Image source: Facebook

This blog has looked at birthday generosity and social media etiquette around birthdays in the past. So, it only makes sense to examine a merger of the two: using Facebook fundraisers on your birthday to donate to a cause you care about.

The feature began just over a year ago, and already its earned more than $300 million for various causes, per Facebook. About 750,000 non-profits currently have access to Facebook’s fundraising tools, but the feature isn’t yet available in every country.

Still, the feature itself is easy to use. You can create a birthday fundraiser for an organization that you have in mind already, or use their selection tool to find a beneficiary to support.

Top organizations benefitting from the birthday fundraisers include:

• St. Jude
• Alzheimer’s Association
• American Cancer Society
• Share Our Strength—No Kid Hungry
• American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

And just before you shrug your shoulders at this as a way for Facebook to make money off people’s good intentions, the company in November 2017 waived fees. So 100% of all donations made on Facebook go directly to the nonprofits.

Famous Folks and Me on Facebook

Image source: https://abc7ne.ws/2NCk2xm

This Facebook tool has been used by an array of Facebook users (or the PR handlers posing as celebrities online). The company shared:

• Yuriko Shotter  raised $7,201 to help the 13th Street Cat Rescue build a warmer shelter for cats.
• Valentine Toohey Smith raised $1,914 on her daughter’s 12th birthday for charity: water, which aims to bring clean water to people all over the world.
• Aldo Billingslea dedicated his birthday to the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in San Francisco and raised $7,066.
• NBA star Stephen Curry celebrated his 30th birthday by raising $82,512 for Nothing But Nets to help combat childhood malaria.

Not wanting to make it a popularity contest or anything, but Madonna opened a fundraiser benefitting a Home of Hope orphanage located in a rural, high-need area of Malawi.

Her post noted, “For my birthday, I can think of no better gift than connecting my global family with this beautiful country and the children who need our help most. Every dollar raised will go directly to meals, schools, uniforms and healthcare.” Her fans and Facebook friends helped her surpass a million dollar goal in just two months!

Image source: Facebook

I did my own birthday fundraiser for my local library system’s foundation this October. At the time of this writing, I’d reached a whopping $15. I did use Madonna’s tally today to suggest that surely I could get to my $150 goal. We’ll see I guess!