-action, inviting your readers to share or donate as an expression of their deeply held values. Communicate a healthy sense of urgency, showing followers why they should support this nonprofit at this moment.

3. Go With What Works

Get to know Facebook insights. These statistics tell a story about the posts that your followers find most engaging. Pay attention to posts that generate response, more than the ones that get the most reach. And don’t be afraid to reuse old posts that worked well in the past!

4. Respond

Responding to comments is like throwing fuel on a fire. When people comment, they’re expressing interest. When you reply, it extends the conversation. Your responses also cause your posts to appear in your friends’ new feeds, carrying your message further with each reply.

5. Debrief

Because Facebook is so widely used, it will be many people’s first introduction to your organization. Your Facebook page may even get more visitors than your actual website! It’s important to meet with your development team regularly to discuss your social media marketing strategy and how Facebook is best being utilized within your organization.

6. Use Facebook’s Fundraising Tools

Make sure you’re up-to-date on Facebook fundraising tools. Facebook has several built-in tools for nonprofits that can help drive traffic to your website and receive more donations. Try using a “Donate Now” button on your post or a call-to-action to your website.

Examples of Facebook Nonprofit Fundraising Appeals

Corporate Sponsorship/Partnership

Image: Passive fundraising appeal from YEAH promoting Kroger community rewards program.

Every fundraising appeal doesn’t have to be a direct appeal. In this post, the nonprofit uses an indirect fundraising appeal to promote their partnership with the Kroger Community Rewards program. There are several corporate partnership opportunities for nonprofits to take advantage of. You can use those opportunities as an indirect fundraising appeal when you don’t have an active campaign or immediate need for funds.

Impact Story

Image: Frankie’s Friends features an impact story and invites followers to donate.

One of the most popular strategies for a Facebook fundraising appeal is to share an impact story. Impact stories are a great way to remind your supporters how their investment makes a difference and sets the foundation for previous donors to give again or to encourage your followers to donate for the first time.

This nonprofit uses Facebook’s donate button to allow their followers to give directly through Facebook. It also shows the progress of the campaign right on the post.

Exclusive Content

Image: Omaha Conservatory Of Music offers exclusive content to supporters throughout their Facebook fundraising campaign.

Social media is a great place to offer your supporters exclusive content, especially when the content comes from your organization’s work. This Facebook fundraising campaign features a video that shares a new section of an original song every time they hit a benchmark in their campaign. This is a great way to share quality content with your supporters and invite them to donate.

Fun & Engaging Interaction Post

Image: Omaha Conservatory Of Music encourages follower engagement with an interactive Facebook fundraising appeal.

You have two goals when it comes to Facebook fundraising appeals. 1. Get donations. 2. Drive engagement on your post. The second goal helps you achieve the first.

This post does a good job of inviting engagement from its followers before asking them to donate. It features relevant and fun media, invites others to comment, and then shares a link for donations.

Beneficiary Video

Image: Pat Tillman Foundation shares a beneficiary story with video in their fundraising appeal.

There are two components of this Facebook fundraising appeal that are effective. 1. It shares a story. 2. It does it with video.

Stories and videos are both ways to capture your followers’ attention and remind them of why they support your organization. This post includes a link to their donation landing page on their website and a “Learn More” button for followers to drive traffic to their website.

Statement of Need

Image: United Way chapter drives donations to their fundraising campaign by sharing compelling data.

Sometimes urgency is one of the best components of a Facebook fundraising appeal, especially if it’s for a time-sensitive campaign. This local United Way organization encourages its supporters to give to their COVID-19 relief fund by sharing compelling statistics about the growing need in their community. Plus, they added a simple map to the post to illustrate the local impact of the campaign.

Educational Post

Image: YWCA shares an educational post with a fundraising appeal.

Many nonprofits leverage their social media network to share educational resources about their sector or area of impact. This nonprofit uses their platform to share resources on racial equality. They also include a helpful and engaging infographic that shares more details.

You can follow this approach by sharing enriching educational information with your followers and including the opportunity to donate as a way for your supporters to get involved and make a difference.

Writing Your Own Facebook Fundraising Appeals

There are many approaches to an effective Facebook fundraising appeal for your network. Now that you have these tips and examples, the best way to see what works for you is to try something out! Monitor the performance of your posts using Facebook’s analytics tools and run a Facebook report through your donor management system to track donations. Testing out different strategies will help you discover which types of fundraising appeals your audience responds to the most.