• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechBusinessperson of the Year

Facebook’s New ‘Personal Fundraiser’ Feature Is Latest Copycat Move

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 30, 2017, 4:53 PM ET

Last year, Mark Zuckerberg called Facebook “a platform for all ideas.” While that sentiment was aimed specifically at users’ political opinions, the phrase could also describe the social network’s recurring practice of introducing new features that are eerily similar to those of its competitors.

The latest idea to find its way to find its way to the Facebook platform is a new “Personal Fundraisers” feature, which is essentially a clone of GoFundMe, a popular crowdfunding website where people raise money for various personal causes.

Facebook announced the new feature in a blog post on Thursday that encouraged users to adopt the new feature in order to raise money through the social network for anything from medical procedures to relief in the wake of a public crisis or natural disaster.

“We’re constantly inspired by all the good done by people on Facebook and are committed to building tools that help build a supportive and safe global community,” Facebook said in the blog post announcing the new feature.

The feature is extremely similar to the premise of GoFundMe, a site that has helped users raise money for a variety of causes, including for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Other GoFundMe campaigns have raised money for Olympians in need of money to cover travel and expenses related to last year’s Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, and for Chicago Cubs fans who wanted to attend a World Series game.

For now, Facebook said its crowdfunding feature will only be available to raise money for six causes: education expenses, medical bills, medical procedures for pets, public crisis relief, personal emergencies like an accident or fire, and costs related to the death of a loved one.

In the blog post, Facebook said the personal fundraising feature is an expansion of the social network’s existing charitable giving feature that allows users to donate money to nonprofits. Facebook, which debuted the “Donate” button last year for charities, said the company will now allow any verified Pages to add their own donate buttons in Facebook posts and live broadcasts.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune‘s technology newsletter.

The new fundraising feature comes a few days after Facebook unveiled its latest addition that mirrors a feature offered by Snapchat, the ephemeral messaging platform that has grown into one of Facebook’s biggest competitors. (Facebook also tried to acquire Snapchat, whose parent company went public in an IPO earlier this year, with a failed $3 billion bid in 2013.)

Earlier this week, Facebook announced Facebook Stories and customizable camera filters, both of which are similar to features offered by Snapchat. Facebook-owned Instagram previously released its own Stories feature and Facebook has also made various other attempts to mirror Snapchat’s product, including temporary messaging apps (Poke and Slingshot) that were later abandoned.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

CryptoDonald Trump
How a ‘spy sheikh’ bought 49% of the Trump family’s flagship crypto company: ‘We’ve got some pretty meaningful investors’
By Ben WeissFebruary 2, 2026
5 minutes ago
Yamini Rangan
SuccessCareers
$15 billion tech CEO says she doesn’t know what jobs will look like in 2 years—but she’s still pushing her son into computer science
By Preston ForeFebruary 2, 2026
31 minutes ago
AIBots
Elon Musk warns a new social network where AI agents talk to each other is the beginning of the ‘singularity’
By Jason MaFebruary 2, 2026
2 hours ago
huang
AINvidia
Pledge to invest $100 billion in OpenAI was ‘never a commitment,’ says Nvidia’s Huang
By Debby Wu, Nick Lichtenberg and BloombergFebruary 2, 2026
2 hours ago
Dario Amodei sits in a white chair in front of a pink background and speaks animatedly.
AIAnthropic
Exclusive: Anthropic announces partnerships with Allen Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute as it bets AI can make science more efficient
By Sharon GoldmanFebruary 2, 2026
4 hours ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
As Silicon Alley turns 30, New York is building its own tech mecca
By Leo SchwartzFebruary 2, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Big Tech
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative cut 70 jobs as the Meta CEO’s philanthropy goes all in on mission to 'cure or prevent all disease'
By Sydney LakeFebruary 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
U.S. Olympic gold medalist went from $200,000-a-year sponsorship at 20 years old to $12-an-hour internship by 30
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
'I just don't have a good feeling about this': Top economist Claudia Sahm says the economy quietly shifted and everyone's now looking at the wrong alarm
By Eleanor PringleJanuary 31, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
Ford CEO has 5,000 open mechanic jobs with up to 6-figure salaries from the shortage of manually skilled workers: 'We are in trouble in our country'
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 31, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Ryan Serhant starts work at 4:30 a.m.—he says most people don’t achieve their dreams because ‘what they really want is just to be lazy’
By Preston ForeJanuary 31, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Energy
Top energy expert says probability the U.S. will attack Iran soon is 75% as risk of major disruption to oil supply is priced in — 'this one is real'
By Jason MaFebruary 1, 2026
20 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.