It is quite clear to everyone that this year has presented a lot of financial challenges. It looks like Instagram is out to help anyone that wishes to support friends and strangers through these tough times.

The photo-sharing platform is testing a new method of raising money, either for oneself or others through personal fundraisers. This has been introduced earlier by parent company Facebook back in 2017. For Instagram though, the feature is rolling out to select Android Instagram users across various countries.

This comes at a time when a lot of money has been raised through online platforms for COVID-19 relief and racial justice events. Instagram released a statement on the feature saying, “People are eager to mobilize around causes they care about. Now, we’re making it easier to create fundraisers directly on Instagram that benefit such personal causes.”

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Those who are lucky enough to access the feature early can visit Edit Profile > Add Fundraiser > Raise Money to get started. You will then have to choose a photo, select a category and add details that help tell your story and encourage others to get involved.

After entering your payment information, send the appeal off for review- a process to ensure all fundraisers are for “eligible causes”.

You should know that each campaign lasts an initial 30 days. It can, however, be extended more than once for an additional 30 days at the end of which the funds are transferred to your designated bank account.

Benefactors can also choose to remain anonymous but you will be able to see their name and donation amount.

“We’re continuing to look at new ways to help our community raise money for both charitable and personal causes in times of need,” says Instagram. The feature is likely to officially launch quite soon as the current situation is not about to go away anytime soon.