Facebook added a new feature to Gifts Thursday: the ability to make charitable contributions in honor of your friends and family. The program kicks off with 11 non-profit partners, including the American Red Cross, the Boys and Girls Club of America and Livestrong.
The social network had invited the press to a Facebook Gifts event in New York scheduled for Thursday, but the event was called off because of Hurricane Sandy. The launch this week presents a great opportunity for the many Americans looking for ways to give back following the storm's devastation in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
In the blog post entitled "Charitable Contributions on Facebook Gifts," Facebook recommends buying charitable gifts for birthdays or other special occasions.
Each time you buy a charitable Facebook Gift, you have the option of choosing a non-profit recipient or letting your friend you're gifting choose.
The complete list of participating non-profits at launch includes American Red Cross, Blue Star Families, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, DonorsChoose.org, Girls Inc., Kiva, LIVESTRONG, Oxfam America, RAINN, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, and Water.org.
A secondary goal of gifts -- beyond raising money -- is to spread awareness of the work of non-profit organizations.
"We hope that in addition to helping these important organizations raise funds, Facebook Gifts will also raise awareness about the thousands of nonprofits around the world," Facebook's Jared Morgenstern wrote in the blog post.
Would you buy charitable Facebook Gifts for your friends and family? Let us know what you think of this mix of social media and social good in the comments below.