There's Now An Easy Way To Fundraise For Charities On TikTok

In the midst of dance challenges and time-lapsed cooking demos, your TikTok feed will now give you the chance to help donate and fundraise for coronavirus relief efforts. A new Donation Sticker was announced on April 27 as a way to help users support their favorite charities. Just like any other sticker, the Donation Sticker can be added to any TikTok video or livestream. From there, other users can tap the sticker and make a donation directly to the featured organization in a pop-up window within the app.

According to TikTok's press release, the new sticker was created as a way of giving the platform's community the ability to make a positive impact for one another. The announcement for the new Donations Sticker was followed by Instagram's own Live Donations Sticker, released on April 28.

Some of the charities available are the CDC Foundation, James Beard Foundation, Meals on Wheels, MusiCares, National PTA, National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, No Kid Hungry, and The Actors Fund. These comprise of charities that support especially vulnerable groups amidst the pandemic, including educators, actors, musicians, and restaurant workers — groups that the company says make up a large portion of the TikTok demographic. All donations that are made within the app are directly submitted to these organizations in their entirety.

Aside from helping orchestrate these fundraisers and donations, TikTok is pledging to match all donations made through the Donation Sticker until May 27. The company will be adding the hashtag #doubleyourimpact to all videos and LIVE streams that utilize Donation Stickers until then.

How To Use The Donation Sticker

To use the sticker, either record a video beforehand or begin a LIVE stream. Then, tap on the "COVID-19" Donation Sticker in the editing page and choose an organization or charity from the list, and place the sticker on the video.

Those who want to donate can tap on the sticker within a user's video or livestream and submit a donation directly on the screen without ever having to leave the app.

Other Coronavirus Relief Efforts

In early April, the company pledged $250 million to support those affected by the pandemic, including front-line workers, educators, and local communities. It is through this $250 million that TikTok plans to match donations made using the Donation Sticker. The company also offered an additional $125 million in advertising credits for public health organizations and businesses in need.

Along with this, TikTok, whose parent company Byte is based in China, has participated in other coronavirus aid efforts including giving support to organizations like Red Cross, delivering masks and other protective gear to other countries, and donating to other community relief funds.

As of 2020, TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide. This means that the impact that could come of these Donation Stickers is enormous.

If TikTok's been occupying your time while social distancing, then helping out is only a few taps away from you. Whether you want to donate to an organization you care about or raise awareness by starting a fundraiser of your own, it's super easy to get involved and use your social media for good.