Facebook Adds New Features to Messenger

A vast majority of nonprofit organizations in the twenty-first century have begun the switch to digital marketing; adapting to the changing demands and expectations of supporters and donors. Social media is an effective, free and simple way to promote brand awareness and community engagement. Facebook, one of the largest social media platforms today, has the most available features that nonprofits can use to fundraise, including a donate button on nonprofit pages and posts, and the ability of supporters to create fundraising events instead of birthday wishes.

Recently, Facebook made a change to Facebook Messenger Response Assistant for business pages. This update allows business administrators to create an automatic reply to respond when followers send a message to the organization. Administrators can also send appointment reminders and follow-up messages to customers.

From our experience with clients, Facebook turned some of these settings on automatically after the update. To turn any one of these settings off, or to explore the rest of the new Messenger Response Assistant features, navigate to your Facebook Business page and click “Settings” in the top right corner of your cover image. You will find Messenger “Settings” under the “Messaging” tab to the left.

Before you ensure these features are off, consider how they can help your organization’s social media strategy. The “Appointment Reminder” tool can be used to remind volunteers and supporters when an event is approaching. Change the default message to something like, “The annual Gorilla Gala is tomorrow! You’ve registered to volunteer at the front table. Please arrive at 4:45 PM to be fully briefed. If you have any questions, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.” This could send 24 hours before the event and serve as an easy reminder and open a line of communication with each volunteer or supporter.

Follow-up messages can be used after one-time donations as a thank you message, or for repeat donors who may have dropped off over time. If social media is not your main responsibility, an instant response can be a very helpful tool. When the organization receives a message and you are not online to immediately answer it, an instant response can let your supporters know that you are not currently available but will answer their message as soon as possible.

Facebook is a marketing platform that provides the same tools to any business or organization, leveling the usually uneven playing field between for-profits and nonprofits. Charitable organizations should take advantage of all available resources to give them the boost they need to run successful campaigns and events.