Facebook Fundraising 101: A Crash Course in Setting Up a Fundraising Page on Facebook
Facebook is one of the fastest ways to share ideas and information with an audience of potential donors and is an incredibly useful tool in having that message spread quickly beyond your inner circle. Get people talking about you on Facebook and more importantly, what you are doing to support the cause you are most passionate about. Facebook fundraising pages are a great complement to your Mightycause fundraiser.
Here, you’ll be walked through the steps necessary to get your Facebook fundraising page up and running. Ready to get started? Follow these simple steps below and you’ll be fundraising on your rock-star Facebook page in no time!
Let’s start by briefly walking our existing Facebook users through a tutorial on setting up a page so we are all starting in the same place. If you’re brand new to the world of Facebook, skip on down to the section titled “Newbies.”
1. Login to your Facebook account (if you aren’t already) and look to the left side of your homepage. You’ll see a list of categories, one of them titled “Pages.” Click on that category and it will take you to your “Pages” page. Click the button that says “Create a Page.”
Facebook will bring you to your Pages page. Since I have already created pages under my Facebook account, my Pages page is showing a list of all the pages I’ve created and the option to “Create a Page” Click the button “Create a Page.” And there you have it!
You should now have a screen that looks like this one. Click the box that says “Cause or Community.” Scroll down to the “Page Setup” section of this article where we’ll get your page up-and-running, easy peasy!
Newbies:
If you don’t have an existing account with Facebook, you’ve come to the right place.
- Using your favorite browser, navigate your way to http://facebook.com. Your screen will look something like the below.
On the bottom right, you will see a link for “Create a Page.” Click on this link.
Your screen should now be showing the different options Facebook currently has for pages. Click on the box in the bottom right hand corner titled “Cause or Community.”
On the following screen, you will have a short form to fill out. After you fill out all the fields and check the box to agree to Facebook’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, click the button that says “Sign Up Now!”
Facebook will now be sending you a confirmation email to the email address you used on the previous page to register for Facebook. Login to your email account and click on the confirmation link provided in the email. The email should look something like this one!
Congratulations! You’re now a Facebook user!
Setting up Your Super Awesome Fundraising Page:
Facebook will walk you step-by-step through a process to make your Facebook page shine. In the first step, write a 1–3 sentence description of the purpose of your page. This is where you will want to communicate your goals and motivations for fundraising and the impact you wish to have. If you don’t quite have your messaging down perfectly yet, don’t worry…you can edit this section in the future also.
Make sure you pay close attention to the questions listed at the bottom of this form. If you don’t know the answer, see Facebook’s Help Center on Page Setup.
Now it’s time to pick a profile picture! Choose a photo that will clearly communicate to your audience the type of cause you are fundraising for. Here, we’ve chosen the signature pink ribbon that is associated with breast cancer awareness so our audience immediately knows we are working to fight breast cancer. This photo can be changed out periodically also. Changing out the profile picture from time to time can have it’s advantages as it will draw attention to your page and show up in the news feed of many of your fans. Just make sure to keep the photo relevant.
Your third step in setting up your page is optional and involves paid promotions, a newer feature of Facebook Pages. For the sake of simplicity, we are going to skip this step today and follow up in a future post on using ads. So for now, let’s click the “Skip” button and talk about prettying up your page.
Welcome to your Admin Panel! The top of your page will appear as follows. If you scroll down to have the cover photo section appear at the top of your screen, this will give you an idea of how your page looks to other people. Right now, your page is looking a little bare. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to give it personality and color.
All that Jazz:
We will start jazzing things up by adding your cover photo. On the right hand side of the page, you’ll see a small button, “Add a Cover”. Click here. More than likely, if you are new to Facebook, you do not have any photos already uploaded. For that reason, click the “Upload Photo” button and choose an image from your computer. You’ll want this image to really stand out and speak to your audience. In this example, an appropriate image might be of the breast cancer survivor that has inspired you raise money for research. Another option would be a race or walk you may have participated in that brought awareness to breast cancer. Get creative! It’s important to note, however, Facebook does not allow this space for advertisements or promotions.
Create a custom “Donate Now” button
One of the main reasons you are setting up this page is to help your cause be successful, right? So you don’t want to forget one of the most important items on your page… a “Donate Now” button that is predominantly displayed and clicks right to your Mightycause fundraising page. If you haven’t done so already, you’ll need to set your category to “non-profit organization”. This can be done easily following these steps:
Click About on the left side of your Page
- Click Page Info
- Hover over the Category section and click Edit
- Select a category from the first dropdown menu, then select a more specific category from the second dropdown menu
- Click Save Changes
Now you are ready to create your button! Just remember, Facebook might add a donation button onto your page – here’s how to avoid that.
- Go to your Page’s cover photo and click + Add a Button.
2. Choose your call-to-action, and enter the URL for your Mightycause fundraiser.
3. Click Create.
Now let’s get posting!
This is what Facebook fundraising is all about! Just below your cover photo on the left hand side, you’ll see an empty field box with all kinds of exciting options above. Here, we’ve shown an example of a “Status” post. You can choose to share any number of updates in this space including information, progress to your goal, appreciation to your donors, announcements, inspirational quotes, achievements, and so on! Updates that grab your audiences attention, whether it’s through emotion, humor, or an interesting fact, spurs conversation! Conversation gets people in your network not just talking to you, but talking to others about you. Give them something share-worthy!Talking about raising money is important but also keep in mind that people like hearing about the impact of what you’re doing. Sharing updates and photos of how your efforts are directly affecting the organization you are supporting will excite and inspire others to join the force.
Any time you post, make sure to include the link to your Mightycause fundraising page!
You also have the option to add photos and videos. This process is just like the one above for uploading your cover photo. Images can be a powerful tool for evoking emotion and will help in getting those coveted “likes” and “shares”. Snap photos whenever possible of your efforts and include a short description of the photo when posting. Your cause should be at the heart of every status and photo you post. Don’t forget that!
Now that your Page is on it’s way to being awe-inspiring, people need to see it, right? Time to build your network! Facebook helps make this process easier through a tool where you invite your email contacts. You can also use the search box at the top of your homepage to search for connections individually. Once you’ve connected with these people, invite them to “like” your new page by clicking on the “Build Audience” button in the top right hand corner of your page Admin Panel. Exciting, right?
Can you believe it?! This is how hugely successful Facebook fundraising begin! You’re now one step closer. Stay tuned for future posts on fundraising success on Facebook, promoted posts, and more strategies to reach your fundraising goals!
Related Articles
The Facebook Donate Button: What Your Nonprofit Needs to Know