Instagram is trialling a new personal fundraiser feature in the style of “GoFundMe” allowing users to start personal fundraising schemes.
What is the tool?
Instagram’s new tool allows users to raise money for their own personal causes be it charity, personal tuition or starting a new company. The initial test tool will be released today to test first on Android phones. Personal fundraising is already available for users of Facebook. In their guidelines, they include tuition, school trips, medical procedures, sports competitions, and religious missions amongst their list of permitted fundraisers. The first tests are being released in the UK, US and Ireland.
Who is it for?
Any user over the age of eighteen is eligible to create a Personal Fundraiser and the guidelines of what the fundraising can include are fairly broad. Instagram said it is for people to “raise money for a personal cause, like yourself, your small business, a friend, or a cause that’s important to you”. All donation causes are vetted before they are approved and reviewed before a user can start raising money.
How do I create one?
The personal fundraisers can be created within the Instagram app by clicking “Edit Profile”. Within this, you can click “Add Fundraiser” followed by “Raise Money”. In order to start the process, you need to enter your Stripe information. This is the payment method Instagram is using for the donations. Each personal fundraiser will last for 30 days after they go live but the user can extend this as many times as they choose. Donors can remain publicly anonymous but the creator of the campaign will be able to see their username and donation amount.
When can I start using it?
The test period will begin today across the UK, US and Ireland on Android. Soon, the feature will be possible on iPhones.
Future Plans
The test phase is just the beginning and there is already talk that Instagram will make this feature globally available. Across Instagram and Facebook, users have raised over $65 million for anti-racism funding projects and COVID-19 fundraisers since January. In the last month, donations made on Instagram have doubled in the US. Instagram feel that there is clearly a demand for a tool such as this. It is likely this project will continue to expand.
