Set up Facebook (you + your charity Page)

Personal setupSocial Presence · about 20 min · Volunteers and charity owners building the charity’s presence

Setting this up for your organization?Run your charity’s Facebook Page

Facebook follows the same rule as GitHub and LinkedIn: you have a personal account, and the charity has a Page that your account manages. Facebook requires a personal account to create and run a Page.

A Page is run by people, not a shared login

Never create a “fake person” account for the charity — Facebook removes those, which can take the Page down with them. Create your real personal account, then create the charity Page from it and add other real admins.

  1. 1

    Create your personal account

    Go to facebook.com and sign up with the email or phone number tied to your device, using your real name.

  2. 2

    Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA)

    Go to Settings & privacy → Settings → Accounts Center → Password and security → Two-factor authentication, pick your account, and choose Authentication app.

    Open one of your authenticator apps — FFC has you install both Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator (see the Multi-Factor Authentication guide). Use the one that matches the account where you can; for sites that aren’t Google or Microsoft, either app works.

    When the site shows a QR code, open your authenticator app, tap + / Add, and scan the QR code. The app starts showing a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds. Type the current code back into the website to confirm.

    Always save the backup / recovery codes the site gives you right after setup — store them in your password manager. They are how you get back in if you lose your phone.

  3. 3

    Create the charity’s Page

    Click your profile menu → See all profiles / Create → Page (or go to facebook.com/pages/create).

    Enter the charity’s name, choose a category (e.g. Nonprofit Organization), add a short description, then add the logo as the profile picture and a banner as the cover.

  4. 4

    Add admins and publish

    In the Page’s Settings → Page access, add at least one more person with admin/full control so the Page survives any one account being lost.

    Post a welcome update with the logo so the Page isn’t empty.

Common questions

Can’t I just make one Facebook account for the charity?

No — a “charity” account pretending to be a person violates Facebook’s rules and gets removed, which can take the Page down with it. Create your real personal account, then build the charity Page from it and add other real people as admins.

What if I don’t want to manage the Page from my personal account?

The Page is a separate space your account administers; your personal posts stay private and separate. You can also add co-admins so you’re not the only person who can manage it.

Next setup guides

Stuck on any step? Text Clarke Moyer at (520) 222-8104 — every step is meant to be simple, so if something doesn't match what you see, ask.