Facebook Tests Donate Feature, a Mixed Blessing for Charities

Nineteen nonprofits, including the American Red Cross, Livestrong Foundation and UNICEF, now have the ability to receive donations through their Facebook pages with a donation feature that Facebook made available to them last week.

When supporters land on a charity’s Facebook page, they can select the “donate now” button (on the top right of the page), enter the amount they want to give and their payment information, and share the fact that they gave through their news feeds. Facebook says 100 percent of the online contributions will go directly to charity.