Tik Tok Will Match User Donations During Pandemic

To assist those impacted by the ongoing pandemic, TikTok is encouraging users to add new “donation stickers” to their videos and live streams.

“When a user taps on the donation sticker, they will be guided to a pop-up window where they can quickly and easily submit a donation without having to leave the app,” says Sean Kim, head of product at TikTok US.

In order to kick-start the initiative, TikTok has pledged to match the first $10 million in donations. It has also partnered with top charities, including the CDC Foundation, Meals on Wheels, and the James Beard Foundation.

Additional partners include the British Red Cross, the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation, No Kid Hungry and The Actors Fund.

For the new feature, TikTok is relying on fundraising platform Tiltify, which specializes in securely processing donations.

TikTok isn’t the only social network adding new features to help users weather the pandemic.

Earlier this month, Facebook added “Care” emojis to Messenger and its flagship app, which are designed to help people share their support with one another during the health crisis.

Also this month, Snapchat added a “Social Distancing Lens,” which employs augmented reality technology to create a virtual circle users.

“The digital barrier features a radius of approximately six feet … the minimum safe distance as recommended by the World Health Organization … and follows Snapchatters as they move throughout their environment,” said Rachel Weiner, creative strategy lead at Snapchat.

Other social networks have already committed big bucks to helping people impacted by the pandemic.

Last month, Facebook allotted $100 million for small businesses around the world, while its CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan donated $100 million to help find more effective COVID-19 treatments.

Amazon founder-CEO Jeff Bezos also said he was giving $100 million to help stock food banks, while Twitter cofounder-CEO Jack Dorsey committed $1 billion to helping the world recover from the crisis.
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