Facebook fundraisers expands to New Zealand

Facebook is expanding its charitable giving tools by offering more ways for people to fundraise with Personal Fundraisers.

Facebook announced fundraising for personal causes in the USA in May, and today announced personal fundraisers in New Zealand for people over 18 years of age.

People can now raise money for a friend, themselves, someone or something that is not on Facebook.

Categories include education, medical, pet medical, crisis relief, personal emergency, funeral and loss, community and sports.

Personal Fundraisers on Facebook will make it simple for people to connect with their community and raise money for the people and things they care about.

People can now create a fundraiser on Facebook and easily reach their friends in a few taps with the relevant information.

Fundraisers are reviewed by Facebook within 24 hours and will include a fee that will go toward security, fraud prevention, operational costs and payment support.

In New Zealand, all fees will be waived until January 31, 2018.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to start a personal fundraiser on Facebook:

• On mobile, tap the menu icon and select Fundraisers, or on a desktop, go to facebook.com/fundraisers.
• Choose to raise money for a Friend, Yourself, Someone or Something Not on Facebook.
• Give your fundraiser a title, compelling story, and start raising money.

New Zealand fundraisers already underway include attending raising funds to travel to the USA for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery and attending Outward Bound.

This feature expands on Facebook's already existing fundraising features.

Two weeks before a user's birthday they can set up the fundraiser and friends will then receive a notification asking them to donate on a user's birthday.

Mike Nowak, Facebook product director says, "People often dedicate their birthday to support a cause, and we've seen people using Facebook to raise money for causes they care about.

"We're now making it easier to do this by giving you the opportunity to create a fundraiser for your birthday directly on Facebook.

It's good to see these features expand to NZ.