Facebook makes it even easier to give

Facebook will now allow users to donate directly to charity, through the social platform.

This week, the social network will roll out a new Fundraisers feature and improve its Donate Now button, "to allow people to donate to charities without leaving Facebook," says Naomi Gleit, VP of product management, in a blog post.

"When people are connected, amazing things can happen. We've seen incredible examples of how people use Facebook to come together to do good. Campaigns that start with a single post can change lives - from raising money after the Nepal earthquake, to raising awareness with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge," said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on her Facebook page.

The Fundraisers feature is a dedicated place to raise funds for a specific non-profit campaign.

"Non-profits can tell their campaign story, rally supporters, collect donations and visibly track progress toward a goal for year-end drives, themed campaigns and special projects, such as building a clean water well or funding a clothing drive," says Gleit.

The feature is being tested on 37 US organisations, including Mercy Corps, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and World Wildlife Fund. Gleit says: "We're committed to expanding these tools to as many organisations as possible in the future."

Organisations interested in using this tool can sign up to learn more.

In August, the social network added the 'Donate Now' button, allowing non-profit organisations to add it to their Facebook page.

"Every day, people use Facebook to raise awareness and support for causes they care about and to motivate others to do the same. We're inspired by how much good comes from these connections, so we've added 'Donate Now' calls-to-action on Pages and link ads to make those connections easier than ever," a Facebook spokesperson said at the time.

This week, Facebook is improving the button by making it available to posts too.

"Adding a Donate button to a Page gives a non-profit a consistent place to collect donations, even as they update their Page's content. Including a Donate button on a post will give people an easy way to donate directly from the News Feed," says Gleit.