On Giving Tuesday, Facebook users did something remarkable: They raised more than $125 million for charity — the largest amount of money ever raised on the social media platform in a single day.
Facebook encouraged users to create and share fundraising campaigns to support their favorite causes. Facebook and PayPal partnered to match up to $7 million in donations made to U.S. nonprofits. More specifically, they promised to match up to $20,000 per donor and $250,000 per nonprofit. The $7 million was matched seconds after 8 a.m. EST.
Last year on the same day, Facebook users raised $45 million.
"Our goal is to help people support causes they care about by making it easier to fundraise on Facebook," said Naomi Gleit, the vice president of Social Good at Facebook, in a statement. "It's incredibly inspiring and humbling to see the impact our community is having for causes big and small around the world."
Giving Tuesday is a global movement that encourages philanthropy the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It serves partly as a reminder for people to give back after binge shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Thousands of people participated in the Facebook fundraisers, which contributed to helping animals and pets affected by the Camp Fire in California, feeding those in need, aiding refugees, and more. Facebook doesn't charge fees for fundraisers that support verified charitable organizations.
Even if you didn't get the chance to donate on Tuesday, you can still donate today or any other day of the year. For tips on how to donate wisely, check out our comprehensive giving guide.
TopicsActivismFacebookSocial GoodSocial Media