What are Facebook Fundraisers?

Facebook has created fundraising tools that enable Australians to raise funds on Facebook for non-profits like Compassion Australia. Any donations made using these tools are collected and paid to Compassion Australia on behalf of Facebook by a third party—the PayPal Giving Fund.

Who can fundraise on Facebook?

Anyone can create a fundraiser for Compassion Australia—not just sponsors and donors. If you have a heart for children living in poverty and a Facebook account, you can make a powerful difference!

In certain countries, charities (including Compassion International) are able to create their own fundraisers to collect donations for specific causes. As of September 2019, non-profit organisations in Australia are not able to do this—the feature has not yet been made available here.

If I donate to a Facebook Fundraiser, how and when will I receive my tax receipt?

When you make a donation to a Facebook Fundraiser, you’ll receive email confirmation to the primary email listed on your Facebook account shortly afterwards. The PayPal Giving Fund issues receipts for the donations made via Facebook because they are responsible for collecting and distributing the donations to the relevant charity. Compassion Australia does not receive the contact details or payment details of donors, which also means we are not able to thank you for your gift and cannot issue you with a tax statement at the end of the financial year.

Will Compassion Australia issue me with a tax receipt at the end of the financial year?

No—we don’t receive your personal information. The PayPal Giving Fund issues receipts for donations made via Facebook because they are responsible for collecting and distributing the donations to the relevant charity.

Are there fees for donations made through Facebook?

Facebook covers all fees for donations made on Facebook to charitable or non-profit organisations, so 100% of the funds you raise will go to Compassion Australia.

Can I choose where my Facebook fundraising donations will go?

Unfortunately, no. On behalf of Facebook, the PayPal Giving fund distributes the funds you raise to Compassion Australia via cheque, but we don’t receive information around who raised the funds or how you’d like them distributed. Because of this, money raised through Facebook Fundraisers goes towards Compassion Australia’s Where Most Needed fund.

What will the money I raise for Compassion through Facebook Fundraisers go towards?

Money raised through Facebook Fundraisers will go to Compassion Australia’s Where Most Needed fund, which is used to meet the greatest needs of children in Compassion’s program. This could include situations like urgent medical treatment, assistance with education and training, disaster relief, and support for children still waiting for sponsors.

When and how will Compassion Australia receive the funds I raised?

The PayPal Giving fund will distribute the funds to Compassion Australia via cheque within 90 days of fundraiser ending.

What is the PayPal Giving Fund?

The PayPal Giving Fund connect donors with their favourite charities through PayPal and Facebook. Supporters donate on PayPal, Facebook or GoFundMe. The PayPal Giving Fund receives the donations and distributes receipts to donors, then grants the funds to the nominated charity. The PayPal Giving Fund doesn’t charge the charity a fee for its services.

Will Facebook or the PayPal Giving Fund provide Compassion Australia with my personal or payment details?

No. In Australia, the PayPal Giving Fund is responsible for distributing funds raised through Facebook. The PayPal Giving Fund does not share donors’ personal or payment details with the chosen charity.

Are donations made on Facebook to Compassion Australia tax deductible?

If you donate to a Facebook Fundraiser for Compassion Australia, your donations will go towards Compassion’s Where Most Needed fund, which is tax deductible. The PayPal Giving Fund will issue you with a receipt at the time of your donation. Donations made to personal fundraisers are generally not tax deductible—you must be raising money for a non-profit for tax deductibility. See the image below for the distinction.

How do I fundraise on Facebook?

You can use your own Facebook page to raise funds for your favourite charities. There are three different ways to fundraise for Compassion Australia using Facebook; here’s how to set them up.

Create a Birthday Fundraiser

In the lead up to your birthday, Facebook will ask if you’d like to create a Fundraising page for your nominated charity in lieu of birthday gifts. Setting one up is simple:

1. Type ‘Compassion Australia’ as the charity you’d like to fundraise for
2. Choose the target amount you’d like to raise
3. Enter a date for when the fundraiser will end
4. Add a title and description for your fundraiser

Add a donation button to your posts

You can add a ‘Donate’ button to your Facebook post to make it easy for friends and family to donate to your selected charity. To do so:

1. Click ‘Create a post’

2. Click the three dots (‘…’) and select ‘Support charity’

3. Search for Compassion Australia and select it as your chosen charity

4. Add a caption to share why you’re supporting Compassion Australia. Tag us so we can see it! Click ‘post’.

Create a fundraising page

You can support Compassion Australia by setting up a page on Facebook to share your story and your goal, similar to a GoFundMe page. It’s simple to set up:

1. Click the ‘Fundraisers’ tab in the left menu of your News Feed
2. Select ‘Raise money for a non-profit’

3. Search for and select Compassion Australia as your charity
4. Fill out your fundraising goal and why you’re raising money, then select a cover photo.
5. Click create.

Any funds raised through the above tools will be collected through Facebook by the PayPal Giving fund and distributed to Compassion Australia.