Facebook giving charities better data on disaster relief
Facebook is using a combination of cash and technology to try to aid with disaster relief.
The Menlo Park company will give relief organizations such as the Red Cross access to data on what users need and where they are during a disaster. While Facebook users can already see individual pleas and offers for help, relief groups will get a broader set
“There are hundreds of thousands of posts and it’s really hard to scroll through all of them.” Naomi Gleit, Facebook
of aggregated, organized data similar to what Facebook sees. That includes real-time maps showing where people need help, whether that’s water, shelter or baby supplies.
“Sometimes there are hundreds of thousands of posts and it’s really hard to scroll through all of them,” said Naomi Gleit, Facebook’s vice president of social good.
The announcement Wednesday was part of a bevy of tools and efforts around charitable causes, including Facebook’s pledge of $50
million a year to match disaster-relief donations. The pledge isn’t all new money, but represents an effort to formalize matches Facebook has already been making on an adhoc basis. For example, it matched user donations up to $1 million for Hurricane Harvey relief this year. The company says it has not determined how it will distribute the money.
The company announced the new features during its Social Good Forum in New York, a gathering for nonprofits and individuals using the site to help with various causes.
Facebook is also starting a mentorship program that pairs people from nonprofits with people who need support. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that while Facebook is typically “connecting you with people you may know,” the program is meant to help connect you “with people you should know.”
Facebook is also expanding its fundraising tools beyond the U.S. and eliminating the fees it had been charging for people using its service to raise money for various causes.
Relief groups will get a broader set of aggregated, organized data similar to what Facebook sees.