Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising leverages your supporters’ networks by spreading awareness and building donation momentum during Giving Season. Below, I’ll explain how to leverage these tools to increase your year-end donations.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!As the end of the year approaches, you may be looking for ways to hit your fundraising revenue, achieve new goals, and attract new donors. Giving Season peer-to-peer and crowdfunding tools can help you finish strong with a great end-of-year campaign.
Online Giving Season campaigns have been a game-changer for nonprofits like yours. According to M+R Benchmarks’ latest report, nonprofits received 37% of their total 2025 online donations during December alone.
Below, I’ll explain how to utilize crowdfunding and peer-to-peer tools in your Giving Season campaigns to elevate your fundraising, expand your donor base, and end the year with a sense of accomplishment.
Giving Season has its roots in the early 1900s, when favorable tax policies encouraged businesses and individuals to actively support charitable causes.
This tradition of giving was galvanized in 2012 with the launch of Giving Tuesday, a day of “radical generosity” held on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.
Today, organizations like yours see Giving Tuesday as the perfect time to launch successful year-end campaigns, using tools like crowdfunding and peer-to-peer to quickly spread the word and build donor interest and support.
Deciding on whether to run a peer-to-peer or crowdfunding campaign this Giving Season will depend on your fundraising objectives and the resources at your disposal.
If your goal is to raise funds for a specific appeal in a short period of time, then crowdfunding is the best option. These campaigns typically have a fundraising deadline and work toward a specific goal.
If you want to encourage supporters to fundraise for you while growing your donor base, consider peer-to-peer fundraising.
Supporters create their own fundraising pages and promote your year-end campaign in their networks, increasing your organizational awareness and fundraising potential.
Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer are similar because they rely on social sharing to spread the word. Both tactics also focus on attracting a larger number of smaller donations instead of fewer larger ones.
From there, these fundraising methods differ in the following ways:
| Crowdfunding | Peer-to-Peer |
|---|---|
| Used by individuals, corporations, and nonprofits | Primarily used by nonprofit organizations |
| Often used to achieve moderate or short-term goals | Can be used to raise more money over the long term |
| Typically relies on an already-engaged audience of followers | Intended to increase donor numbers, expand awareness, and boost retention |
| Offers more control over brand and messaging consistency | Requires finding and training supporters to communicate your message |
| Promotes a single donation page that can be easily maintained | Uses multiple websites to promote and share with potential donors |
| A simple, effective solution when time and resources are limited | Requires more time, planning, and engagement with participants |
When used properly, these campaigns can build a wave of fundraising momentum that continues throughout the Giving Season.
Many successful nonprofits have taken their fundraising potential to the next level by turning their crowdfunding campaign into a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Platforms like Donorbox let you quickly turn your crowdfunding campaign into a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign by toggling a switch.
Bonus resource: Check out this blog post that compares the similarities and differences between crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising in detail.
A crowdfunding campaign features a dedicated landing page with your fundraising story and a clear call to action, plus a set start and end date.
Engage your donors and subscribers with tools like a donor wall to acknowledge gifts, a goal meter to create a sense of urgency, and social sharing buttons.
Crowdfunding success relies on the power of social proof. As subscribers see their friends, family, and peers donate, they’ll feel more inclined to contribute. This is how the Giving Tuesday movement generated $4 billion in 2025.
There are many ways to incorporate a crowdfunding strategy into your Giving Tuesday or Giving Season campaign.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
A successful crowdfunding campaign requires a flexible platform that gives you options to effectively tell your story, encourage social sharing, and provide a frictionless donor experience.
Platforms like Donorbox Crowdfunding help you effectively engage your supporters with flexible features. Customize your page to match your branding, share regular campaign updates to keep them informed on your progress, and publicly acknowledge donors who opt in with a donor wall. Supporters can also easily subscribe to receive email updates.
Use a goal meter to clearly communicate your fundraising goal and encourage supporters to share your campaign on social media to increase awareness of your cause.
See how The Daily Orange used Donorbox Crowdfunding and exceeded their fundraising goal for Giving Tuesday 2025:
Start Crowdfunding with Donorbox
Peer-to-peer fundraising requires more work to mobilize participants and train them to represent your mission accurately. However, this fundraising tactic can be highly successful when you put in the effort.
Peer-to-peer fundraising is particularly effective because people are more likely to contribute if they hear about your cause from someone they trust. This enables you to reach donors outside of your network and maximize your fundraising potential.
Pro tip: Consider using peer-to-peer campaigns to support fundraising challenges like walk-a-thons, turkey trots, or a Santa run.
Here are some helpful ways to maximize the success of your Giving Season peer-to-peer fundraising campaign:
A flexible end-of-year peer-to-peer campaign engages your supporters to reach new donors and build a strong base for your future campaigns.
Using a platform that enables you and your supporters to easily set up a peer-to-peer fundraising page is crucial for the success of your campaign. It should enable you to include your story, share your campaign, and easily recruit fundraisers.
Donorbox Peer-to-Peer, for example, allows you to quickly and easily set up a customizable campaign and provide donors with a seamless giving experience. Send personal fundraising invites to supporters, or allow anyone to sign up by clicking the “I want to fundraise for this” button on your main campaign page.
Include up to four recurring giving options to raise steady financial support, allow supporters to share your campaign in one click with social sharing buttons, and leverage data analytics to track insights and donor engagement.
See how Teen Driving Solutions School created a 2025 Giving Tuesday peer-to-peer fundraising campaign using Donorbox Peer-to-Peer:
Bonus resource: Check out this comprehensive tutorial on how to set up a peer-to-peer campaign. To compare the best peer-to-peer fundraising platforms, visit this blog post.
Watch this video to learn how three nonprofits combined proven fundraising strategies with Donorbox’s fundraising features to maximize their Giving Tuesday fundraising success:
Whether you rely on crowdfunding, peer-to-peer fundraising, or a combination of the two this Giving Season, avoid the following pitfalls to maximize the success of your fundraising:
In addition, don’t forget to steward your supporters after your Giving Season campaign ends. Send an impact update and personalized thank-you with next-step actions to continue building trust and engagement.
Launching a Giving Season campaign is a great way to help increase awareness of your mission, grow your donor base, and meet your annual fundraising goal. Crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising help you leverage other people’s social networks to scale support for your mission.
Platforms like Donorbox offer empowering fundraising features designed to help nonprofits like yours raise more this Giving Season and beyond.
If you haven’t already, sign up to start fundraising today.
For more fundraising tips and ideas, check out the Nonprofit Blog. Subscribe to the monthly newsletter for a curated selection of resources sent straight to your inbox.
Milly is a freelance writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in the fields of content marketing, communications, and brand voice. Grounded in journalistic tradition, she develops messaging and communication strategies for nonprofits, startups, and businesses.
Join the fundraising movement! Join the fundraising movement!
