Through Sunday, November 17, people all over the world can donate to the Philippines relief effort directly from the notification at the top of their Facebook News Feed. We’re excited and grateful that they are activating this feature to support the massive global response effort following the impact of Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines this past week.
If you visit your Facebook News Feed, you will see a notification like this at the top of the screen:
Clicking Donate $10.00 will bring you to a simple payment screen, where you will be asked for your payment information.
Just follow the simple directions to complete the donation, and you’re done!
If you’d like to give a different amount, you can also visit the American Red Cross Facebook Page to make a donation.
All of funds raised through Facebook will go to support the Red Cross response to the typhoon. The Philippine Red Cross has been leading this response effort, aiding with search and rescue immediately after the disaster, providing shelter, food, and water, and distributing relief supplies. However, as we mentioned earlier, this has truly been a global response effort. Specialized emergency response teams from Red Cross societies across the globe are moving into the affected area to assist. These include teams with expertise in logistics, disaster assessment, shelter, health, water and sanitation.
Volunteers and staff working with food items at Philippine Red Cross HQ. Photo: Jarkko Mikkonen/Finnish Red Cross
To read more about the response so far, please visit this page.
Have more questions?
How do I donate?
You can send a $10 directly from your News Feed by clicking the “Donate now” button at the top of your screen. If you’d like to donate more, please visit the Red Cross’s Facebook page.
Why hasn’t Facebook done this for other natural disasters?
Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. They regularly work with relief organizations, government organizations, media partners, and private industry to be part of this effort so we can all improve preparation for disasters, contribute to relief efforts, and bring to the forefront the needs of those directly impacted. This is just another way for Facebook to help – and make it as easy as possible for people to help those impacted by the typhoon.
Facebook is always exploring various options for helping people contribute and assist during a time of crisis. This is just another step towards making the assistance even easier, and we’re committed to evolving our products to find new solutions over time..
Why hasn’t Facebook done this for other natural disasters?
Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. They regularly work with relief organizations, government organizations, media partners, and private industry to be part of this effort so they can all improve preparation for disasters, contribute to relief efforts, and bring to the forefront the needs of those directly impacted.
Facebook is always exploring various options for helping people contribute and assist during a time of crisis. This is just another step towards making the assistance even easier, and they are committed to evolving their products to find new solutions over time.
Will Facebook offer this for other causes other than natural disaster?
Facebook is always exploring various options for helping people contribute and assist during a time of crisis. This is just the latest evolution, and they continue to keep finding new and different solutions.
Does Facebook get a cut of these donations?
No, the full amount of the donations will go to the Red Cross relief effort in the Philippines.
Where is my donation being directed?
All of the funds donated on Facebook will go directly to the Red Cross relief effort in the Philippines.
Why can’t we make this available to every country?
Facebook is always exploring various options for helping people contribute and assist during a time of crisis. To move quickly, they began this effort in the US with the American Red Cross, and were able to extend it internationally. Going forward, Facebook will be looking at ways to expand their reach.
How secure is my payment information?
Facebook values the trust you place in them and takes numerous precautions to prevent any kind of unauthorized access to the financial information stored on your Facebook account. This information is kept on a secure server with multiple layers of hardware and software protection and will not be shared with the recipient of your donation.
For additional information on the security of your payment information, please click here.
Will my donation be broadcast to my Facebook friends?
No, your donation will be kept private. You can, however, let your friends know via a status update if you would like to share.