HOW TO: Add the "Donate Now" Button to a Nonprofit Facebook Page

What began as a temporary means to help increase funding for the typhoon Haiyan in 2013 turned into a social media resource that has benefited a multitude of nonprofit organizations, crises, and philanthropic causes. 

"Donate also gives nonprofits an easier way to reach out and ask for help, both to support their everyday mission and in the wake of major disasters. And, with a community of over one billion people on Facebook, every local cause can become a global one — and every global cause can become a personal movement."-says Facebook Newsroom (Source: Facebook Newsroom)

So how does a nonprofit go about adding a "donate now" button? Here are a list of steps. 

1. The first step is to create a Facebook "fan page." To do this, click on the "sign up" button on the front page of Facebook.com linked here (https://www.facebook.com/) Facebook will give you the option to create a page for a person, celebrity, business, cause, community, organization etc. Select the type that best identifies with your organization.

2. In order to install the donate now button your Facebook page, you must fill out an application. The donate button is sponsored by an organization called First Giving.  In the Facebook search bar at the top of the page, search "donation button application." 

Note: First Giving is an organization that collects the data and donations for the nonprofit organization and administers the donations to the charity at the end of the month. 

3. Once you've fill out the application, search for your organization under the creator application page and you will be given the option to "Install on Facebook Page" and the donate button will appear on the tab bar of your page along with your pictures  and about tabs. 

4. Once you've downloaded and installed the button, you will be given the opportunity to edit the button by clicking on it. Select "edit donate settings" and you will be given customization options included the opportunity to change the name of the button text. Instead of "Donate Now", a nonprofit organization could change the button to read "Support Us", "Donate to this Specific Cause", "Help our Mission", "Make a Difference" etc. 

When a person clicks on the donate now button, they will be given pre-set dollar amounts or given the option to type in their own amount they are willing to donate. Money can be donated using a credit card or a PayPal account. 

Now we come to the question, why should a nonprofit install the donate now button? Statistics show that 55 percent of people who have interacted via social media with a nonprofit are motivated to take future action with the nonprofit-this includes monetary donations. (Waggner Edstrom). As consumer behavior psychologists show us, past behavior predicts future behavior. Also,  $59 is the average donation given through social media channels. (MDG Advertising).