Last week my husband noticed these Ebola donation ads on Facebook’s mobile app.
A couple of days later I saw the same thing on my Facebook mobile app. I’ve since seen it on Facebook’s desktop website.
When going through the donation process, it appears that Facebook feel strongly about helping support organisations that are treating the Ebola epidemic in Africa, which is at risk of spreading across the globe.
Ebola donations
I think they have chosen three partners that they want to support and have created an online donation gateway to facilitate the donation.
Facebook have long had eCommerce capabilities. Some non-profits have created online stories – World Wildlife Fund in America was the first to create a Facebook shop. But I’ve never seen donations accepted through the app.
Mobile app donations
I wonder if Facebook have done a deal with Apple as this has been a hold up for much mobile fundraising. Apple takes the same 30% cut as with all commercial apps. Normally non-profits need to send their supporters to a mobile webpage to make the transaction as it can’t happen within the app. Facebook looks as though they’ve found a way around this, or they’re happy to pay the commission to Apple?
I wonder if they’ll start offering this as a paid advertising option for non-profits? Hmmm, I’ll have to get in touch with Facebook and look into it.