Over €9.5 million has been raised online in Ireland to support Irish mental health charities since Facebook and Instagram Fundraising tools launched in 2017. This is according to new data published by Facebook Ireland in advance of World Mental Health Day.
A range of mental health charities and services have benefitted from the generosity and kindness of people across Ireland who have donated funds on Facebook and Instagram. Some of the top beneficiaries in Ireland include Movember Ireland and Mental Health Ireland. 7 in 10 (71%) Irish donors to mental health causes on Facebook and Instagram are women. Since the Fundraising tool launched in Europe, over €400 million has been raised to support causes related to mental health.
Georgina Lawless, Fundraising, Mental Health Ireland said; “Facebook Fundraising has revolutionised the way we engage with our fundraising community. Our Facebook community has raised hundreds of thousands of euro for mental health, having a life changing impact for those we support and helping to fund our programmes and campaigns in schools, workplaces and homes across Ireland. Our current Facebook Fundraising campaign ‘5,000 Steps a Day’ has allowed us to raise awareness of the importance of being active for our mental wellbeing and has united fundraisers from all walks of life with these common goals. We feel we are still only getting started with Facebook Fundraising and look forward to using the platform to work with our wonderful fundraisers in more creative and innovative ways.”
Commenting on the support received from people across Ireland, Jack O’Connor, Ireland Country Manager for Movember said: “Facebook Fundraising is an excellent tool and was swiftly adopted by the Movember community as soon as it was introduced. Globally we lose one man to suicide every minute, that’s over 500,000 men every year. Our Mo Bro’s and Mo Sister’s are incredibly passionate about changing this, and about creating a world where men live happier, healthier, longer lives. The scale of support speaks to the magnitude of the issue and as we approach the 2021 Movember campaign I look forward to our army of Mo’s growing bigger and stronger (and hairier!).”
There’s also a large online community dedicated to creating a safe space for people to discuss mental health, provide support and ask questions. In Ireland, more than 70,000 people are part of one of the 4,500 Facebook Groups related to mental health.
Trevor O’Donoghue, Community Leader of Facebook Group, Focus on Happiness said; “We started out by teaching mindful photography in the Group. Thanks to Facebook, this has become so much more. Focus on Happiness is now a positive community that is full of support, encouragement, happiness, kindness and understanding which connects people from all over the world through sharing pictures, and encourages us all to find happy moments in our lives every day.”
Gareth Lambe, Head of Facebook Ireland, said; “It’s amazing to see that over €9.5 million has been raised for mental health causes in Ireland through Facebook and Instagram fundraisers. This speaks to the incredible kindness and generosity of people across Ireland. We’re inspired by the people who use our products and tools to share their experiences, build support networks and break down mental health stigmas. As we approach World Mental Health Day 2021, we’re partnering with mental health experts and organisations around the world to connect people with the support they need through Facebook services like the Emotional Health Hub, so we can continue contributing positively to mental health initiatives on our platforms.”
Facebook has partnered with mental health experts to develop new guides and tools in the Emotional Health resource center on Facebook, which has comprehensive global mental health guides, resources and actionable tips. Region-specific guides and resources addressing additional mental health topics including stress, depression, and grief and loss are available in 25 languages. Over 23 million people around the world have been connected to resources from expert mental health organisations through the Hub. For more information visit Facebook's latest blog post here.
Article Published: 11/10/2021