A nonprofit’s guide to peer-to-peer fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising, or team fundraising, is an essential strategy that every nonprofit should harness. This approach echoes the phenomenon described 60 years ago by Harold (“Si”) Seymour in his groundbreaking work “Designs for Fund-Raising” (1966):

People seldom give serious sums without being directly asked to do so. And this goes even for trustees and all others at the very heart of causes. They give because people at their own or a higher level ask them to give [emphasis added]—usually more thoughtfully when asked with good reasons, more proportionately when the giving requirements are explained, and the worker [volunteer] himself has helped set the standards and more regularly and dependably when the contact is personal and influential.

This is the core of peer-to-peer fundraising (shortened to “P2P”). It’s our modern, technology-driven way of fulfilling relationship-based fundraising; having core volunteers and donors ask others to join them in supporting a nonprofit’s mission.

P2P fundraising is effective because of a cognitive bias known as “social proof.” We make decisions based on what we see other people doing because we want to feel like we belong. This is why it’s often more beneficial to have a community member or fellow donor serve as a solicitor or letter signer than a big-name celebrity or person with a fancy title.

P2P is a relatively low-cost, yet highly effective way for nonprofit organizations to fundraise. It relies on participants tapping into their own networks, meaning people will often hear about the cause for the first time through someone that they know.

Understanding peer-to-peer fundraising, available software tools, and best practices will help you harness this strategy effectively in your organization.

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a strategy that involves recruiting people who are close to your organization to run personal campaigns to share with their network of colleagues, friends, and family to raise money for your nonprofit—usually via social media and email.

There are many tech platforms that specifically support P2P. This typically consists of individual fundraising pages for each volunteer, along with customized email templates and social media posts to help them publicize the campaign. Many of the platforms will also allow any visitor to create their own fundraiser.

P2P is a fantastic way to engage key volunteers and your community in fundraising and advocacy. Done well, these campaigns can be tremendously successful. 

How does peer-to-peer fundraising work?

Peer-to-peer fundraising works by recruiting individuals to raise funds through their networks for a cause. This takes several forms, often involving some sort of event to engage the community.

Sometimes campaigns aren’t associated with a particular event or pledge but are there to honor a person or milestone event. For example, Facebook users can set up a fundraising or campaign page for their birthdays, or, sometimes people will fundraise for a particular cause in memory of someone who recently passed away.

This type of fundraising generally has a great return on investment for nonprofits. Peer-to-peer fundraising statistics show that you can reach a wider audience and generate more donations over time as repeat supporters come back for the fundraiser.

Benefits of peer-to-peer fundraising

P2P fundraising offers the following benefits for nonprofits:

Extends reach

Peer-to-peer campaigns help your organization reach more people than you might otherwise in a regular campaign. There may be people out there who have never been reached in your typical campaign activities, yet are supportive of your cause.

Each supporter shares their personal connection to the cause, reaching new audiences through friends, family, and social media. This turns them into ambassadors for your organization rather than simply donors.

Even people who wouldn’t typically be supporters of your organization will often step up to support a friend or family member. When kids post a link to the school walk-a-thon, all sorts of people donate who may not have done so if directly approached by the PTA.

Builds awareness

Another advantage of P2P fundraising is that you grow awareness of your cause by leveraging the networks of your fundraisers. It’s an opportunity to instill positive brand identity and trust in a wider audience. You may find that you grow more regular donors over time when supporters share your cause.

Strengthens donor loyalty

This deeper involvement leads to stronger relationships, turning one-time donors into lifelong supporters. Many people become enthusiastic repeat supporters of P2P initiatives, especially if they have enjoyable experiences with the fundraiser.

The sense of camaraderie and shared purpose enhances the nonprofit’s brand, as fundraisers share their personal stories, humanizing the organization and boosting its authenticity. This is great for building long-term relationships with donors and volunteers so that you can repeatedly hold successful campaigns.

You raise funds quickly and easily

P2P fundraising campaigns allow nonprofit organizations to maximize their use of time and resources. Instead of relying on staff hours to drive campaigns, supporters put their time into the fundraising process (although staff should still support the supporters in this!). Funds can be raised more quickly and easily than if the organization asks directly because people are supported by family and friends.

As an added bonus, nonprofit staff can often be working on other campaigns or initiatives at the same time, driving the mission forward.

Free marketing for your organization

P2P fundraising is essentially free marketing for your organization. Marketing costs soon add up when you try to reach a wide audience as part of your regular fundraising efforts. 

P2P fundraising will typically involve some sort of cost to reach the people who will be your fundraisers. However, you reach a wide audience once they sign up and share their link for donations. 

Successful peer-to-peer fundraising examples

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are often associated with an event, such as an “a-thon” or a challenge that the participant fundraises for in return for doing something.

• Teams in Oxfam Trailwalker undertake to fundraise a certain amount ahead of participating in the 100-kilometer race.
• Walk a Mile in Her Shoes participants walk a mile in high heels to raise funds and awareness for gender-based violence.
• World Vision 40-Hour Famine participants fast from food (or something else) for 40 hours to raise funds to provide food for children living in poverty.
• St. Baldrick’s participants shave their heads to raise money for childhood cancer research.
• Dry July participants give up all alcohol for the month of July and request donations for cancer charities.
• Movember participants allow their mustaches to grow for the entire month of November to raise money and awareness about men’s health issues—particularly mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.

Children’s run-a-thon, walk-a-thon, and read-a-thon events are widespread examples of peer-to-peer initiatives.

Peer-to-peer fundraising strategies & tips

The following are some experienced-based tips for successful P2P fundraising:

• Learn from past efforts and peers: Reflect on what worked (and what didn’t) in your previous P2P fundraising efforts and adjust accordingly. Reach out to other nonprofits that have run effective peer-to-peer fundraisers for tips and advice.

• Set goals for your campaign: Set clear fundraising goals for each team or individual fundraiser. These amounts should reflect the nature of the P2P challenge or event.

• Determine the structure: Make it clear what you’re raising money for with the P2P campaign. Use this as the basis for deciding when (and for how long) to run the campaign. P2P appeals that coincide with a specific giving day often work well.

• Define your target audience: Your fundraising strategy must match your target audience. A prospect research tool will help you drill down into who your audience is and what your campaign and fundraising strategy should look like.

• Set up for your volunteers: Provide prospective volunteers with “how to” guides, draft emails and social media posts, and automatic acknowledgments when someone gives.

• Tell compelling stories: Encourage fundraisers to share their own stories of connection and why the mission is important to them. You can also create a “story bank” so that you have several different stories of how your mission helps people and share them with your fundraisers.

• Plan your encouragement: Support your volunteer fundraisers as they invite and collect donations. You could also encourage some friendly competition with an internal “leaderboard” or short-term fundraising challenges.

• Have a detailed event plan: Plan meticulously for any event that’s part of your P2P fundraiser—especially where safety is concerned. Returning volunteer fundraisers raise far more than beginners, so make sure the event is one they’ll want to participate in again!

• Give participants what they need to be successful: Help your volunteers fundraise effectively by giving them access to effective software, marketing materials, automatic thank-you emails, and key information on how to be successful. (Hint: You can create these materials 16x faster using a generative AI tool for nonprofits.)

• Focus on long-term relationship-building: Create a very strong, post-appeal stewardship plan to engage P2P-acquired donors. This donor journey should minimally include a warm and fuzzy thank you, acknowledgment of the person who asked them, and a story-driven introduction to your organization.

• Evaluate and adjust: Measure engagement and donations throughout the campaign and make adjustments as needed. P2P campaigns need constant nurturing and updating in order to reach their potential.

• Always follow up: Thank all volunteer fundraisers for their efforts and let them know how they have impacted your mission. Ask for feedback about what did and didn’t work to help you improve for future campaigns.

Choosing a peer-to-peer fundraising platform

Access to comprehensive peer-to-peer fundraising tools will make your campaign far more effective. Ideally, you want a platform that is both easy to use and has the right features for what you need.

Look for a peer-to-peer platform that:

• Integrates seamlessly with your CRM for importing donor data and gifts, as well as information about the volunteer solicitor
• Allows you to create individual giving pages for each volunteer and, ideally, allow visitors to create their own fundraising page, should they wish to
• Allows for customization so that you can create brand-related graphics and images, as well as clear case-for-support and compelling storytelling
• Integrates with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email to help fundraisers share their campaigns with potential donors

• Offers secure payment processing with a transparent fee structure
• Offers robust tracking and reporting tools, so you can track how fundraisers are performing, where donations are coming from, and what messaging is most effective.

Plan for a successful P2P fundraising campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns are often very successful, with 39% of Americans saying they’ve donated to charity based on a request from a friend or family member. To run a successful P2P fundraiser, plan carefully and ensure that all the elements are in place for success. This includes running a campaign that will appeal to your target audience, along with giving them everything they need to successfully raise funds.

The importance of a clear, intentional “donor journey” for everyone who gives through your peer-to-peer fundraiser cannot be overstated. These respondents aren’t “your” donors… yet. It’s very likely that their allegiance is to the person who solicited them. However, with a strategic structure of follow-ups, acknowledgments, and thank yous, they may become some of your most loyal and engaged donors in years to come.

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T. Clay Buck

With over 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and fundraising, T. Clay Buck is the Founder & Principal of Next River Fundraising Strategies, a consultancy focused on individual giving, strategy, systems, and storytelling. He also teaches fundraising and strategic planning at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is the co-host of the #1 ranked fundraising podcast, Fundraising is Funny.