Facebook allows non-profits to add ‘Donate Now’ buttons to their profiles

TORONTO – Facebook is giving non-profit organizations a new tool to boost their presence on the social networking site. Organizations are now able to add a “Donate Now” call-to-action button on their profiles to link off to donation pages.

The feature will allow non-profits to add the “Donate Now” button to their ads, allowing users to quickly navigate to a website where they are able to make a donation to the organization.

“Every day, people use Facebook to raise awareness and support for causes they care about and to motivate others to do the same,” said a Facebook spokesperson.

“We’re inspired by how much good comes from these connections, so we’ve added ‘Donate Now’ calls-to-action on Pages and link ads to make those connections easier than ever.”

But the donation button is quite different from the “Donate Now” button Facebook implemented during the Nepal earthquake and Ebola crisis.

That form of donation was done through Facebook – any money users donated was distributed to various charities that Facebook chose and vetted.

READ MORE: Facebook users donate $10 million to Nepal earthquake survivors

If users chose to donate to a non-profit using the new donate now feature, they won’t be donating through Facebook. They will be taken to a non-Facebook affiliated website to donate.

“We are not vetting non-profits who want to use this, nor do we vet organizations who use other calls to action. People should make sure they are donating to a recognized and legitimate charity before they choose to do so,” a Facebook spokesperson told Global News.

When a user clicks on the button, they will be immediately notified that the non-profit isn’t affiliated or endorsed by Facebook.

READ MORE: Donating money? How to choose the right charity