11 Best Practices for Successful Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising is an essential tool for nonprofits and individuals. Whether you’re an organization looking for ways to increase revenue or an individual that needs to pay for surgery, peer-to-peer can help you meet your goal. This post provides a video series along with best tips and practices for a successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

7 minutes read
11 Best Practices for Successful Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising has become an essential tool for nonprofits and individuals. Whether you’re an organization looking for ways to increase your revenue streams or an individual hoping to pay for surgery, peer-to-peer fundraising has proven to be the best way to meet your goal.

Nonprofits that have included peer-to-peer fundraising in their annual fundraising plans and as part of other events will see a quick increase in outreach and funds raised.

As you include peer-to-peer fundraising in your plans, note how supporters feel empowered and are more interested in deeper participation with your nonprofit. This article will give you 11 tips and best practices for successful peer-to-peer fundraising.


11 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Best Practices for Success with Your Campaign

We’ll dive into our 11 effective peer-to-peer fundraising best practices but first, we have a bonus resource for you!

Donorbox has created a video series on Youtube to help your nonprofit achieve peak performance through your peer-to-peer campaigns (especially, great for visual learners). Quickly learn how to prime your fundraisers for their campaigns, help them achieve maximum success, and more with this Donorbox video series.

Let’s see what we’ve got here –

  1. Decide on Your Goals and Plan Accordingly
  2. Add Peer-to-Peer Campaigns to Existing Events
  3. Make it Easy to Register and Fundraise
  4. Connect Individually with Each Fundraiser
  5. Train your Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers
  6. Use Different Social Media Channels for Marketing
  7. Fuel Fundraisers’ Campaigns with Updates
  8. Offer Fundraising Templates
  9. Create a Game for Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers
  10. Track Performance Data of All Campaigns
  11. Acknowledge Fundraisers and Donors

1. Decide on Your Goals and Plan Accordingly

Before starting a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, it is best to list the goals your nonprofit hopes to achieve. Set a plan accordingly.

When creating the plan, include the amount you hope to raise and the list of potential fundraisers. Also mention how your relationship with fundraisers will continue after the campaign. In addition to financial goals, think of other areas you would like to see grow. Here is a list of ways a peer-to-peer fundraiser can benefit your organization:

  1. New donor acquisition through your fundraisers
  2. Donor retention via increased engagement
  3. Social media shares from fundraisers
  4. Increased event attendance because of fundraisers’ involvement
  5. Increased web traffic as more people will show interest in your organization

2. Add Peer-to-Peer Campaigns to Existing Events

If peer-to-peer fundraising is new to your organization, it may be best to include this campaign type in an established fundraising event. It also takes away some pressure. Events that have been around for a while will already collect funds, so if you find peer-to-peer fundraising challenging at first, you can use this time as a chance to learn all the tricks of the trade.

On Donorbox, you can easily enable peer-to-peer fundraising on your existing campaigns. It’s as simple as toggling a switch and a few clicks to send fundraiser invites to your supporters, asking them to join your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. This process is simple and automated on your Donorbox account!

peer-to-peer fundraising best practices


3. Make it Easy to Register and Fundraise

The best way to make it convenient for your fundraisers to create and run their own campaigns is to choose an effective peer-to-peer fundraising tool. It should let them easily signup, customize their fundraising pages as they like, and get started.

Donorbox helps nonprofits create peer-to-peer campaigns from which they can easily invite their supporters through names and email addresses. Supporters will receive an email, after which they’ll be guided to signup and set up their fundraising page. Nonprofits can also leave a button on the top of their original campaign page, letting interested people fundraise for the cause.

A campaign like the one below is easy to set up and takes only clicking a few buttons for your fundraisers to get started. They get a robust fundraising form, fundraising thermometer, a space to add their story, image, background picture, and more. With a page like this, it becomes easier for one to accept donations from their friends and family.

peer-to-peer fundraising


4. Connect Individually with Each Fundraiser

Providing online tools is not the only way to encourage participation. In most cases, organizations will have to personally reach out to supporters. Before sharing the option online, it is best to choose a few supporters with significant online connections and knowledge. If your nonprofit can entice them to join the fundraiser, you will have a better chance of success.

Pro tip: You should do research on nonprofit advocates who talk about and support similar causes. Most of them should have a good number of followers and amount of experience in the field. Connect with them in person and talk about the possibility of their fundraising for your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. It’s a great way to boost your outreach and turn their followers into your donors.


5. Train Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

Once you have convinced a few supporters to join in on the fun, you’ll want to train them on ways to raise funds and market their campaign. This is especially true for organizations and supporters new to this type of fundraising. Nonprofits can use several training tools to educate participants before their campaigns begin.

  1. In-person training sessions by experienced fundraisers
  2. Online “how-to” sessions by your team
  3. Pre-recorded training videos on your peer-to-peer fundraising tool
  4. FAQs and Staff available for questions
  5. Onboarding resources for fundraisers, including videos and other materials

6. Use Different Social Media Channels for Marketing

At the beginning of your campaign, look at the volunteers you already have signed up, and determine the right social media tools for these individuals. Facebook will probably be your primary social media account, but others like Instagram and Twitter are equally important. If you have a younger donor base, you may also want to invest time into exploring popular apps like TikTok and Snapchat.

Once you have decided which social media channels you’ll include, be sure to include social sharing buttons on your original campaign as well as child campaigns and on all marketing pieces. As your teams begin to fundraise, use the tracking tools available to monitor supporters’ activities.

peer-to-peer fundraising tips

Pro tip: Each fundraiser will have more followers on one social media platform than others. Encourage them to focus more on that particular platform while also continuing to market to others. The goal is to target and reach more potential donors and supporters and spread the word about your organization. For example, the above campaign – the fundraiser has already crossed its fundraising goal.


7. Fuel Fundraisers’ Campaigns with Updates

Once your supporters start their peer-to-peer campaigns, your office will move from primary fundraiser to support staff. You can continue to raise funds with your original campaign but at the same time, you will also have to help the fundraisers.

Each campaign should be monitored to see when someone may need help. You should share the success of the campaigns and updates on any fundraising or program details. When supporters begin to collect funds, find ways to thank and congratulate their efforts online.


8. Offer Fundraising Templates

Another way you can support your fundraisers is to provide templates they can use throughout their campaigns. Before the fundraiser begins, create donor appeal emails and social media posts, donation receipts along with thank-you notes for their donors. Making it quick and easy to send these communication pieces helps ensure their use.

Donorbox lets fundraisers add their own stories to their fundraising pages. If you provide them with description guidelines, so they can easily use it to add a personally written fundraising appeal, that explains your cause and why it is important for them (shown in the image below).

They can also utilize your donation receipt templates to customize the ones that their donors will receive automatically after making the donations. All this along with your communication templates will ensure utmost success for a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

peer-to-peer fundraising


9. Create a Game for Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

Everyone loves a challenge! By including a game and creating fundraising teams, you will increase involvement and encourage more significant participation from your volunteers. This is especially true if you include an enticing prize. As volunteers begin to fundraise, keep track of how much each team has raised. Share their successes on social media and your website.

Pro tip: While you reward your most successful fundraiser, do not forget to appreciate all the others. They should all feel acknowledged for their hard work and efforts. Let them all know how you have benefited from their fundraising campaigns.


10. Track Performance Data of All Campaigns

peer to peer fundraising best practices

Each peer-to-peer campaign will follow its own path. To get the most out of this type of fundraiser, your nonprofit must track all available data from each campaign. Peer-to-peer fundraisers offer a wide variety of essential data for your nonprofit. When monitoring each campaign, you can collect answers to the following questions:

  • How many are new donors?
  • How many are return donors? Have you included the personal connection they have with the fundraiser in your donor database?
  • How many people have shared the campaign pages on their social media accounts?
  • Have these campaigns encouraged people to attend an event?
  • How have people visited your website from these campaigns? Did they spend time looking at different web pages?
  • How are fundraisers sharing their involvement with the organization?
  • Which of the campaigns have not done so well and how do they differ from the successful ones?

The information collected from these campaigns will help your organization collect vital donor information and find areas for improvement.


11. Acknowledge Fundraisers and Donors

At the end of your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, your nonprofit must find ways to thank donors and fundraisers. If your peer-to-peer fundraiser was part of another event, you should take the time to call all fundraisers up to the stage and share with the audience how much was raised thanks to their efforts. If the campaign was done entirely online, you can thank fundraisers on all social media apps, your website, and with personal emails.

Acknowledge all your donors, including those who have donated to your fundraisers’ campaigns. Choose a tool that automates the process of sending donation receipts from both original and child campaigns. But at the same time, make it a point to send personalized emails and thank-you letters to your donors for a long-lasting relationship.


Bonus Resource – The Roadmap to a Successful Peer-to-Peer Campaign

Join Jena Lynch, the Nonprofit Advocate at Donorbox, as she discusses the ways to create a successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with Chris Hammond and Brittany LaGanke from Corporate Giving Connection. Their expert views and tips will help you harness the power of peer-to-peer for your nonprofit in the most effective way.


Final Thoughts

peer to peer fundraising best practices

Peer-to-peer campaigns can be successful on their own or as part of a larger event. With a little research, time, and effort, your nonprofit can find the right supporters and train them on the best ways to fundraise and promote the organization.

Donorbox lets nonprofits create peer-to-peer campaigns, turn their existing campaign into one, and more. We are the most affordable online donation processor out there. Visit our website to learn more.

Donorbox also provides weekly tips and fundraising resources for nonprofits – sign up for our newsletter and receive access to new blog posts and fundraising insights.

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Kristine Ensor is a freelance writer with over a decade of experience working with local and international nonprofits. As a nonprofit professional she has specialized in fundraising, marketing, event planning, volunteer management, and board development.

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