Here’s some news from Facebook that nonprofit professionals and social change makers will like. Facebook is rolling out a program to offer advertising grants to nonprofits.
This is a big deal. As is, if you want more than a handful of people to see your content on Facebook, it’s going to cost you – a lot. If you’re a company with a built-in advertising budget, you can afford it. But if you’re a nonprofit trying to reach people to help you change the world, you’re contending with a pretty unfriendly algorithm from Facebook. Since Facebook still dwarfs the user base of all other platforms, nonprofits have been stuck with something that doesn’t naturally work all that well for them.
Here’s how to make sure your nonprofit takes the right steps in applying.
There are some hoops to jump through, but it’s time well spent for a couple reasons:
- Your organization could get some much needed (free) exposure in the platform which heavily favors paid advertising.
- If enough organizations go after the free advertising grants, we’ll demonstrate that there’s a strong need for Facebook to do more to ensure the platform is an effective and hospitable place for organizations without massive advertising budgets.
The deets:
This is an initial test program. Facebook announced that it’s putting up $2,000,000 dollars in ad credits as an experiment.
Your organization must be a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit and in operation for at least one year.
Your organization must apply by November 15th.
About 2,000 nonprofits will be chosen with recipients getting credits of $600, $900, $1200 or $1500 over a three month period.
Facebook wants you to spread the word. Although all qualified applicants will be immediately eligible for $600, you can increase the amount you are eligible for and improve your chance of being accepted by referring other nonprofits to apply.
How to apply:
Before you apply, make sure your organization has a Facebook advertising account set up. (Facebook offers a step-by-step process here.)
The application is here. Please note that the application window for free credits closed on December 1, 2015. Applications are currently being reviewed.
If you’re chosen:
Make sure the credit card limit you set matches the total amount of credits you’re awarded. Since this is a brand new program, we want to prevent any accidents – like Facebook charging you once your credits are depleted.
It’d be great to hear from you with any questions or concerns – please email mmyotte@douglasgould.com or tweet at us @dg_company.
Still have questions? Head over to Action Sprout’s list of FAQs about the program. Action Sprout is partnering with Facebook to ensure the ad grants programs goes as smoothly as possible.