How Facebook uses its ‘donate now’ button to reach millennials

How Facebook uses its ‘donate now’ button to reach millennials

When Facebook launched its “donate now” button last year, it introduced a new way for nonprofits to target millennials.

The button allows users to contribute directly and instantly to nonprofit organizations they would like to support. Participating nonprofits can include the feature in their shared posts and on their Facebook pages.

Users simply enter their payment information and the amount they would like to donate, and they can donate to a cause as soon as they read about it on their newsfeeds. They even have the option to share such posts with their friends.

With this feature, Facebook has joined the trend of for-profit businesses launching advocacy enterprises that could eventually earn them profit. It is also establishing relationships with the nonprofits with which it partners. It has championed a way for nonprofits to spread the word about their causes, allowing donations to go viral.

So why is the “donate now” button meaningful and effective for millennials?

1. Millennials care about causes and want to see brands do the same

More than any previous generation, millennials are passionate about issues and often look for ways to engage in cause campaigns.

They want to make a difference in the world, and they want to see brands supporting the causes in which they believe. For millennials, corporate social responsibility is no longer just an option — it’s a requirement.

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But with every brand jumping on the social justice bandwagon, cause marketing becomes lost in a noisy landscape. With the donate button, Facebook has taken it one step further by not only connecting users directly with nonprofits, but also by giving users control over where their money is directed.

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