Case summary From 1 July, the function for fundraising campaigns on Facebook will disappear in Norway and the EEA. The Robin Hood house in Bergen is one of the organizations that will lose a significant part of their income with this change. Many organizations receive between one and 20 percent of their donations from Facebook. The organizations hope that donor leads will find their way through other channels, such as their own websites, Vipps or Spleis. It is unknown why Meta, the company behind Facebook, has chosen to shut down the fundraiser function. – Last year we received approximately NOK 30,000 through fundraising campaigns on Facebook, which is quite a large contribution. So we greatly appreciate that. It actually made a difference, says acting day-to-day manager of the Robin Hood house in Bergen, Sebastian Schwalbach. Donations from collections on Facebook accounted for 9 percent of all private donations to the foundation, which helps the poor and drug addicts in Bergen. But from the end of the month, this extra income through Facebook will end. Such fundraising campaigns are no longer to be seen after 1 July this year. – A welcome contribution Meta announced the news at the end of April. The function has been a delight for many humanitarian organizations since it first came in 2016. In the first years it was particularly popular and many organizations received several million kroner. The entire function for fundraising through Facebook’s solutions will disappear in Norway and the rest of the EEA. This means that neither the organizations themselves, nor the users, can create fundraising campaigns or donate to humanitarian organizations anymore. For the Robin Hood House foundation, it has been a welcome contribution. – We have seen that people can donate easily if it is a birthday. So it was an addition for us, which of course has contributed quite a lot, says Schwalbach. At Robin Hood house, there are nearly 100 volunteers in action. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news Up to 20 per cent of income for some Maren Lier is a senior adviser at B.bold, an advisory network for humanitarian organisations. The atmosphere in their office was tense when they first got the news. – When we got the email that afternoon, it was a bit of a shock at first. We suspected that something was going to happen. But that it suddenly happened at such short notice was surprising. – Norwegians are super generous, says Maren Lier. She thinks people will find other ways to give. Photo: Pixel & Co It is a little less popular to donate on Facebook now than it was a few years ago. But many organizations still receive between one and 20 per cent of their donations from social media, says Lier. – Then it is clear that this has drastic consequences. Although this change can be serious for some organisations, it is less serious for most. Lier points out that there are always changes in the digital landscape, and that organizations will have to adapt. The Children’s Cancer Association The Children’s Cancer Association received NOK 2.2 million from fundraising campaigns on Facebook last year. “We think it’s a shame, because it was a simple way to make a contribution to a cause close to our heart. For us as an organization it was extremely cost-effective. In addition to kroner and øre, the birthday collections created commitment among the donors.” – Trine Beate Nicolaysen, general secretary Médecins Sans Frontières Médecins Sans Frontières”It has no effect on us. A few years ago, Meta presented a new agreement with strong limits for which countries Médecins Sans Frontières could collect money for. Countries on the USA’s sanctions list had to go. Then we chose to not let Facebook set the guidelines. We lost the function overnight, which was a great shame, as we had great success with Facebook.” – Grete Lise Christiansen, marketing and fundraising manager Hospital clowns Hospital clowns received 1.1 million from fundraising campaigns on Facebook last year. “It is absolutely critical for us. 1.1 million is a lot of money for us. The news came suddenly, with short notice. It shows again how much power this type of channel has, which can shut down such services with a couple of months notice. “– Marianne Grøthe Lund, head of fundraising at Sjukehusklovnane. Hoping for donor links in other channels Ketema-Schwalbach in the Robin Hood house says that they have been in worse crises than this before, and believes that donor links will find their way through other channels. – I hope that the will to make a contribution and make a difference is greater than the function that will soon no longer be found on Facebook. They are working to make it easier to donate through the websites and are looking at other donation solutions. – There are alternatives, such as Vipps or Spleis, for example. But it may not be as easy, and we also know that they charge a lot of extra fees. So we are a bit critical of that. In addition to a free meal, visitors can receive Norwegian training and advice in difficult situations. Photo: Laurita Fure Briceno / news Have you donated money via Facebook? Yes, I have both set up my own fundraisers and donated I have never set up my own fundraisers, but donated to others No, I would like to but I don’t trust Facebook No, I am not interested in or cannot afford to donate Show result Unknown why the function disappears Meta has not answered news as to why they are shutting down the functions for fundraising campaigns from 1 July. Trine Smedbold, senior legal adviser at the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, does not agree either, but says that privacy may be part of the reason. – It may be that it is about privacy, without Meta itself having said so out loud. So it’s just speculation. Lier in B.bold does not have the final answer either, but says that it may be about complications around the payment solutions or that fundraising campaigns are no longer a profitable product for Meta. Published 10.06.2024, at 21.33
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Fundraising campaigns on Facebook will be removed from 1 July – news Vestland
