Instagram tests letting people run their own personal fundraisers

Instagram will soon allow people in the US, UK, and Ireland to raise money for their own personal causes. The company is launching the feature today as an initial test on Android phones, with iPhones to follow, after already making personal fundraising available to Facebook users. To create a personal fundraiser on Instagram, edit your profile, tap “add fundraiser,” and then select “raise money.” You’ll then have to categorize the fundraiser, add details, select a photo to use, and then enter your payment info through Stripe. All fundraisers will then be submitted for Instagram’s review before going live. (You can check out the rules around personal fundraising here.)

Fundraisers will last for 30 days from when they go live, although they can be extended as many times as creators want. Creators have to be 18 years old to run a fundraiser. Donors can choose to be anonymous to the public, but campaign creators will be able to see their username, profile name, and donation amount.

Although this is only a test, it seems likely Instagram will roll this out globally eventually. The company says people have raised more than $65 million for COVID-19 and racial justice fundraisers globally across Instagram and Facebook since January. In the last 30 days, donations on Instagram have doubled in the US. Earlier this year, Instagram rolled out live fundraisers for Instagram Live, and in 2019, it created a donation sticker for nonprofits that can be used in Stories. The company has clearly found that making money-raising tools available to its users is powerful and popular, so it’ll likely continue expanding that product.