Got a cause? Now, instead of following a link to take you to a fundraising page like GoFundMe, Facebook announced this morning the introduction of "Personal Fundraisers," which will allow you to either set up your own page or donate to a cause right on the app.
While they introduced the ability to donate funds last year, this new update will allow people to set up their own fundraisers, pending Facebook approval, of course. They will spend the next few weeks testing the new feature, allowing people to set up pages that fall into one of six categories:
- Education: such as tuition, books or classroom supplies
- Medical: such as medical procedures, treatments or injuries
- Pet Medical: such as veterinary procedures, treatments or injuries
- Crisis Relief: such as public crises or natural disasters
- Personal Emergency: such as a house fire, theft or car accident
- Funeral and Loss: such as burial expenses or living costs after losing a loved one
The additions will also include a "donate" button available during Facebook Live broadcasts. According to the announcement, the feature "gives public figures, brands, businesses and organizations new ways to fundraise on Facebook for the nonprofits they support.'
While this is a great addition and will surely do a lot of good for charities and causes, let us pause for a brief moment of silence in honor of yet another victim of the vicious appetite of the social media megalodon. We're sorry, GoFundMe, but the reality is, you were just a tasty little guppy aimlessly floating around in an ocean of apex predators. You had a great run.
