There are several ways to get involved and support Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Whether you’re riding your bike across the state, shaving your head or creating your own fundraiser, every dollar raised takes us one step closer to ending cancer.
Another way to support Roswell Park is by setting up a Facebook fundraiser donation page to support the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation or the Courage of Carly Fund at Roswell Park.
But you’re probably wondering: What is the difference between creating a Facebook fundraiser directly through Facebook and integrating your personal fundraising page to your Facebook? Here’s a look at how they differ.
What is an integrated Facebook fundraiser?
An integrated Facebook fundraiser means that someone who is registered for a Roswell Park Alliance Foundation event or program (Team Roswell, Bald for Bucks, Empire State Ride or Ride for Roswell) has connected their fundraising dashboard to their personal Facebook page.
In just a few clicks from the fundraising dashboard, participants can create an integrated Facebook fundraising page where they can post updates, invite friends, build momentum and reach their goal faster. Facebook friends will be notified of the fundraiser and will be able to read the participant’s story, watch their progress and donate — all without ever leaving Facebook. The participant’s personal progress will update in real time and be reflected on their fundraising dashboard.
A key difference between integrated and organic Facebook fundraisers is the payment processor. When a donation is made to an integrated Facebook fundraiser, that donation is made directly to the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. That is what will appear on a donor’s transaction statement.
If a mistake was made during the donation process or a donor has a question about their donation, they can contact the Alliance Foundation directly at 716-845-8788 or at giving@roswellpark.org.
What is an organic Facebook fundraiser?
An organic Facebook fundraiser is a fundraising page that was created inside of Facebook, and it is not connected to an event participant’s fundraising dashboard. Several supporters create organic Facebook fundraisers for their birthday, to honor a loved one or to collect donations without being registered for an event.
Any donations made to an organic Facebook fundraiser are processed by Facebook. If a donor makes a mistake or has an issue with the donation, they must contact Facebook directly and not the Alliance Foundation. Donors can do so by following this link and completing the form.
The Roswell Park Alliance Foundation receives the funds from organic Facebook fundraisers every 2-3 weeks in the form of a check sent directly from Facebook. The donations in each check are from the transactions that occurred 4-6 weeks prior. For example, when the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation receives a donation check from Facebook on the 4th of the current month, the donations included are from the 1st-15th of the previous month.
What should I do if I created an organic Facebook fundraiser but want the fundraising dollars to be put toward my Roswell Park Alliance Foundation event goals?
No problem! Just give us a call at 716-845-8788 or shoot us an email to giving@roswellpark.org.
As mentioned above, the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation receives checks from Facebook every 4-6 weeks. These checks are bi-weekly payouts for the month prior. For example, if you received a donation on January 10 that needs to be uploaded to your fundraising page, the Alliance Foundation should receive that donation and upload it to your page by the end of February.
If you realize that you created an organic Facebook fundraiser and there is still plenty of time before your event date, please contact us. We will assist you in deleting your organic Facebook fundraiser and take you through the steps to create an integrated Facebook fundraiser.
When you call us, please let us know your Facebook first and last name, donor names, donation dates and donation total. We will ask you to provide this specific information for tracking purposes. Additionally, please let us know if any donations were made through a Facebook donate button.
It is important that you notify the Alliance Foundation if you made this mistake. Unfortunately, there is no way for us to know about the organic Facebook fundraiser unless we are notified. Otherwise, we will assume that your organic Facebook fundraiser was meant to be set up that way.
Please note that any donations made on an organic Facebook fundraising page will be uploaded to a participant’s fundraising page as a lump sum.
Why does it matter if I create an integrated Facebook fundraiser vs. an organic Facebook fundraiser?
It depends on what your fundraising goals are for the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation. The Ride for Roswell, Bald for Bucks and Empire State Ride each have fundraising minimums and/or reward structures. It is important for the Alliance Foundation to know what rewards you earned from your fundraising and if you have reached the designated fundraising minimums. Additionally, by notifying the Alliance Foundation ahead of your event, we will be able to upload your organic Facebook fundraiser donations to your event fundraising dashboard, once we receive the payout from Facebook.
Not registered for an event? Setting up an organic Facebook fundraiser for your birthday or to honor a loved one is a great way to fundraise for the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation.
We can’t thank you enough for supporting Roswell Park!