How to run Facebook fundraising challenges without Facebook fundraising tools

Jobelle Santos
Editor
8
Min to read

Our last blog post covered the basics of a successful Facebook challenge. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can check it out here. We also mentioned that Facebook’s fundraising tools are no longer available in the EU, leaving organisations to look for alternative ways to manage their campaigns.

When it comes to managing your fundraising campaigns, you’ve got two main options: fundraising platforms or white-label fundraising software. Fundraising platforms are easy-to-use, shared services that get you up and running quickly, but they can limit how much control you have over things like branding, data, and donor relationships. 

On the other hand, white-label fundraising software gives you the freedom to fully customise your platform, take ownership of your data, and create a personalised experience that reflects your organisation’s identity. Both options have their strengths, so the right choice will depend on what your organisation values most.

White-label fundraising vs public platforms: Key differences

When deciding between a general fundraising platform and a white-label solution, it’s important to understand the level of control and customisation your organisation needs. White-label fundraising software offers several key advantages that make it a good choice for organisations aiming for independence and a stronger connection with their donors:

  • Full data ownership: White-label platforms ensure you have complete control over your donor and fundraiser data. You decide how it’s processed, stored, and used, without restrictions from a third-party platform. This is critical for transparency, independence, and building trust with your supporters.
  • Customisation tailored to your brand: Unlike general platforms that offer limited personalisation, white-label solutions allow you to customise every detail. From the design and messaging to the user experience, the platform becomes a seamless extension of your organisation, strengthening your brand identity.
  • Direct control over contact permissions: With a white-label solution, you manage contact permissions directly, ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR. You can also communicate freely with your donors and fundraisers without being limited by platform policies, building stronger, long-term relationships.
  • A donor journey you control: Public platforms often distract donors with competing campaigns or their own branding. A white-label solution puts you in charge of the entire donor journey, from the first interaction to follow-ups. This ensures every touchpoint reflects your mission and strengthens engagement.

For organisations looking to prioritise independence, donor relationships, and a branded experience, white-label fundraising software offers clear advantages over generic platforms. Learn more about the differences and why it matters in our blog on fundraising platforms vs white-label fundraising software.

BetterNow is such a white-label solution and we (admittedly, we are incredibly biased) and believe it is a great choice for European charities running social fundraising campaigns. 

What is BetterNow?

BetterNow, established in 2011, began as a fundraising platform aimed at introducing peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising to Europe. Initially, we operated our own branded platform, but by 2015, we recognised that charities needed more control over their branding and donor relationships. This led to a strategic shift towards offering white-label fundraising solutions, allowing charities to host fundraising directly on their websites. This transition enabled us to provide more customised and effective fundraising tools, aligning with our mission to make the world more generous.

Here are some of our key innovations on P2P fundraising.

  • AI-powered recommendations: BetterNow uses machine learning technology to suggest the best ways for P2P fundraisers to succeed.
  • Email automation: An automated stewardship journey that sends just the correct message and the best possible time to fundraisers, making it easy to engage many people while keeping it personal.
  • Fundraiser types: Recognising that P2P fundraisers are not one-size-fits-all, we differentiate our product based on the type of P2P fundraising. Dedicated solutions for in-memory fundraising, birthday fundraisers, corporate fundraising, and sports/team fundraising.
  • Sponsored fundraisers: Pledge fundraising meets P2P fundraising. Automate the classic ask to sponsor a fundraiser per mile/km/lap they complete.
  • Transparency and Security: Built with trust in mind, BetterNow ensures secure transactions, compliance with GDPR, and transparent reporting for organisations.
  • Powerful API and Webhooks: Our powerful developer tools allow your organisation to build solutions on top of BetterNow and integrate us deeply with your existing tech stack.
  • European payment options: Supports most European payment methods, including wallets like Vipps, Swish, and MobilePay, and e-banking like iDeal, Neonomics and Sofort.

By choosing BetterNow, you gain access to a platform designed to simplify and enhance the fundraising process, ensuring your campaigns run smoothly and engage your supporters effectively. 

(Adapted from the Facebook challenge logic figure from GivePanel)

How to run Facebook challenges with BetterNow

  1. Design the challenge. Choose a goal that is engaging and easy for participants to share on Facebook. Examples include fitness goals, creative projects, or personal growth milestones. The key is to make the challenge accessible and fun while aligning it with your mission.
  2. Create your campaign page on BetterNow. Begin by setting up a dedicated project on BetterNow. Ensure the page communicates the challenge, the cause, and how donations will be used. Include compelling visuals and a progress tracker to keep participants motivated.
  3. Integrate social media. While donations won’t be made directly on Facebook, you can use BetterNow’s tools to share progress updates, participant stories, and fundraising milestones. Encourage participants to post their challenge updates on Facebook, linking to their BetterNow fundraising pages.
  4. Leverage Facebook groups. Create a dedicated Facebook group for participants to build a sense of community. This space can be used to:some text
    • Share daily updates and encouragement.
    • Celebrate achievements.
    • Post-challenge-related content, like tips or tutorials.
  5. Create a super easy sign-up process. BetterNow can be set up to allow fundraisers to be created with minimal effort from participants. By setting defaults for all fundraisers, you can handle most of the work and ensure a high conversion rate from group participants to fundraisers.
  6. Promote the challenge. Use Facebook’s paid (and organic) options to promote your challenge. Highlight inspiring stories, clear calls to action, and progress updates to attract new participants and donors.
  7. Engage participants and donors. Keep participants motivated by recognising their efforts. Use BetterNow’s tools to send thank-you notes, celebrate milestones, and update everyone on the campaign’s impact.

BetterNow offers a flexible and reliable solution for managing your fundraising challenges. Its user-friendly platform allows you to customise your campaigns, track performance with detailed analytics, and engage supporters globally. By integrating seamlessly with social media and providing secure donation management, BetterNow helps you focus on what matters most—making a meaningful impact.

By combining the community-building power of Facebook groups with the streamlined fundraising capabilities of BetterNow, you can create a truly impactful and engaging campaign. While the closure of Facebook’s fundraising tools may feel like a challenge, it also opens the door to more versatile and tailored solutions.

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