Meta Spending $7 Million To Stoke Recurring Donations

Facebook’s parent company Meta will match the gift of a recurring monthly donor up to $100 per donor after the second gift is made and up to $100,000 per eligible nonprofit, to a total of $7 million for a holiday giving initiative.

The announcement, timed to mark the approach of Giving Tuesday on Nov. 28, is a break from the company’s past practice of matching standalone gifts. Giving Tuesday is observed the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

“Meta will match 100% of your donation after you make your second monthly donation,” according to a company announcement. “This is a shift from how we’ve historically matched one-time donations on Giving Tuesday. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of this global day of giving, we look forward to helping organizations sustain support far beyond the holidays.”

The matching period will begin Nov. 15 and goes through Dec. 31. To qualify for the match, donors must set up recurring donations during this period. Donors will be matched “on a first-come, first-served basis” until the $7 million runs out and will receive a confirmation on Facebook, said Meta spokesperson Uzma Saeed.

All U.S.-based nonprofits are automatically eligible to receive matching funds simply by being on Facebook. “This is similar to past Giving Season matches on Facebook. Nonprofits don’t need to enroll or do anything special,” Saeed told The NonProfit Times.

Meta has a rigorous vetting process to ensure donations go only to legitimate charities that have a 501(c)3 designation or its equivalent, Saeed said. “We review their documentation on an ongoing basis, and if a nonprofit is found to be in poor standing, we disable their access to fundraising features. So, donors can feel confident that their donations are going to valid nonprofits,” she added.

The $7 million matching pledge by Meta has been an annual commitment by the company for seven years except for last year, when it made a one-time increase to $8 million to learn whether the additional funds would encourage new donors, Saeed said.

The feedback from nonprofits was that one-time gifts, while appreciated, are ultimately not as impactful as sustained revenue that supports them long-term. As a result, Meta has returned to its $7 million match commitment but has changed its match structure to encourage more long-term giving, Saeed said.

The causes with the most dollars raised on the platform this year are for Ukraine relief, Ramadan and animal protection, according to data from Meta.

Founded in 2012 as a takeoff on Cyber Monday, the annual day of giving — stylized as #GivingTuesday for hashtag purposes on social media — is now a global movement and expands the giving concept to overall generosity.

The full text of Meta’s announcement can be found at: https://bit.ly/3tjbtyN