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A significant new Facebook integration from nonprofit software company Funraise may forever change the way organizations worldwide approach their online fundraising efforts.
For years, Facebook fundraisers have played a crucial role for nonprofits. As peer-to-peer fundraising has grown, organizations have struggled with the ability to quantify those efforts in real-time in a singular, central location—like their website.
The new integration syncs, in real-time, donations that are made on peer-to-peer Facebook fundraisers with a tally on a Funraise-powered website. A nonprofit organization can sign up as a “Team” through Funraise, and then individual fundraisers can ascribe their own efforts to the team.
The integration works both directions, so if a donation is made on Facebook, that amount is reflected on the person’s peer-to-peer fundraising page; conversely, if a donation is made directly on the site, it counts toward the sum listed on Facebook.
This innovation solves one of the biggest concerns that nonprofits have had with Facebook, according to Funraise’s senior leadership.
“Facebook fundraising isn't new, but in the past, it presented a challenge for organizations looking to maximize their Facebook fundraisers,” said Tony Sasso, CPO and cofounder of Funraise. “Due to the lack of a centralized campaign home that would traditionally rally supporters around a collective goal, nonprofits have struggled to sustain Facebook donors. Adding to the difficulties, Facebook's lack of data has hindered organizations from being able to fully utilize Facebook fundraising techniques. Funraise's Facebook integration has provided nonprofits with a way to break through that Facebook fundraising wall."
The company pointed to a trio of success stories in a case study. Ashland, Ore.-based Dressember raised $340,000 in the weeks leading up to Giving Tuesday, with 32% of its 4,800+ individual fundraisers using a Funraise-synced fundraiser.
Chicago-based One Tail at a Time raised $27,000 through 69 Funraise-synced fundraising pages. And Santa Ana, Calif.-based Barbells For Boobs brought in $33,000 using Funraise-synced fundraising pages.
“Our fundraisers loved how easy this Facebook integration is,” said Chris Hanson, the Chief Operations Officer for Barbells for Boobs. “With one click, they can create a synced page on Facebook, and their progress is shown on both pages. We get the data while they reach their goals. Everyone wins!”
The improved tracking represents a major change for nonprofits who have long been faced with the dilemma of focusing on either Facebook-based fundraising or funneling traffic to their own websites.
“Funraise’s Facebook integration provides nonprofits with greater visibility into the social fundraising being done on their behalf and it gives nonprofit supporters a greater stake in the contribution they’re making through their peer-to-peer, networked fundraising,” said Justin Wheeler, Funraise CEO and cofounder, in a press release. “Funraise is excited to help nonprofits connect their diverse fundraising efforts into unified, predictable, multi-channel revenue streams.”
