In late 2018, Facebook began offering the option for Canadians to create fundraisers for nonprofit organizations or for personal causes. Since then many of you have reached out to us with questions about how these giving options can be used to support ALS Canada. We know Facebook can be a quick and easy way to raise money and engage your friends and family, and are grateful to all who have chosen to support us in this way.
There are some important things to be aware of when creating or donating to Facebook fundraisers, so here’s a primer on the options available and how they work – along with using our ALS fundraising website.
1. Facebook: Raising money for a nonprofit organization
Visit facebook.com/fundraisers. You can create a fundraiser for ALS Canada by searching for “ALS Society of Canada” from the list of registered charities. Donations are processed at no cost to the donor or to the individual who set up the fundraiser. For your donation, you will receive two separate emails: a transaction receipt for the payment and your official donation receipt. These are sent by Facebook on behalf of their fundraising partner, the PayPal Giving Fund, which delivers the funds to ALS Canada.
Some things to be aware of when creating or donating to Facebook fundraisers to support ALS Canada:
- If you or your donors have any questions about setup, donations, donation receipts or refunds, you must contact the Facebook Fundraiser Support Centre.
- When you donate through Facebook, we do not receive your contact details and therefore are not able to communicate with you.
- As per Canada Revenue Agency regulations, we are not allowed to issue tax receipts for donations that are made to a third-party charity—in this case, the PayPal Giving Fund.
2. Facebook: Raising money for a personal cause
Personal causes generally refer to fundraisers in response to individual needs – for example a family that requires financial support after losing their home to a fire, or an education fund for a child whose parents have suddenly passed away.
If you create or give to a personal fundraiser on Facebook, a portion of the donation is used to cover processing fees. Funds are deposited to the bank account specified by the person who set up the fundraiser. The person who set up the fundraiser is responsible for making sure the donations are sent to ALS Canada.
Some things to be aware of when creating or donating to personal causes on Facebook:
- Questions about setup, donations, donation receipts, or refunds must be directed to the Facebook Fundraiser Support Centre.
- Tax receipts are not issued when a person donates to a personal fundraiser because the donation doesn’t go directly to a charity but instead goes to the bank account specified by the person who set up the fundraiser.
- Only a charity with a registered charitable number from the Canada Revenue Agency can issue tax receipts.
Adam Foley used My ALS Fundraiser to meet (and surpass) his $12,000 fundraising goal for his 900km bike ride in memory of his brother, Matthew.
3. ALS Canada’s “My ALS Fundraiser” platform
Visit My ALS Fundraiser at www.als.ca/myalsfundraiser to create your own fundraising event or find an existing event to give to. When you fundraise through our platform, ALS Canada will receive the contact information for each donor and automatically issue them a tax receipt by email when they donate online. This helps us stay in touch and provide support for your tax receipting requirements. We also have lots of resources available here, including an event organizer toolkit, templates for things like posters or social media, and best of all, your very own ALS Canada event coach to support you every step of the way.
Interested in fundraising with us? Contact our team at teamals@als.ca or head over to the My ALS Fundraiser website to get started.
Thank you to all our donors for their generosity and continued support—in any way you choose to give.
