Digital Smarts - Facebook Giving

Facebook is working with more than three-dozen nonprofits to test fundraising tools, including an updated "donate" button intended to facilitate spontaneous giving by users. More than 150 million people globally are connected to a cause on Facebook and the world's most popular social network has seen that even small amounts can translate into big bucks for charities, especially when people make snap decisions. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, where people uploaded videos of themselves dumping buckets of ice on their heads, fueled a viral social media campaign that helped raise more than $100 million for The ALS Association in the fight against the neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Despite stories like this, non-profits say they still face challenges with online donations because some people are still wary about putting their credit card information online. Online donations represent less than 10 percent of all charitable giving, although that rate is growing.