FAQs for Existing TeamRaiser - Facebook Integrations
Fall 2023 - Updated Oct 9, 2023
Note: Blackbaud worked with Meta to address the 2023 move from Meta Pay to PayPal Giving Fund as the payment processor on Meta platforms. Learn more about this change in Facebook’s help page, Meta’s partnership with PayPal Giving Fund. To take payments in Meta platforms, you must enroll in PayPal Giving Fund. See also our FAQs for 2023 Updates to Existing TeamRaiser - Facebook Integrations.
Note: This information is intended for existing integrations of TeamRaiser with Facebook Fundraising.
Learn more about these areas of the integration:
(Oct 9) Guidance for participants
How can I understand whether I need to ask our participants to make a new Facebook Fundraiser?
Not all events need participants to end, delete, and recreate a Facebook Fundraiser. Whether participants for your event should recreate a linked Facebook Fundraiser depends on when your TeamRaiser event was created, and when your organization completed the setup for using PayPal Giving Fund.
The downloadable document provides detailed guidance so you can understand how to provide messaging for your specific event.
Participant Guide Template for Facebook Fundraisers linked to TeamRaiser
You can download this guide which has detailed guidance. Feel free to create your own messaging based on this guidance.
Participant Guide Template for Facebook Fundraisers linked to TeamRaiser
(Updated Oct 2) What are the latest updates for the Meta integration?
Blackbaud continues to work closely with Meta to quickly respond to the recent move from Meta Pay to PayPal Giving Fund as the payment processor on Meta platforms. Issues we have resolved and are working to resolve:
Resolved Sept 26 - Duplicate record data.
Issue: In September, some Meta gift data presented duplicate rows for a single gift, causing TeamRaiser gift reports and status indicators to reflect a higher amount. The duplicate rows were due to an issue with the API integration between Meta payment processing and your Blackbaud solution. The dates of duplicates depended on when your organization set up Meta Pay; however, the bulk occurred between September 12-15th. Your donors were not charged twice, and you do not need to take any action to address the issue.
Resolution: This issue is now fully resolved. Blackbaud has removed duplicates on your behalf.
No, your donors were only charged for the amount of their donation. No refunds will be issued as donors were not charged incorrectly.
The duplications were caused by an issue with the API integration between Meta payment processing and your Blackbaud solution, which has been resolved.
The record duplication caused campaign trackers to reflect incorrectly.
Partially Resolved Sept 28 - Meta Facebook gifts are not in additional Luminate Online database tables.
Issue: Facebook gifts were prevented from moving into all Luminate Online databases. As a result, transaction reports, tools, and interactions did not display Facebook gift data correctly.
Resolution: We have run and will continue to run a weekly script that moves Facebook gift data throughout Luminate Online. A permanent resolution is included in the upcoming 23.5 release.
Known issue: On a constituent record, selecting a link to view a Facebook-generated transaction results in an error. This is resolved in the 23.5 release.
October 23.5 release - Meta Facebook gifts do not update on a page that uses the getFundraisingResults API or S48 tag.
Issue: Facebook gifts do not display on a page that uses the getFundraisingResults API or S48 tags to display participant data.
Resolution: The October Luminate Online 23.5 release resolves impacted data and addresses the issue moving forward.
The getFundraisingResults API method will include external donations in these parameters:
totalConfirmedAmount
totalAmountIncludingUnconfirmed
totalConfirmedDonationCount
totalDonationCountIncludingUnconfirmed
(NEW) externalConfirmedAmount will return the total monetary amount raised by external donations
(NEW) externalDonationCount will return the number of external donations
The S48 tag will include external donations in these parameters:
dollars-all
dollars-all-confirmed
donations-all-confirmed
donations-all
(NEW) dollars-external-confirmed will provide the total monetary amount raised by external donations
(NEW) donations-external-confirmed will provide the number of external donations
Confirmed Sept 26 - Delay in timing of donor name and email address to show up in TeamRaiser reports.
Issue: For Facebook-initiated donations, the donor first name, last name, and email address (for donors who opt to share the data) do not appear in the TeamRaiser gift report until 2-3 days after the gift amount.
Resolution: Meta confirmed that the new integration will see a delay of 2-3 days in the transfer of donor name and email address to Luminate Online for gifts where a donor provides the information.
TeamRaiser gift totals do not display in Facebook Fundraiser totals.
Issue: Gifts made directly to a TeamRaiser are not reflected in Facebook Fundraiser totals.
Resolution: This issue is being investigated by Blackbaud. We will monitor this issue until resolved.
We continue to work toward resolution for all issues. We will include resolution updates as noted in the upcoming 23.5 update in October.
(Aug 30) PayPal Giving Fund and Meta partnership
Yes. Blackbaud is working closely with Meta regarding the unexpected announcement that Facebook payment processing will move from Meta Pay to PayPal Giving Fund. The changes we’ve outlined are still required by September 8 to ensure your existing Facebook fundraisers continue uninterrupted. We recognize this is disruptive to your organization and programs, and are committed to working with you as we all adjust to the necessary changes.
We will get back to you with more specific information after the Meta Pay conversation is completed. We will update this TeamRaiser FAQ page with all the necessary information. Until then, you can learn more about Meta’s change on Facebook’s help page, Meta’s partnership with PayPal Giving Fund.
Yes. This is guidance provided from Meta:
“Nonprofits need to complete the actions communicated by Blackbaud by the September 8 deadline in order to ensure that their Blackbaud integration continues to work. Additionally, to retain access to Meta’s fundraising tools, nonprofits must also complete the required actions communicated by Meta (reviewing and signing updated Charitable Donation Terms and switching to PPGF) by the October 31 deadline. We recommend nonprofits complete the Blackbaud steps first, then complete the actions requested by Meta for switching to PPGF, but either order is fine. We encourage you to take all actions as soon as possible to avoid disruptions to fundraising.”
Yes. This important step authorizes Blackbaud to access your Facebook page.
By September 8 – Complete the new TeamRaiser Integration with Facebook Updates.
September 11 – Existing fundraisers will convert from Blackbaud to Meta Pay to reduce participant burden for this FIRST payment processor conversion. These fundraisers will then be in good standing for the SECOND conversion from Meta Pay to PayPal Giving Fund on October 31.
Note: Participants will need to take action for the second payment processor conversion on October 31st to move from Meta Pay to PayPal Giving Fund.
Now through September 15 – Blackout period for creating new Facebook Fundraisers using the new PayPal Giving Fund. Do not integrate any new Facebook Fundraisers with TeamRaiser.
Note: New Facebook Fundraisers created before your PayPal Giving Fund account is set up and before the Sept 15 date would need to be recreated. However, you can and should set up your PayPal Giving Fund during this time. New Facebook Fundraisers would not use the new payment processor until September 15.
By September 15 – Set up your PayPal Giving Fund account with Meta. After Sept 15, all NEW Facebook Fundraisers use PayPal Giving Fund to process payments and can have any end date beyond October 31, 2023.
Note: This can be done anytime up to October 31. However, it is IMPORTANT to realize that having this done by September 15 will provide you as much time as possible to have new Facebook Fundraisers set up that need to extend beyond October 31.
On October 31 – All existing non-PayPal Giving Fund Facebook Fundraisers links will end.
Note: This means that if you haven't moved over to Meta Pay by Sept 8 and haven't set up your PayPal Giving Fund Account, your active Facebook Fundraisers will end on October 31, 2023.
Unfortunately, no. Blackbaud worked hard to avoid this scenario, but with the recent, unexpected change from Meta Pay to PayPal Giving Fund, there is no longer an option to avoid this.
Note: Please do NOT ask participants to establish their new fundraisers until AFTER September 15 AND AFTER you have established the new PayPal Giving Fund account, or they will have to repeat this step.
We understand that this change may not be feasible, so there is another option. Blackbaud has TeamRaiser customers already using this solution for social sharing with much success!
Once participants complete their registration and access their Participant Center, they can copy and paste the link directly in a personal Facebook post or story. This is a quick, easy alternative that will keep your payment processing through your chosen payment provider within TeamRaiser.
What would this approach mean for participants and donors in Facebook?
One noticeable change with this option is that the goal thermometer is not included in the copied link post.
A benefit is the capturing of donor data when using TeamRaiser directly vs. the Facebook integration. This means more personalized donor data — no more anonymized “Facebook Donor”! Additionally, the participant still has all the functions and benefits of their Participant Center.
Note: IMPORTANT: If your organization uses this option, you can start at any time. No account changes are necessary, and the steps to switch to Meta Pay AND PayPal Giving Fund do NOT apply. You will only have one payment processor to work with! Keep in mind that using this option means that your organization will no longer have an integrated solution with Meta, however.
Participants can share a personal story and fundraising link directly to Facebook, and friends and family interact with the Personal Page and TeamRaiser donation form after selecting the link. Donations made to a Personal Page are captured just like any Luminate Online donation form, which means that you capture donor data beyond the monetary amount.
Participants will open their Personal Page in a browser, select and copy the URL, then create a post or story in Facebook and paste in the URL link.
Participants can also integrate their Facebook and Instagram accounts to broaden their reach so when they share a single post or story, it reaches both platforms.
Benefits: Available in any country including Canada, ability to manage refunds, complete donor information captured, and no app maintenance.
Note: Funds collected this way are not reflected in a Facebook Fundraiser. Amounts are visible only in TeamRaiser pages such as a Participant Center or Personal Page. Ask participants to post progress toward their goal in their social feed.
To get started, you can ask your participants to:
Write a few words in a post to say why they are fundraising and include their Personal Page custom URL.
Send a message to a few close friends and family to ask for donations. When close friends and family mak donations, other Facebook contacts see the donations, inspiring them to support the goal.
Share updates on their fundraising progress, including photos, thanking donors, and tagging friends to challenge them to donate!
Reach friends that are not on Facebook or Instagram by sharing the Personal Page custom URL through email, text, or other social media or messaging apps.
If your event runs past the October 31st date, which is when Meta Pay stops payment processing and Meta platforms will use PayPal Giving Fund instead, events will end on Meta platforms and need to be recreated.
So, first, to reduce the impact on participants, we recommend that you remove remove your Facebook Fundraising enablement, so the button no longer appears on a Participant Center or Participant Page.
Second, we recommend that you disable or adjust any autoresponder emails that encourage registrants to create a Facebook Fundraiser for the time being. This is because Facebook Fundraisers created before your PayPal Giving Fund account is set up and before 9/15 will need to be recreated.
Third, do not ask participants to create new fundraisers until after 9/15 and after you’ve created the new PayPal Giving Fund account. After 9/15, all NEW Facebook fundraisers use PayPal Giving Fund to process payments and can have any end date beyond 10/31/23. All existing non-PayPal Giving Fund Facebook Fundraiser links will end.
When a donor chooses to share that information, the donor first name, last name, and email address will appear in the TeamRaiser gift report 2-3 days after the gift amount as confirmed by Meta.
When the donor does not choose to share their information, the donor name will show a first name of "Facebook" and a last name of "Fundraiser."
We are awaiting additional information from Meta and PayPal to understand the future state of the data we will receive.
See our Knowledgebase article, What information does Luminate Online get from Facebook when someone donates?
Donations made in Facebook will sync to Luminate Online via Meta's Charity Reporting API which makes certain data, like donation amount, available in real time.
Other data, like the donor's First and Last Name or email address, is available only if the donor choses to share that information. Donor name and email address come over via the API 2-3 days after the gift amount.
See our Knowledgebase article, How do I know if I've completed the Facebook migration steps correctly?
We also recommend you work directly with Meta to confirm that everything is connected properly and you are able to successfully use Meta Pay.
As of 4pm on September 15th, new transactions on Facebook come through the PayPal Giving Fund if you have set up your PayPal Giving Fund account. We recommend testing your updated setup.
Unfortunately, no. We cannot direct you to a specific contact for this purpose. We are advocating on behalf of our customers and have requested Meta participate in a call with Blackbaud and impacted customers. We do not have a response to date but will inform you if that changes.
Contact Meta here: https://www.facebook.com/help/738034692937865?helpref=uf_permalink
To remove an existing Facebook Fundraiser that is linked to a TeamRaiser event so your participant can link to a new one, you'll need to ask your participants to first delete their linked Facebook Fundraiser in Facebook.
Ask your participants to open their Facebook Fundraiser page.
Have them select the ellipsis ". . . ", then select End Fundraiser.
Confirm the action by selecting End Fundraiser in the confirmation message.
Select the ellipsis again, then select Delete Fundraiser.
Confirm the action by selecting Delete in the confirmation message.
Ask your participants to return to their Participant Center and select the option to link to a Facebook Fundraiser to create a new Facebook Fundraiser.
Important note about the following FAQs:
The information below applies to the September 8, 2023 deadline to update to a Facebook Page token and Meta Pay payment processor. Some of the long-term information below may change to address the August 30th announcement of PayPal Giving Fund replacing Meta's Meta Pay as payment processor after October 31st.
General
If you experience any issue with the integration, follow this guidance for where to seek help.
Contact Meta with:
Questions about donations or payment processing
Issues with assigning an administrator to a Facebook Page
Issues with understanding which Facebook Page to use
Issues finding the Facebook Page ID
Issues with donations in the Meta Pay reports
Issues with receiving payment from Meta Pay
Contact Meta here: https://www.facebook.com/help/738034692937865?helpref=uf_permalink
Contact Blackbaud with:
Issues encountered when establishing the Facebook non-expiring Page Token in TeamRaiser configuration within Luminate Online
Issues seen in Luminate Online reports
Issues with goal thermometers
Participants and donors will notice a change during payment, because the payment processing is now handled by Meta Pay.
Internally, the integration now relies on the Charity Reporting API to fetch donation data from fundraisers in the Meta platform.
Luminate Online receives notifications of real-time data about donations made on Facebook, and a regular service runs to handle syncing data of constituents, donations, and refund data. However, Luminate Online receives no payment or card holder information through this new integration. This means that all refunds must be handled directly with Meta Pay.
Yes, your existing events and Facebook Fundraisers will continue to work. However, the way donations process will change now that they are handled by Meta Pay. Your TeamRaiser event information in Luminate Online stays the same, and your connected Facebook Fundraiser stays the same.
No, this is not required.
The administrator who logs into Luminate Online to complete the configuration must be an administrator of the Facebook Page that is entered in the TeamRaiser configuration step. This administrator must also be logged into their Facebook account.
Without this access, you may see the error, "There was a problem processing your request."
When the administrator selects the Generate page token button, a Facebook modal prompts you to respond. Only the Facebook Page admin of the Facebook Page entered in the TeamRaiser configuration step can successfully complete the step.
When the modal displays, accept all options to ensure a successful integration and non-expiring page token. Select Done.
Meta is currently working on updates for the Charity Reporting API to handle data from donations made within Instagram. Although participants can share on Instagram, and donors can donate on Instagram, Meta does not yet have the ability to sync that data outside of its platform. Meta is working on the Charity Reporting API so that it can pull donation data out of Meta Pay to another platform, but this is not yet available.
This means that donations made in Instagram currently do not sync to TeamRaisers, although the option to collect donations is available, and donation amounts do sync to Facebook Fundraising.
Blackbaud is working closely with Meta to monitor updates to support this option.
The updated integration is currently a Limited Availability capability. As such, it is available only to customers who were already using the custom Facebook app.
There should be no impact to your Social Login and Social Sharing set up in Luminate Online. The new TeamRaiser Integration with Facebook Fundraising uses Facebook app credentials that are independent of an individual organization's Facebook app.
However, organizations will still need to maintain a Facebook app to continue to use Luminate Online's Social Login and Social Sharing.
Payment Processing
Through Meta Pay. When a Facebook Fundraiser account connects to a TeamRaiser event, donations received through the Meta platforms of Facebook or Instagram are processed in Meta Pay. The donation totals are pulled into Luminate Online and reflected in reporting totals for the TeamRaiser.
Donations made in a Meta platform come into Luminate Online as confirmed, external payments.
Yes. If you don't already have one, request a Meta Pay (formerly called Facebook Pay) account. See the Meta Pay help center.
If you are able to take donations through Facebook for fundraisers not associated with a TeamRaiser, then you are already set up with this account.
Not for this integration. A Blackbaud Merchant Services account is not used in the new implementation. All donations will be in Meta Pay.
Refunds go through Meta Pay. Luminate Online is no longer able to handle refunds for donations made on Facebook.
Refunds in Meta Pay do sync to Luminate Online to keep the donation history correct.
Fundraiser payments and refunds are handled the same way as donations made through birthday fundraisers, donate buttons, etc.
Direct your supporters to Facebook's refund help page where they can learn how to use Facebook Messenger to request refunds.
These gifts are called external gifts. Donations come to Luminate Online as confirmed, external gifts.
Charitable organizations are not currently charged fees from Meta. See this page for the current information.
Meta disburses payments every two weeks as an ACH, or direct deposit, to your organization's bank account.
If you already have Meta Pay, the same bi-weekly schedule will now include the donations made to fundraisers created and managed through Blackbaud’s integration. If you have existing payouts from things like Birthday Fundraisers, or donate buttons, the API fundraisers will now be included into that payment.
No, only Meta Pay can process donations in the Meta platform.
Events moving from original to new integration
Facebook events using the original integration will continue to work even after the change on the back end to implement the new API integration.
The existing events will continue to work. The change of payment processor will be seen by donors.
These are automatically imported and seen as an external payment.
These donations will be reported in the same way that all other financial donations are reported. There is no change to the reports. It’s just the new external payments are reflected in the same manner as they would have prior to this change.
These donations will be reported in the same way that all other financial donations are reported. There is no change to the reports. It’s just the new external payments will be reflected in the same manner as they would have prior to this change.
Yes, Facebook donations will continue to appear just as they do today. Updates will be seen in both the Facebook Fundraiser goal thermometer and the TeamRaiser event goal thermometer.
When using the integration, the donations are imported automatically as external donations, so that this information is readily identifiable. In the API that is provided to Blackbaud, the gifts are marked as fundraiser_type: API Integrated Fundraiser.
The donations are recorded as external confirmed.
Reports
You can run reports in either Luminate Online or Meta Pay to pull gift details for donations made to event that uses the TeamRaiser Integration with Facebook Fundraising.
In Luminate Online, run the Teamraiser Gift Details report.
In Report Writer, select TeamRaiser, Gift Details.
Select Columns like Facebook Donation ID, Gift Payment Method.
Create a Filter for: Gifts, Gift Payment Method, Facebook.
Add a filter for the event and any other desired filters.
Run the report.
Note: Donor first and last names may initially sync from Meta Pay into Luminate Online as "Facebook Fundraiser." When Meta provides donor information for sync, Luminate Online will update the donation data, including the donor name and email address. Generally, this is within 1-2 days. However, donors who opt to remain anonymous continue to show a name of "Facebook Fundraiser" with no recorded email address.
In Meta Pay, an admin of the Facebook Page used in this integration can log in and pull the gift data. See https://www.facebook.com/help/1787615158233986.
Look for the Source name of “fundraiser_api” and Payment processor of Facebook” for donations made in Meta.
Meta donations are not currently reflected in the Site Usage report at this time, but they will be available in an upcoming release.