Look out for a Facebook in the crowdfunding

Social media giant Facebook is dipping its toe into the crowdfunding pool, beginning tests on a new fundraiser feature beginning on Thursday.

In a post on Facebook’s blog, vice president of product management Naomi Gleit says the platform is trialling the tool with 37 not-for-profit organizations including the US National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the World Wildlife Fund.

She says it’s a way for the company to do more good in the world.

“We’ve seen from our community that when people take action, lives are changed,” she writes.

“We know we can do more to enable these connections.”

Social media platforms like Facebook already drive a lot of crowdfunding traffic, with links to Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaigns shared on their sites.

But until now, donors have been redirected to another website where they might not be registered or don’t have their card details stored.

Facebook’s strategy is to streamline the donation process by containing it entirely inside their platform, maximising the number of people prepared to give.

It will also mean users don’t leave the Facebook site, something the company has been trying to achieve with other recent additions like Instant Articles.

Facebook has previously launched a donate button in 2013 for non-profits, and introduced a buy button for shopping last year.

Facebook remains coy on when the fundraising tool will be rolled out more widely, but has encouraged organisations to express their interest.

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