Meta (formerly Facebook) has recently outlined significant changes to their fundraising tools and processes for charities in the UK.
Here are the key highlights:
- Partnership with PayPal Giving Fund UK (PPGF): Starting from November 1, 2023, Meta will exclusively partner with PayPal Giving Fund UK (PPGF) to support donations to charities in the UK. They will no longer support directly onboarded charities through Facebook Payments. Additionally, Meta will no longer cover processing fees on donations.
- Action Required: Charities must take specific actions before November 1, 2023, to avoid disruptions to their fundraising tools. These actions include reviewing and accepting the updated Charitable Donation Terms and switching to PPGF to receive donation payouts.
- How Donations are Handled: After November 1, 2023, donations will be processed through PPGF, and they will grant funds to charities according to their policies. Existing e-money accounts with Facebook Payments will be closed, and charities will no longer receive donation payouts from Facebook Payments.
- Donations from New Donors: Charities that switch to PPGF can receive donations from any donor (previous and new) starting from September 16, 2023. However, between August 31 and October 31, 2023, charities using Facebook Payments can only receive donations from donors who have previously used a Facebook e-money account.
- Payout Timelines: PPGF will have different payout timelines, distributing funds within 15-45 days for enrolled charities and within 90 days for unenrolled charities.
- Changes to Fundraisers and Donate Buttons: The handling of donations made through fundraisers, donate buttons on Pages, posts, and Instagram profiles/posts will change based on whether the charity has switched to PPGF or not. The specifics of these changes are outlined in the message.
- Transaction Reports and Donation Receipts: PPGF will provide donation activity reports to enrolled charities, while Meta will continue to provide a limited transaction report for informational purposes. PPGF will also provide official donation receipts for tax purposes, replacing Meta’s previous documentation.
- Donation Payment Processing Fees: Meta currently covers third-party payment processing fees for donations to charities but will stop doing so on November 1, 2023. Donors will have the option to increase their donation amount to cover these fees.
- Updates to Charitable Donation Terms: The Charitable Donation Terms are being updated to reflect these changes, including the agreement with Meta Platforms, Inc., and the handling of identifying information. Charities are encouraged to review these updated terms.
- Required Actions: Charities are urged to review the updated terms and switch to PPGF before the November 1, 2023, deadline to avoid disruptions to their fundraising activities.
- Outstanding Funds: Charities with outstanding funds on December 1, 2023, should reach out through the Payouts contact form for support on required account actions to receive their payouts.
In summary, Meta is making significant changes to its fundraising tools and partnerships in the UK, requiring charities to take action to adapt to these changes and continue their fundraising efforts.
Actions your charity might have to take as outlined by Meta:
| What actions do I need to take? |
| Review Meta’s updated Terms and switch to PPGF. You must review and accept our updated Terms and confirm PPGF as the entity that will receive and grant donations benefiting your charity, before 1 November 2023 (12:01 AM GMT) to avoid any disruptions to fundraising. Review our updated Terms and switch to PPGF here. If you do not take this required action before the deadline, you will lose access to our fundraising tools and we cannot guarantee that you’ll gain access to fundraising tools again in time for #GivingTuesday. Claim any outstanding funds. Charities with funds outstanding on 1 December 2023 must reach out through the Payouts contact form for support on required account actions to receive their payouts. Already approved financial admins can find their current payout method in the Payouts section under settings. Learn more. https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/1489523587846981 |
At the same time, Meta are emailing people in the UK who have donated in the past:
Hello Karolina,
As a UK donor who has previously donated to support a charity through Facebook or Instagram, we are letting you know that from 1 November 2023, the way these payments are processed will change.
Anyone in the UK making donations to benefit eligible charities after this date will no longer have their donations distributed by Facebook Payments International Limited. Instead, PPGF will receive donations benefiting your charity and grant funds to your charity, subject to their policies.
We don’t require any action from you and would like to thank you for supporting charities across our platforms.
Learn more about the existing terms, which will end on 1 November 2023.
Thanks,
Source: Meta email to a UK donor
Meta Social Impact Team