11 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Tips for Nonprofits

If you’ve never run a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, starting from square one may seem a little daunting. The peer-to-peer fundraising tips in this article will help kickstart your planning!

You probably have some questions. What are the benefits of this burgeoning fundraising strategy? Who should you recruit to fundraise? And how can you support them?

Let’s dig into P2P’s advantages and how to make it work for your organization!

Why Choose Peer-to-Peer Fundraising?

Peer-to-peer fundraising (P2P) uses your network of existing donors and supporters to fundraise for your nonprofit. Unlike other types of fundraising that rely solely on your organization’s connections and outreach, P2P empowers your supporters to tap into their friends’ and families’ generosity. 

This personal approach deepens your potential donor pool while securing donations—people are more likely to give when asked by someone they know and love. P2P fundraising is an effective way to mobilize your supporters, but it’s a little different from crowdfunding! Read more about the differences between the two below.

Here are a few more reasons why peer-to-peer fundraising is worth investing in.

1. The “Network Effect” Amplifies Your Reach

The “Network Effect” is a business world term that can also explain why peer-to-peer fundraising is so powerful. The effect happens when the number of people who use a product increases and other people decide to use it based on how many people already do.

If you directly ask five people to donate, you’ve only reached five people. But if those five people create a fundraising page and each of them asks twenty friends to donate, you’ve now reached 100 people. 

Peer-to-peer fundraising is an opportunity to increase awareness and exposure for your organization exponentially.

2. You Can Target New Donors

Many P2P donors are giving to support the fundraiser they’re connected with and may not be familiar with your mission. As a result, you’ll likely see an uptick in first-time donors because your participants are engaging people you might not have reached otherwise. With new donors in your database and on your radar, you’ll have an opportunity to build new connections that eventually convert them into repeat supporters.

3. Creates New Opportunities for Supporters to Engage

Not every supporter’s schedule may allow them to volunteer regularly in person. But, with peer-to-peer fundraising, they can volunteer their time in a more flexible way. While many P2P campaigns are tied to in-person fundraising events, much of the sharing and asking happens online and over an extended period of time.

P2P campaigns also offer your most passionate supporters an opportunity to spread the word about your mission and campaign. They’re probably already donating, volunteering, and attending events—participating in P2P fundraising gets them involved on an even deeper level. 

4. Diversifies Your Fundraising Strategy

If you’re accustomed to fundraising channels—like foundation and corporate grantmaking, for example—peer-to-peer fundraising works well alongside them.

Incorporating P2P into your fundraising strategy is a chance to put some of your fundraising “eggs” in another basket and diversify your approach. This can help you counter or offset unexpected changes to your revenue and provide another avenue for raising funds and meeting your goals.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Tips for Recruiting Ambassadors

When you’re planning a peer-to-peer campaign, you’ll want to focus on getting people to shout about your campaign from the rooftops and participate in fundraising. 

But who? And how? That’s what we’ll cover here.

1. Start With Your Staff

The team that works alongside you every day already has a personal connection to your mission. Encourage your staff to share the campaign within their networks, too. 

Staff can even set up their own (optional) fundraising pages. If your staff is separated by department, you could identify a team captain from each one and make it a friendly team vs. team competition!

2. Get Your Board Members Involved

Like your staff, board members are highly engaged with your mission and have committed to being involved in your organization’s growth. However, it can be challenging to engage board members in fundraising. A peer-to-peer campaign can be a simple way to get them involved!

You’ll need to equip your board for fundraising the same way you equip participants. Provide training on how to create a great P2P fundraising page, provide resources like email and social media templates, and assign a contact person to be available for questions. 

You could even consider setting aside a portion of your next board meeting to create fundraising pages together and making it a friendly competition with a fun incentive for the board member who raises the most.

3. Ask Your Most Enthusiastic Donors and Volunteers

You want the people who are most excited about and involved in your organization’s work to be the faces of your peer-to-peer campaign. When you’re thinking about who you’ll ask to participate in your next P2P campaign, think of who shows a lot of passion, enthusiasm, and dedication. 

These are the people who would likely be thrilled to tell their networks about your mission and ask their loved ones to donate. Remember your corporate partners and local businesses, too—if there are businesses in your community that repeatedly support you, they might make a great P2P fundraising team.

4. Spell It Out on a Campaign Landing Page

When you’re brainstorming a concept for a peer-to-peer campaign, consider an unmet need that you can turn into a specific ask. This may not be ideal for every campaign, but asking your supporters to raise funds for something specific and attainable can be very compelling.

Instead of, “Let’s raise money for Agloe Nature Center!” your supporters can say, “Let’s join together to raise $50,000 for Agloe Nature Center’s Fix the Forest campaign! Your generosity will help Agloe restore land that’s critical to our community and local wildlife.”

Supporting Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

The more support you can provide, the more empowered your P2P fundraisers will feel as they share about the campaign. In addition to equipping your fundraisers with resources like email and social media templates, fundraisers can use your support in a few other areas. 

1. Establish a Personal Connection

When someone creates a new fundraising page, reach out and thank them for participating. This is a great time to share your fundraising tips and resources and reiterate who they can contact with questions.

2. Remember to Check In

Put reminders on your calendar to periodically check in with your fundraisers to offer encouragement and support. A few ideal times to touch base are:

• Campaign launch day
• One week into the campaign
• Three weeks into the campaign (if applicable)
• Two weeks before the event
• The morning of the event

3. Cross-Promote Fundraising Pages 

When a fundraiser shares the campaign on social media, interact and give them a shout-out! Keep a pulse on how your fundraisers are doing and highlight the progress they’re making.

This is another way to encourage your P2P participants and give their fundraising page a little spotlight.

4. Meet Fundraisers Where They Are

Not every fundraiser will have the same level of engagement or success in peer-to-peer fundraising. Some people will need more support than others, and some may set up a fundraising page and then never engage again.

While it’s important to support everyone, recognize your superstars and give them the attention they deserve. Dedicate time to fundraisers who may be struggling but are excited and want to raise more.

Thanking Your Participants and Donors

When the campaign is over and the goal is met, there’s still one more thing left to say: thank you. Here’s how to make sure your P2P participants, donors, and everyone else involved feel appreciated and motivated to stay engaged after the campaign.

1. Spread Your Gratitude Far and Wide

You’ve been engaging with fundraising participants and donors through email and social media. Now, it’s time to send thank-yous through those same channels.

Email: Close the loop by writing personal emails to both your participants and the donors who supported them. The thank-you is a critical part of fundraising, and those who feel appreciated are more likely to stay connected and support your organization again in the future.

Social media: Social platforms love shareworthy, feel-good news, and the end of a campaign is just that! Give your fundraisers and supporters a public round of applause for their fantastic work.

Remember to thank those who reached out in other ways and helped beyond fundraising themselves—businesses that promoted the campaign, people who made in-kind donations, etc. Peer-to-peer fundraising truly takes a village!

2. Share Specific Thank-Yous

When you’re sending and posting thank-you messages, let your supporters know exactly what their hard work and generosity accomplished. For example, if someone had a $2,000 fundraising goal and raised $10,000, break down why their achievement matters and what they’ve made possible.

If you’ve built personal relationships with some of your top fundraisers, send them a text that says “thank you” and beyond. Tell them why your organization is so grateful for their support and how they can stay updated to see how the funds they raised will be put to good use.

3. Host a Celebration

Host a post-campaign celebration in your office, coordinate an off-site space for your fundraisers and supporters to celebrate together after the event, or schedule a virtual party.

Gatherings like this are an excellent opportunity for people to tell their stories. You could ask your top fundraisers to share their stories and what they did that made their campaign successful. Make it not only a thank-you party but a peer-to-peer learning opportunity as well!

Use this celebration to share how people can stay connected to your organization. Don’t ask for another donation just yet, but ask them to subscribe to your newsletter or follow along on social media for updates and upcoming opportunities to help again. People are already riding a post-campaign high—get their attention while they’re freshly engaged. Continuing to show appreciation for and build relationships with P2P participants will help you cultivate their loyalty and support for years to come.

Relationships matter in making a successful peer-to-peer fundraiser happen. Inspiring your ambassadors, equipping your fundraisers, and showing gratitude to your participants and donors all make a meaningful difference.

When you have passionate people advocating for your organization and a strategy that makes them feel valued, peer-to-peer fundraising can help you foster a sense of community that motivates your supporters to support your mission for years to come.

Ready to Elevate Your Next Peer-to-Peer Campaign?

As you put these peer-to-peer fundraising tips into action, technology can take your campaign to the next level. Neon Fundraise is designed to make it easier for nonprofits to manage their peer-to-peer campaigns with user-friendly features that empower your fundraisers and engage your supporters.

Streamline your processes and increase your next P2P campaign’s impact with Neon Fundraise. Explore the platform today and see how it can help you unlock your fundraising potential!

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