Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Instagram launched a new way for users to fundraise for nonprofits via Instagram Live.
Instagram Live usage has increased by 70% since the pandemic started. Livestreams on the platform have hosted conversations, dance parties, rap battles, and much more.
As far as philanthropy goes, the company already offered Donation Stickers to use in Stories. Now the new Live Donations feature will allow anyone to create fundraisers while live streaming, either alone or with others for a sort of virtual telethon experience.
While most fundraising platforms typically take a percentage from campaigns, Instagram isn’t taking a cut. 100% of the money raised will go directly towards the campaign’s nonprofit organization.
TechCrunch outlines the process by which the new feature operates:
To use the new donations feature on live videos, you can either tap the camera in the top left of the Instagram Feed or swipe right in the Feed. You then tap “Live” at the bottom of the screen, select “Fundraiser” and choose the nonprofit you want to support.
When the broadcast begins, you’ll be shown how many people are supporting the fundraiser and the amount of money raised, in real-time. You can also tap on “View” to see a further breakdown of the donors, including the individual contributions, in case you want to give them shout-outs in your video — something you can also do in real-time by tapping “Wave.”
Those who raise funds, make donations to fundraisers or use the Donation Sticker in Stories will also unlock an exclusive “I donated!” sticker created by Brazilian community illustrator @leonatsume. This sticker can be used in your Story to raise awareness for the cause. Your post is combined into a shared story with others you follow who also donated, which you’ll find at the front of the line in your Stories bar.
With this catastrophic growth in engagement on Instagram Live, and the great initiatives to bring COVID-19 relief, there is a glimmer of hope that we can keep getting through this.
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