Scrolling for a Cause: Instagram Launches Testing for a Personal Fundraising Feature
Between the outbreak of COVID-19 and a surge in national attention to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes, Instagram has become a forum for users advocating for their followers to donate to worthy causes.
This meant users asking followers to swipe-up, use the links in their bios, use the links in other user’s bios, and on and on — essentially, Instagram has done us all a favor and cut out the middle man. With this update, you can donate to a cause you care for without ever leaving the app.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS FEATURE
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Right now, personal fundraisers are only available for Android users in the US, UK, and Ireland and for Android users. But iOS-grammers will have their chance to utilize the feature very soon!
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Payments are totally safe, and go through Stripe (the same platform Facebook uses to collect funds for fundraisers).
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You have to be 18 or older to start a personal fundraiser.
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You don’t have to have a certain number of followers or have posted IGTVs in order to utilize this feature
HOW TO START A PERSONAL FUNDRAISER ON INSTAGRAM
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Open Instagram and tap “Edit Profile.”
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An option to “Add Fundraiser” should appear.
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Once there, tap “Raise Money.” From here, you can begin to edit how your fundraiser will appear to followers who click into it.
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You can customize your fundraiser by choosing a cover photo, selecting a fundraiser category, and adding a description about what your cause of choice is and why your friends, family, followers and frenemies should donate to it.
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Tap “Send” for review.
Note: Hitting send doesn’t mean your fundraiser is a done deal! Instagram will be reviewing all fundraisers to make sure that they’re actually being set up for eligible causes. (Sorry, your personal Venmo may not cut it.)
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You’ll be notified if and when your cause is approved, and then you’ll be well on your way to start raising funds! Your fundraiser will last 30 days but can be extended for an additional 30 should you choose to do so.
Props to Instagram for keeping up with the times, and recognizing an opportunity to make giving back while we’re all stuck at home easy-as-pie — not to mention, making it even easier for the voices of the next generation to continue their social media activism efforts.
Comment below and let us know what organizations, institutions, or people you’ll be giving the money you raise to! And be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest industry insights.
About sophia pelosi
Sophia Pelosi is the Associate Marketing Manager at BlogHer, as well as a contributing author to BlogHer.com. She lives in New York City, and is passionate about pasta from scratch, daily meditation, 70s disco fashion and her beagle Lucy. She graduated from Colby College in 2019. Follow her on Instagram.
