Facebook launches personal fundraising tool

NEW YORK — Watch out, GoFundMe. You have some big new competition in the fundraising space.

Facebook announced Thursday to expand its charitable giving tools to include personal fundraisers. The campaigns will allow people 18 and older to raise money for themselves, a friend — or someone or something not on Facebook, like a pet.

Previously, the company allowed users to raise money only for nonprofits. Personal fundraisers will launch in the United States over the next few weeks.

One big question: It’s unclear if Facebook takes a portion of the proceeds raised. It’s also not known whether people can view and support these causes if they don’t have a Facebook account, and whether the money is immediately released to the person raising the funds. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on these aspects of the tools.

Facebook will start with six categories including education (such as tuition and books), medical, pet medical, crisis relief, personal emergencies (like a car accident or theft), and funeral and loss. Initially there will be a 24-hour fundraiser review process before each campaign is posted. Eventually Facebook plans to expand the campaign categories and automate more of the review process.

The social network’s foray into personal fundraising is in direct competition with cause-focused sites like GoFundMe and YouCaring, which also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Facebook first tested its “fundraisers” feature in 2015 with 37 charities, including Mercy Corps, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and World Wildlife Fund. The top of a nonprofit’s page includes a “donate” button, where users can make a contribution with a credit card or through PayPal.