Facebook Causes: Donate to Charities & Support Nonprofits

The Power of Facebook for Advocacy and Support

Individuals universally hold convictions they deeply value – be it fighting diseases like cancer, championing human rights, advocating for peace and opposing conflict, or demonstrating fervent patriotism and military support.

No matter your perspective, Facebook offers a remarkably effective platform for disseminating your message and rallying support.

Exploring Facebook Causes

Here at MakeUseOf, we’ve previously explored various facets of Facebook, including its underlying mechanics, the integration of Facebook widgets onto websites, and methods for personalizing your Facebook profile.

However, if you’re yet to encounter Facebook Causes, allow us to introduce you to this valuable resource.

Activism and Fundraising Through Facebook

For those inclined towards active participation in fundraising for causes they champion, Facebook Causes presents an ideal solution.

This application seamlessly integrates your passions and beliefs into your Facebook experience.

It facilitates not only soliciting support from your network of friends and family, but also serves as a powerful means of communicating the strength of your feelings regarding significant social issues.

Facebook Causes allows users to:

Connect with organizations dedicated to causes they support.
Organize fundraising campaigns directly through the platform.
Raise awareness about important issues among their Facebook friends.
Discover and join existing causes aligned with their values.

Ultimately, it’s a tool designed to amplify your voice and mobilize support for the issues that matter most to you.

Engaging with Facebook Causes

For first-time users of Facebook Causes, integration into your existing account is straightforward. A search within Facebook for "causes" or a direct visit to the designated page will initiate access.

Upon accessing Causes, Facebook will direct you to the platform and typically present a window featuring suggested causes. These recommendations are generated based on your friends’ previously supported causes that you may have indicated interest in through a "like."

You are able to select one or multiple of these presented causes to begin your support. Selecting a cause will display your endorsement on your primary Facebook wall, informing your network of your chosen support.

While contributing to established causes is beneficial, and direct financial donations are even more impactful, users also have the option to create their own cause.

This allows you to champion a cause that resonates with you personally, even if it isn't currently represented on the platform.

Initiating a Cause

A cause can be launched by navigating to the "Causes" section within the main menu and selecting the "Start a Cause" option.

The process of establishing your own cause is straightforward, involving just two key steps. Initially, you define the name, mission statement, and core principles that your cause represents. Including a relevant image or logo that embodies your beliefs is also crucial.

A significant benefit is the potential to generate tangible financial support for organizations you value. Exploring the organization directory on Facebook may surprise you; tens of thousands of organizations are currently registered on the platform. Donations made by your friends and family are directly channeled to the organization you designate as having the greatest positive influence.

To streamline the process of identifying organizations aligned with your values, utilize the available category or sub-category filters to refine your search. Once your cause is active, its presentation will resemble the following.

The appearance is similar to a Fan Page, but features prominent green buttons on the right-hand side. These buttons allow visitors to either join the cause or contribute financially. Furthermore, Facebook Causes provides a suite of promotional resources to help you disseminate your cause page to your network via Facebook and email.

Facebook Causes also equips you with valuable tools, such as the ability to facilitate petition signing among your members to advocate for specific political or social initiatives. These petitions can yield real-world results; for instance, Betty White’s hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2010, was a direct outcome of a Facebook petition garnering hundreds of thousands of signatures in her support!

Leveraging Facebook Wishes for Charitable Support

A beneficial feature within Facebook Causes is the capacity to create a "wish," designed to inspire friends to contribute to a cause you champion. Accessing the "Wishes" section within the Causes menu allows you to formulate a wish that will be displayed on your Facebook profile.

Individuals who have previously celebrated a birthday on the platform are likely familiar with the automated Facebook birthday wish functionality. The process of creating a wish is remarkably straightforward.

Initiating a Fundraising Wish

To begin, select a cause you wish to promote among your network of family and friends. Then, initiate your fundraising "wish" by composing a compelling paragraph or two detailing your passionate support for the chosen cause.

To further incentivize donations, consider establishing specific financial goals. This allows potential donors to clearly see the amount you are aiming to raise.

Managing Your Causes and Wishes

You can conveniently monitor your supported causes, active wishes, and fundraising progress by navigating to the Causes tab on your Facebook wall.

Think of your Causes profile as a central hub. From here, you can continue advocating for various causes, create new wishes, and track the fundraising status of the organizations you support.

Are you currently utilizing Facebook Causes for your organization or fundraising initiatives? Have you experienced positive results? Please share your insights and recommendations in the comments section below.