Meta’s Update to Fundraising Tools in the EEA: a nonprofit guide

As of July 1, 2024, Meta is removing current fundraising tools from their platforms for nonprofits in the European Economic Area (EEA), including nonprofits in Ireland. This will affect Facebook’s Charitable Giving Tools such as donate ads, Fundraisers, donate buttons, Fundraiser API, and Charity Manager.

Please note, this currently does not affect charities in the UK.

You can find more information on Meta’s announcement via their help article, or read on to find out:

• What changes are being made
• What it means for your nonprofit
• A fundraising alternative with JustGiving
• How GivePanel is supporting you

What changes are being made?

Starting July 1, 2024, Meta will discontinue access to their current fundraising tools for nonprofits operating in the EEA, which includes charities in Ireland. Meta has provided a help article explaining the changes and their suggested actions, but let’s dive into what’s being said.

Note, charities in the US, UK (including Northern Ireland), Canada and Australia who are registered to use Meta's fundraising tools can continue to raise funds from donors in the EEA and other approved countries.

Irish Charities - what we know

Here's what we know about how Meta's fundraising tool updates will affect charities in Ireland, particularly those enrolled to receive donations from PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF) Ireland:

1. PPGF Operations in Ireland: PayPal Giving Fund (PPGF) operates in Ireland and currently receives and processes a small portion of donations on behalf of Meta, due to differences in integrations compared to other countries. With this latest update, PPGF will continue to distribute donations made to your organization up to, and including, June 30. For enrolled charities, PPGF Ireland will distribute funds within 15-45 days. For unenrolled charities, PPGF Ireland will distribute funds by cheque within 90 days.
2. Facebook Payments Agreement: The vast majority of donations are handled through Facebook. If your organization is in the EEA and enrolled to receive donations from Facebook Payments, your agreement to use Meta’s donation services will end on July 1, 2024. This means that your Facebook e-money account will be closed, and you will receive your final payout on or before July 15. If you have outstanding funds after this time, you can get in touch through Meta’s Payouts contact form for support.
3. Changes to Fundraising Tools: From July 1, your Meta fundraising tools will no longer be available. This includes:

• • Facebook Donate Ads: Active donate ads will automatically stop delivering on April 25.
  • Fundraisers: Active fundraisers will end automatically from July 1.
    Donate Buttons on Posts and Pages: Donate buttons will end automatically from July 1.
  • Charity Manager: Insights, supporter lists, automated thanking, and bulk messaging will no longer be available from July 1.
  • Transaction Reports and Donation Activity Reports: Both will be available for data prior to July 1 with limitations. Meta will provide the transaction report, whilst PPGF will supply donation activity reports.
  • Donation Receipts: Receipts will only be available to process refunds or chargeback requests from July 1.

EEA Charities excluding Ireland - what we know

Here's what we know about how Meta's fundraising tool updates will affect charities in the European Economic Area (EEA) excluding Ireland:

1. Facebook Payments Agreement: If your organization is in the EEA and enrolled to receive donations from Facebook Payments, your agreement to use Meta’s donation services will end on July 1, 2024. This means that your Facebook e-money account will be closed, and you will receive your final payout on or before July 15. If you have outstanding funds after this time, you can get in touch through Meta’s Payouts contact form for support.
2. Impact on New Donors: Starting from April 25, only people who previously used an e-money account to make a donation will be able to donate to your organization until June 30.
3. Changes to Fundraising Tools: The following main features of your fundraising tools will be affected:

• • Facebook Donate Ads: These will automatically stop delivering from April 25.
  • Fundraisers: Only people who previously donated to a fundraiser using an e-money account will be able to create or donate to a fundraiser. From July 1, all active fundraisers will end automatically.
  • Donate Buttons on Posts and Pages: Only people who previously donated using an e-money account will be able to donate using a donate button. From July 1, all active donate buttons will be disabled.
  • Fundraiser API: From July 1, Meta’s API will no longer be available to create fundraisers.
  • Charity Manager: From July 1, insights, supporter lists, automated thanking, and bulk messaging will no longer be available, meaning you won’t have access to past data from these features.
  • Donation Receipts: From July 1, receipts will only be provided to process refunds or chargeback requests.

What does this mean for my nonprofit?

We understand that this update will come as a surprise to many nonprofits and for some, will significantly impact their fundraising efforts and strategy. Here's what we recommend you take time to think about over the coming weeks:

1. Start by planning how you can transition your existing fundraising to alternative solutions. If you haven’t already, consider setting up GivePanel’s JustGiving integration which will allow you to continue fundraising from the platform of your choice and doesn’t require Facebook’s Charitable Giving tools.
2. From July 1, your access to valuable data will become limited. Consider reviewing and downloading any important data before these features become unavailable.
3. Some of your supporters may face restrictions on their ability to donate to your organization via Meta’s platforms. Make sure you have alternative channels set up and be ready with a solution to maintain positive relationships with your supporters.
4. Take note of any key dates as and when they become available, particularly those around final payouts and managing any outstanding funds. 

Using GivePanel's JustGiving integration

While change can be daunting, it also presents opportunities for growth and innovation. When one door closes, another opens and this one presents GivePanel’s integration with JustGiving. 

Our JustGiving integration allows nonprofits to fundraise and run Challenge events without the use of Meta's fundraising tools. With this feature, nonprofits can:

• Use our 1-click fundraising form to register supporters and set up a personalized fundraiser on JustGiving
• Send automated email journeys to JustGiving fundraisers
• Segment JustGiving fundraisers by claimed and unclaimed pages to boost activation
• Match event registration form data with JustGiving fundraisers
• Sync GivePanel events with JustGiving campaign IDs to customize with the right details

You can learn more about this integration and find out how to get started with it in our blog.

How GivePanel is supporting you

If you’re a nonprofit affected by these changes, we want to assure you that we’re committed to supporting our customers. In light of Meta’s announcement, we’re actively exploring alternative solutions to ensure nonprofits in the EEA can continue to grow their fundraising with us. Our team will also continue to liaise with Meta and keep you updated on any new information.  

If you would like support and guidance for your charity, or have any questions, you can reach out to support@givepanel.com. Our Support, Product, and Engineering teams will be working closely with our customers to ensure this transition is as smooth as possible, and also prioritize any developments to the GivePanel app to ensure you continue to receive excellent service.

Please note, if you are a GivePanel customer, your Account Manager will be in touch shortly if this update impacts your account directly.

GivePanel partners

We're lucky to partner with some incredible experts in the social fundraising field. Here are some of the ways our partners are supporting you with this update:

• Get Your Stories Straight are hosting zoom meetings on Friday 26 April and Monday 29 April for anyone working for an Irish charity. Details and how to join are included in this LinkedIn post.
• The Digital Fundraising Academy are including a coaching webinar for customers on   running successful Facebook Challenges without the Facebook Fundraisers. If you're not a customer, you can still book in for a free coaching session.
• David Burns, Director of Innovation at Paper Napkin Agency, has shared his expert recommendations for what charities should do if they are running Facebook or Instagram Challenges. Check out his LinkedIn post for full details.

Get in touch

If you'd like to speak to one of our social fundraising experts on how GivePanel can support you with this change, get in touch today by filling out our quick contact form.