Peer-to-Peer Fundraising 101: The Ultimate Guide

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a great way to bring in new supporters and more donations — at the same time. In this blog, we’ll teach you all the basics of P2P fundraising and much more.

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?
Peer-to-peer fundraising is a method of fundraising that leverages the networks and connections of individuals to raise money for a specific cause or organization. It is sometimes referred to as P2P fundraising or social fundraising.

How does peer-to-peer fundraising work?

Photo credit: OneCause

In peer-to-peer fundraising, individuals, often called fundraisers or participants, create personal fundraising campaigns on behalf of a nonprofit organization or a specific cause. They set up online fundraising pages or platforms where they can share their story, goals, and progress with their personal connections: friends, family, and social networks.

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns often incorporate elements of gamification and friendly competition. Fundraisers may set fundraising goals and milestones, and they can track their progress in real-time. They may also form teams and compete with other teams or individuals to see who can raise the most money.

Peer-to-peer fundraising examples
Charity walk/run events 🏃
P2P fundraiser

This type of fundraising involves organizing walkathons, marathons, or similar events where participants raise money by seeking donations from their friends, family, and colleagues. Participants create individual fundraising pages and share their goals and progress as they train and prepare for the event. On the day of the event, they come together to walk or run, raising awareness and funds for a specific cause or organization.

Birthday fundraisers 🎂
Instead of receiving gifts for their birthdays or other celebrations, individuals can set up fundraising campaigns and donation forms and ask their friends and family to donate to a cause they support. They share their personal stories and explain why the cause is meaningful to them, encouraging others to contribute to the campaign. It allows people to celebrate while making a positive impact.

 Giving days 📆
 Giving days are typically 24-hour online fundraising events organized by nonprofits or community foundations. They encourage supporters to create their own fundraising pages or personal campaigns and reach out to their networks to collect donations within the specified time frame. Giving days often include friendly competitions, matching funds, or other incentives to motivate fundraisers and donors. Examples include Giving Tuesday or specific regional giving days.

Challenge campaigns 💪
In a challenge campaign, an individual or group sets a specific challenge or goal and invites others to donate once the challenge is completed. For instance, someone may pledge to shave their head, run a marathon, or undertake a daring activity once a certain fundraising milestone is reached. These challenges generate excitement and can inspire others to contribute to the cause while supporting the participant’s efforts.

P2P fundraiser 

🏆 Real-life example: The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge campaign took social media by storm in 2014 and raised millions of dollars for the ALS Association. Participants were challenged to pour a bucket of ice water over their heads, film it, and share it on social media. They then nominated others to take on the challenge and donate to ALS research. The campaign generated widespread awareness and engaged millions of participants, significantly increasing donations to the organization.

Why is peer-to-peer fundraising important for nonprofits?
Many nonprofits rely on P2P fundraisers to raise money, and engage supporters. Benefits of  P2P fundraisers include:

Expanding reach 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
 P2P is a great fundraising strategy that taps into the networks and connections of individuals, enabling nonprofits to reach a wider audience. Fundraisers engage their friends, family, colleagues, and social circles, reaching people who may not be familiar with the organization or cause. This broadens the organization’s reach and helps attract new donors and supporters, and create a wider range of potential donors.

Increased fundraising potential 📈
 Peer-to-peer fundraising has the potential to generate significant funds due to its network effect. As your donor base recruits more participants and those participants, in turn, reach out to their networks, the campaign’s reach and impact grow exponentially. This multiplication effect allows nonprofits to raise more money than they could through traditional fundraising methods alone.

Cost-effectiveness 💰
 Peer-to-peer fundraising can be a cost-effective strategy for nonprofits. By empowering individual supporters as fundraisers, organizations can leverage their supporters’ efforts, reducing the need for extensive marketing and advertising campaigns. Nonprofits can focus their resources on providing support, resources, and tools to fundraisers, while the fundraisers actively raise funds on their behalf.

Community building 🤝
 Peer-to-peer fundraising helps build a sense of community and engagement around a cause. Participants come together to support a shared goal, forming teams or joining existing communities. This fosters a sense of camaraderie and motivates individuals to work collaboratively towards a common purpose. The community aspect of peer-to-peer fundraising can lead to long-term supporter relationships and ongoing involvement with the organization.

What are the disadvantages of peer-to-peer fundraising?
Of course, like any fundraising tactic, there are a few drawbacks to consider. When it comes to P2P fundraiser, cons include:

❌ Fundraiser recruitment and engagement
 Recruiting a sufficient number of fundraisers and keeping them engaged throughout the campaign can be a challenge. Not all supporters may be willing or able to take on the role of fundraisers, and maintaining their motivation and enthusiasm can require ongoing communication, support, and recognition from the nonprofit.

❌ Fundraiser skill and commitment variability
 Peer-to-peer fundraising relies on the efforts and abilities of individual fundraisers. While some may excel in their fundraising efforts, others may struggle to reach their goals. The success of the campaign can vary depending on the fundraising skills and commitment levels of the participants.

❌ Administrative and support burden
 Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns often require administrative resources to provide support to fundraisers, track donations, and address inquiries or technical issues. Nonprofits need to allocate staff or volunteer time to assist and guide fundraisers throughout the process. This can increase the workload and operational complexity for the organization.

Peer-to-peer fundraising best practices
P2P fundraiser

✅ Provide clear fundraising guidelines
Establish clear guidelines and expectations for fundraisers, including fundraising goals, timelines, communication guidelines, and any specific restrictions or requirements. This helps ensure consistency and aligns fundraising efforts with the organization’s mission and values.

✅ Offer fundraiser support and resources
Provide comprehensive support and resources to fundraisers to help them succeed. This may include personalized coaching, fundraising toolkits, sample messaging, social media graphics, and email templates. Regular communication and updates can keep fundraisers motivated and engaged throughout the campaign.

✅ Foster a sense of community 💛
Encourage fundraisers to connect with each other, share their experiences, and support one another. Building a sense of community among participants can enhance their motivation and create a supportive environment where they can exchange ideas, ask questions, and celebrate achievements together.

✅ Use online fundraising platforms 
Utilize user-friendly online fundraising platforms thatmake it easy for fundraisers to set up their personal fundraising pages, track progress, and collect donations. These platforms often provide social sharing features, allowing fundraisers to amplify their reach by leveraging social media networks.

✅ Gamify the fundraising experience 
 Incorporate gamification elements into the campaign to make it more engaging and fun. Set fundraising milestones, recognize and reward top fundraisers or teams, and create friendly competitions or challenges. Leaderboards, badges, and incentives can motivate participants to strive for higher fundraising goals.

✅ Leverage personal stories and impact  
 Encourage fundraisers to share personal, compelling stories about why they are passionate about the cause and the impact their donors can make. Authentic storytelling helps create emotional connections, builds social proof, and inspires others to support the cause. Provide examples or prompts to help fundraisers craft compelling narratives.

✅ Communicate regularly 
 Maintain open and frequent communication with fundraisers throughout the campaign. Provide updates on progress, highlight individual and team achievements, and share success stories to keep participants motivated and informed. Regular communication also allows fundraisers to ask questions, seek guidance, or address any challenges they may encounter.

✅ Express gratitude 
 Show appreciation and gratitude to fundraisers and donors for their efforts and contributions. Acknowledge their impact through personalized thank-you messages, social media shout-outs, or recognition events. Feeling appreciated and valued strengthens the relationship between the organization and its supporters.

 

Peer-to-peer fundraising: Event recap reports
Personalized messaging is always important when it comes to donor stewardship — and with P2P fundraising, much is the same. 

Annual report for church

Creating engaging digital reports is one of the best ways to celebrate your peer-to-peer fundraising success and keep the momentum going. Instead of only thanking supporters and sharing results with social media shoutouts and direct mail, a digital report has the power to impress and spread the word about your cause even further.

👉 Create custom digital reports for anyone with Yearly Precision →

In the event recap report, acknowledge and highlight the achievements and milestones the team or individual fundraisers reached. This could include surpassing fundraising goals, exceptional participation, or any unique efforts or events they organized. Celebrate their successes and make them feel valued for their contributions.

When creating your event recap, be sure to:

Share impact and results 📈
Outline the impact and results of the peer-to-peer fundraiser in the report. Include the total funds raised, the number of donors reached, and any specific outcomes or projects that will be supported with the funds. Demonstrating the real-world impact of their efforts reinforces the value of their involvement.

Provide visuals   📸
Incorporate visuals such as photos or graphics to make the reports visually appealing and engaging. Showcasing images of the fundraisers in action, fundraising events, or the impact made by their efforts can enhance the reports’ impact.

Express gratitude  🙌
 Throughout the reports, express sincere gratitude for the fundraisers’ dedication, hard work, and commitment to the cause. Emphasize their impact and how their involvement has directly contributed to the success of the peer-to-peer fundraiser.

Spread the word 📢
Share the report with the respective teams or individuals personally and meaningfully. This could be through personalized emails, printed copies, via e-newlsetter, or social media. 

⭐ Ready to start using a digital report template? Sign up for Yearly Precision →

 

Peer-to-peer fundraising: take the pressure out of personalization 🚀
Impact report made with Yearly

 No matter what peer-to-peer fundraising software you use, or what types of peer-to-peer campaigns your launch, thanking donors and showing them the results of their contributions is essential for carrying on the momentum and building a robust community of supporters. 

Take the stress out of personalization with Yearly Precision and create endless custom reports for every supporter — in minutes.

⭐ To get started, sign up for a free 14-day trial →

Josh Kligman is the CEO of Yearly, a platform for nonprofits to create their own digital reports. Josh has been working with nonprofits on annual reports, brands and partnerships since 2011. He is helping nonprofits create more engaging, digital annual and impact reports with Yearly. Throughout his career, Josh has helped launch and run nonprofit brand campaigns and media partnerships nationally and locally, using television, radio and web, to amplify the reach of campaigns and provide demonstrated value for non-profit stakeholders. Josh received his B.A. from American University in Communications and his M.B.A. from American University in Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship.