Instagram has announced that it would be testing a new Personal Fundraisers feature that will allow users to receive or donate money directly through the photo sharing platform. The aim of this new integration is to help creators raise money for personal causes such as emergencies, projects, and so on.
Instagram said the decision to introduce this new feature as a response to the growing number of fundraising for COVID-19 related causes, as well as digital activism that are currently making waves on social media platforms. Fundraising via the platform is only permitted for personal causes that complies with Facebook’s published guidelines, the company noted. Specifically, causes must correspond to one of the 14 categories, including Medical, Education, Faith, Community Projects, Hobbies, and Personal Emergencies.
Check out some ways people plan to use personal fundraising on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/TRnboVwh9E
— Instagram (@instagram) July 21, 2020
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Based on the instructions laid out in Instagram’s official blog, creating a personal fundraiser on your personal profile is pretty straightforward. In ‘Edit Profile’, tap on ‘Add Fundraiser’ and then select ‘Raise Money’. From there, users are then required to add further details and select a fundraising category, which will then be evaluated by Facebook/Instagram for approval. Once given the green light, each fundraiser will last for only 30 days – with the option to extend for another 30 once the deadline is met.
The new Personal Fundraisers feature is not widely available to all users just yet, and is currently being tested on a smaller scale in a few select countries – namely the US, UK and Ireland. A global rollout has not been planned as of yet, but Instagram is promising to expand the feature “in the coming months.”
