Lack of clarity for EU’s fundraisers as Meta bans ads on ‘social issues’

The owner of Facebook and Instagram will “no longer allow political, electoral and social issue ads” on its platforms in the European Union from the start of October.

Meta explained in a blog post that this “difficult decision” was the result of the EU’s upcoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which it says “introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties”.

The change “creates massive confusion [for charities and fundraisers] because Meta often classifies humanitarian ads as political”, points out Danish digital fundraising expert Christian Sophus-Ehlers in an article on ISOBRO’s website.

Other commentators agree that Meta has not clearly defined what it means by “social issues”, while Fundraising Norge adds in a statement that Meta is “often inconsistent and unclear in its categorisation of ads”.

It is also unclear how the new rules will be policed. There are many examples of seemingly non-compliant advertising on the site – to give one recent example, in July the Guardian reported that pro-Israel entities have raised money for military equipment through Meta ads. Meta’s guidelines state that ads may not promote the “sale or use of weapons”.

Consider alternatives and multiple versions

A number of other EFA members have informed their members of the development, clarifying that organic posts are not impacted, and advising charities to consider alternative channels for communications and fundraising.

Sophus-Ehlers has produced a step-by-step guide to help charities check whether they are likely to be impacted by the ban – although it recognises that there is no certainty so far about this matter.

A blog on the website of Charities Institute Ireland, written by marketing agency Thrive Marketing, gives several suggestions for what charities should do. Its overarching suggestion is:

“Take a breath and step back to look at the bigger picture. What is it you get currently from using Meta in your communications mix and what is the best work-around for you?”

Thrive’s other tips include “neutralising language” and avoiding terms which “could be interpreted as politically sensitive”, and developing multiple versions of an advert in order to see which are approved and which are rejected.

Beyond the EU

Fundraising Norge’s statement also says that there is a “high probability” that the ban will “eventually” be extended beyond the EU nations, to those in the European Economic Area (EEA), meaning it will directly impact charities in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. This assumption is made because Meta’s withdrawal of fundraising products last summer was initially only relevant to the EU, but was later extended to the EEA, according to Fundraising Norge.

Thrive’s blog also points out that the ban “also affects non-EU charities… if they target audiences within the EU”.

The European Fundraising Association, which has been monitoring the development, recently met with members and has also been in direct contact with the European Commission as well as with representatives from Meta to put forward perspectives and concerns. EFA is now collectively engaged in shaping a response.

Picture by Dima Solomin on Unsplash