What is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising? The Ultimate Guide

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?

Peer-to-peer fundraising (sometimes shortened to P2P fundraising) is a fundraising strategy where individuals organize personal campaigns to raise money on behalf of a nonprofit organization.

Organizations recruit volunteers among their supporter bases to launch personalized campaign pages. Volunteers then reach out to their networks of friends and family to collect donations for their campaigns.

What is the difference between peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding?

While peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding share some characteristics, they are two separate strategies.

Both crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising require your nonprofit to rely on its network of supporters reaching out to their friends and family (usually leveraging social media) to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit.

The difference lies in how your campaign is set up and how you share it. While crowdfunding campaigns empower your supporters to share the same campaign page across multiple sites and platforms, peer-to-peer fundraising empowers your volunteers to launch their own personalized pages to raise funds on your behalf.

As a result, your peer-to-peer fundraisers can create campaign pages that include personal information about their connections to your organization. This specificity and individualization further encourage new supporters to give to the campaign due to their relationship with your volunteer fundraisers. In fact, 39% of Americans say they’ve donated to a cause because of a request from a family member or friend.

Types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns

There are three primary types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns: rolling, time-based, and giving days.

Rolling campaigns

Rolling peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns operate without a time limit. They’re designed to raise a certain amount of money and those funds don’t have a set deadline.

If you want to give supporters the option to raise money on behalf of your nonprofit at any time, you might set up a rolling campaign on your site. That way, they can create a personalized campaign page whenever they want and dedicate the revenue to your annual fund.

An example of a rolling campaign is Alex’s Lemonade Stand’s fundraisers. Anyone can use the nonprofit’s resources to host their own lemonade stand fundraiser at any given time.

Time-based campaigns

Time-based peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are more common and require participants to raise funds by a specific deadline. These types of peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are often tied to events.

For example, an organization may launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign leading up to its annual walk-a-thon, like the Susan G. Komen More Than Pink Walk. This campaign would allow you to spread the word about the event, increasing revenue for the general campaign through peer-to-peer fundraising.

Giving days

Giving days operate like condensed versions of time-based campaigns that only last 24 hours. These campaigns create a sense of urgency for your supporters to reach their personal goals and help your nonprofit achieve its overarching goal in a short amount of time.

For these types of campaigns, your nonprofit can lean into established giving occasions like GivingTuesday or create its own giving days that make sense for your cause. For instance, an animal shelter may host a giving day on National Rescue Dog Day to raise funds for dog adoptions.

A real-life example of a giving day is American Red Cross Giving Day. Taking place during Red Cross Month, this day is dedicated to raising funds for families affected by home fires and other disasters.

Benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising

Hosting a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign allows you to cast a wide net and earn donations from many people simultaneously. It’s not just about accessing funding, though. Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns also offer opportunities for nonprofit organizations to connect more deeply with their supporters.

These campaigns can allow you to:

• Expand your network. Since your supporters are reaching out to their friends and family, you can expand your network to those new audience members. They’ll get a sense of your brand and what your organization is about and might be interested in learning more about your nonprofit.
  
• Allow supporters to get more involved. If you’re always reaching out to your supporters and asking for money, they may feel burnt out and unappreciated. Asking them to help raise money on your behalf is not only easier on their wallets but also provides a new and unique way for them to show their support.
  
• Engage supporters virtually. You can launch and host peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns entirely virtually. That way, supporters can conveniently get involved—no matter where they’re located.
• Grow your social media presence. Peer-to-peer campaigns spread like wildfire on social media, so they naturally help grow your nonprofit’s social media presence. You can expand your social media presence by interacting with supporters’ posts about their fundraising pages and encouraging them to reach their goals.

Before you launch your peer-to-peer campaign, choose which goals are most important for your organization, both in terms of revenue and engagement opportunities. That way, you can make focused decisions that drive your objectives forward.

For example, you may use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to engage your current supporter base and increase your retention rate. In this case, you might set goals regarding the percentage of current supporters you want to recruit to participate in the campaign. Then, you can specifically focus on encouraging supporters to participate, stewarding them, and showing your appreciation as they raise funds for your mission.

How to get started with peer-to-peer fundraising

Follow these steps to launch your own peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.

1. Determine your campaign’s goals.

Chances are, you’ll have multiple goals you’d like to accomplish. Determine all of your goals, and rank them in order of priority.

For example, you might decide that you have four goals for your campaign:

1. Raise money.
2. Steward existing supporters.
3. Expand your social media presence.
4. Expand your brand recognition.

From here, you need a revenue goal that will meet your needs. Let’s say that you want to raise $20,000. If you recruit 50 volunteers, you can encourage them to set a goal of raising $400 each for your campaign. If they’re successful, you’ll hit that $20,000 goal.

2. Choose a peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

Pick the software platform that will help your nonprofit reach its peer-to-peer campaign fundraising goals. Look for a solution with the following features:

• Individual and team fundraising pages
• Customizability
• Gamification tools
• Branded event pages
• Social sharing tools
• Fundraising thermometers

If you already use a dedicated peer-to-peer platform, add your campaign’s details to your main information page. Highlight the basics of your campaign, including your overarching goals and what the funds raised will support.

3. Recruit your peer-to-peer fundraising volunteers.

Start recruiting supporters to fundraise on your behalf by presenting the campaign’s objectives and goals. Position the opportunity as a way to get more involved with your nonprofit and become an ambassador for your cause.

It’s best to recruit supporters who have already shown a demonstrated interest in your cause. These may be avid volunteers, regular event attendees, dedicated donors, or engaged social media followers.

After you’ve recruited your supporters, show them how to launch their own campaign pages and make the most of the opportunity. Help them create their own compelling fundraising appeals based on their experiences with your nonprofit. People are more likely to give money to a person rather than an organization, meaning their unique words and appeals will drive more support than a generic message from your organization.

4. Support your fundraisers.

Support your volunteer fundraisers during every step of your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Provide tips throughout the campaign to show them how to take their fundraiser to the next level.

For instance, you might recommend:

• Making the first donation to the campaign to kick things off. This shows potential donors that they’re not starting from scratch.
• Reposting the peer-to-peer fundraising page at regular intervals on their social media accounts.
• Using groups on social media, such as Facebook groups, to reach people with similar interests.
• Leveraging other platforms like email and word-of-mouth marketing to reach new audiences.

Regularly check in with your supporters to assess their progress toward their individual goals. These check-ins will keep their motivation high as they continue to raise funds for your organization.

5. Celebrate reaching your goal.

When you hit your goal, celebrate! Reach out to all the supporters who helped fundraise on your behalf and thank them for their involvement.

On a smaller scale, when individual fundraisers hit their goals, reach out to congratulate them. Encourage them to continue raising money for the campaign so they know they can keep going and surpass their goal.

6. Thank all of your supporters.

After the campaign ends, it’s time to say a lot of thank yous. Thank every fundraiser for getting involved, and don’t forget to show appreciation for the donors who contributed to the campaign’s success.

Avoid lumping your donor and volunteer segments together. Instead, create personalized communications depending on how each individual participated in your campaign to reach everyone on a personal level.

To show your appreciation for your fundraisers, consider the following:

• Write emails and letters thanking them for their support.
• Provide prizes for your top fundraisers.
• Send updates about the project they raised funds for.
• Send a survey to get their feedback on the campaign.
• Create a special event for these fundraisers, or invite them to participate in a VIP activity at an existing event.

To show your appreciation for your donors, you might consider the following:

• Send additional newsletters or information about your mission.
• Call them to say thank you.
• Send handwritten thank-you notes.

These appreciation strategies will close out the campaign and make sure it ends on a high note for everyone involved. They will also encourage people to get more involved in the future, increasing your organization’s retention rate for these types of campaigns.

7. Track key campaign metrics.

Directly after the campaign, build a report of the key metrics that determine your campaign’s success.

Some of the metrics you might decide to analyze include your:

• Average donation size
• Supporter retention rate
• Number of new donors who contributed
• Marketing platform success rate
• Average amount raised per fundraiser

Analyze these metrics and identify opportunities for improvement. Then, make a note of these opportunities for the next campaign. We recommend conducting this analysis directly after the campaign so the details are still fresh in your mind.

Peer-to-peer fundraising ideas

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns can take many forms. Consider your development plan and the type of campaign that will best fit your needs.

Check out this comprehensive list of P2P fundraising ideas for even more ideas!

5K race

A 5K is a great way to inspire friendly competition among supporters while raising funds for your mission. Use your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to spread the word about the event and encourage participants to launch their own personal campaign pages ahead of time. That way, even those who can’t attend can donate and support your cause.

Walk-a-thon

Similar to your 5K race, you can encourage your walk-a-thon participants to raise funds for your cause before and during the event. Have supporters set up peer-to-peer pages and ask for pledges based on the distance they walk (i.e. $5 per number of laps or miles).

Sports tournament

Sports tournaments are exciting opportunities that encourage people to come out and support their local teams. Ask each team to set up a fundraising page as a part of your peer-to-peer campaign so supporters can cheer on their favorite team and show support by contributing to the campaign. The team that wins the tournament and the one that raises the most money for your nonprofit should receive a reward.

Team sports

Raising money for a single sports team is another great way to leverage a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Let’s say your nonprofit organizes a pick-up kickball game to raise money. Each team member can raise funds using their own personalized campaign page leading up to the big game.

Read-a-thon

Read-a-thons are perfect peer-to-peer fundraising opportunities for kids. Encourage them (with the help of their parents or guardians) to set up a campaign page and ask for sponsorships for the number of pages they read in a set period of time.

Holiday party

Your nonprofit’s holiday party is an exciting time for your organization. Invite supporters to attend and raise money leading up to the event. You might even offer a discount for entry (if you require an entry fee) for supporters who raise a certain amount of funds.

Merchandise campaign

Merchandise campaigns are special types of peer-to-peer campaigns where you sell merchandise to raise donations. Your supporters create their own campaign page connected to your organization. Then, when the supporters’ friends and family make a donation of a certain size, they’ll receive a t-shirt, mug, or other branded merchandise.

Tips for your next peer-to-peer fundraising campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising can be challenging, especially if you’re new to it. That’s why we’ve compiled several tips that you can use to maximize your campaign and help you succeed.

Here are our top tips for success:

• Center your supporters in your appreciation efforts. In your follow-up communications after your fundraiser, explain what donors and fundraisers made happen through their dedicated support. For example, instead of saying “Our nonprofit can now purchase 12 new beds for shelter dogs,” say “Because of your generous support, 12 shelter dogs will have a comfy place to sleep.”
• Encourage fundraisers to personalize their campaign pages. Provide training materials for your supporters, instructing them on how to personalize their campaign pages. Advise them on what content works best for peer-to-peer pages. For instance, images that feature the fundraiser at a nonprofit event or a beneficiary are especially impactful. Your fundraisers should also engage their networks with stories about their personal experiences with your cause.
• Leverage fundraising thermometers. Fundraising thermometers allow your donors to see exactly how much more money you have to raise to hit your fundraising goal, incentivizing donors to give. Brand your thermometer to your organization, and feature it on various campaign pages and your nonprofit’s website.
• Use leaderboards to gamify the campaign. Turn your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign into a competition by adding leaderboards to the mix. Rank your leading fundraisers for everyone to see and celebrate your top earners. After the campaign, award the winner with a prize.

Using the right online giving tool is essential for ensuring you can enact these various peer-to-peer fundraising tips. Prioritize the features you need for your specific peer-to-peer campaign, and compare different software providers to choose the one that’s best for your organization.

Our recommended peer-to-peer fundraising platform: Qgiv

To host an effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, you’ll need a platform that allows your supporters to customize their campaign pages and promote them to a wide audience. We recommend using Qgiv, an all-in-one peer-to-peer fundraising platform.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, user-friendly peer-to-peer fundraising platform, look no further than Qgiv. With Qgiv’s intuitive software, you can empower your fundraisers to customize their pages and encourage their networks of friends and family to contribute.

Check out some of the incredible features Qgiv has to offer:

• Team fundraising capabilities. Have your fundraisers team up to raise even more for your cause. With the ability to assign team captains, set recruitment and fundraising goals for each team, and leverage team leaderboards, the sky’s the limit for how much your participants can raise.
• Customizable events. Want to pair your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with an event? Qgiv allows you to easily accept registrations from any device through custom event pages—whether you’re hosting a 5K, walk-a-thon, or anything in between.
• Gamification elements. Make fundraising more fun with gamification. You can inspire friendly competition with leaderboards, reward fundraisers for hitting their goals with badges, and launch recruitment and fundraising contests that keep your supporters engaged.
• Email and social tools. Supporters can email their friends and family directly from their personal dashboards, making it easy to spread the word about your campaign. They can also use customized email and social post templates created by your team to keep communications consistent and on brand.
• Online store. Smash your fundraising goals by selling event merchandise in your online store to drive additional revenue. You may also create and sell sponsorship packages directly from your event page to keep everything in one place.

Plus, Bloomerang’s partnership with Qgiv allows nonprofits to put supporter relationships at the heart of every fundraising campaign. By combining Qgiv’s fundraising tools with Bloomerang’s donor management software, you can seamlessly sync your fundraising data and use it to build stronger donor relationships. With all of your fundraising data and tools in one place, you can unlock unparalleled insights that allow you to fortify your fundraising strategy over time.