Facebook Launches Virtual Giving Campaign

This week Facebook, the immensely popular online social network, entered the e-philanthropy realm by launching a new feature that enables users to buy virtual icons to appear on the online profiles of their friends. At a cost of $1 each, the net proceeds of these “tiny tokens of appreciation” will be donated to charity.  Facebook administrators choose Komen for the Cure, the breast cancer research organization, as the designated charity for the month of February, because “Breast Cancer Awareness is the largest cause related group on Facebook.” No word yet on how long this campaign will last, or whether it will be opened to other charities.

While this is certainly a positive development – helping a younger and intensely interactive generation become more engaged in philanthropy – it brings even more attention to the need for nonprofit organizations to understand and harness the opportunities of emerging technologies to bring their message to new audiences and generate new sources of revenue.  It will be interesting to see how this Facebook campaign takes off – no doubt there will be bumps and lessons learned along the way – and it will be especially telling to see which nonprofits succeed in embracing the potential of new communications platforms.

Comments

[Tom Watson]

Brian - I think tehbig question will end up being - "does this lead to bigger support evnetually, and wider support in the near term." I'm going to try it out. I'm a big believer in the idea of extending charity brands, breaking down the walls of traditional donor/nonprofit relationships....think it's a net positive (not to use a pun).

[Rebecca]

I'm pretty sure that this is not Facebook entering the e-philanthropy realm. I believe they are only allowing the proceeds of these gifts to be given to the Komen Race for the Cure for the month of February. Afterwards, Facebook will retain the profits. That's what I've heard anyway...

[Sarah]

I want to be positive about the new ways that organizations are encouraging a younger generation to think about philanthropy, but I have my concerns. As with the ProductRed Razor phone from Sprint, I am concerned that trying to boost commercial revenue with a philanthropic edge is sending the wrong message. If they can raise funds this way, great, but in the end teens are more excited to have a flashy icon than to have made a philanthropic gift.