How to Build an Effective Personal Fundraising Page

Are you ready to make a meaningful impact and inspire others to join your cause? Whether you’re running a marathon to raise money for mental health or you are a nonprofit considering hosting a peer-to-peer birthday fundraiser, building an effective personal fundraising page is the first step towards creating positive change in the world.

At CauseVox we are inspired daily by people like you who capture hearts, ignite passion, and drive change by fundraising for causes you really care about! We’ve created this how-to so you can truly make your fundraising page shine. 

What is Peer-To-Peer Fundraising?

You’ll often find that personal fundraising pages are a part of a larger peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. If you’re scratching your head wondering what that means, allow us to explain.

Peer-to-peer fundraising involves individuals mobilizing their personal networks to raise funds for a cause. This allows nonprofits to widen and deepen their network of support. A grassroots approach to fundraising enables nonprofits to allocate their time and budget towards their core mission and empowers their supporters to create meaningful change. 

The strength of peer-to-peer fundraising is that it leverages the personal connections and passion of individuals. This leads to higher levels of engagement, increased donations, and a stronger sense of community around the nonprofit’s cause. Ultimately, this collaborative approach not only drives financial success but also cultivates long-term relationships between the nonprofit and its supporters. This allows supporters to feel more connected to the organization and the cause itself.

Peer-to-peer fundraising can include individuals and teams, which we’ll unpack below. 

Types of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaigns

Individual Fundraising 

Individual-based peer-to-peer fundraising focuses on the efforts of individual participants who create their own dedicated fundraising pages. These individuals harness their personal networks, reaching out to friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances to solicit donations and raise awareness for their chosen cause.

No matter what age you are, peer-to-peer fundraising creates an opportunity for others to get involved in the important work that your favorite nonprofits are doing.

Team Fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraisers can also be structured to include teams. Team-based peer-to-peer fundraising is a great option for supporters with different commitment levels because it means lower pressure with bigger impact. People also love to be a part of something meaningful, and a team creates the opportunity for individuals to engage with others who share a similar passion. 

Team fundraising reduces anxiety by creating a supportive environment where individuals share the fundraising journey. They also hold each other accountable, and collectively navigate the process of asking for donations. Finally, there is plenty of opportunity for fun when fundraising together! Those with a more competitive spirit can embrace the opportunity to strive for recognition and the honor of being named the top fundraiser!

This team of 24 individuals was able to gather nearly 350 people within their networks to raise a significant amount of money for a cause they all believe in.

Setting Up Your Personal Fundraising Page

A personal fundraising page, like the one seen above, is where individuals or individuals within a team can share their story, set a goal and invite their network to give. Peer-to-peer fundraising platforms streamline the fundraising process by providing customizable pages, secure donation processing, social sharing tools, and engagement features to amplify the impact and reach of fundraising campaigns. With CauseVox it’s simple and fast to set up your personal fundraising page.

If you are a nonprofit, we have a customizable toolkit which serves as an effective resource to equip and inform supporters. This toolkit provides individuals with the necessary information and guidance to kickstart their fundraising efforts. It also serves as a valuable reference throughout the entire campaign. With CauseVox’s free platform fee and donation tipping feature, fundraisers can maximize the impact of their campaigns by keeping 100% of the funds raised. Donors have the option to cover the platform fees as a voluntary contribution. This allows for a transparent and sustainable fundraising process. 

Tips When Building Your Personal Fundraising Page

To create a personal fundraising page that shines you will want to follow these steps: 

1. Set Your Goal

When setting your goal, it’s important to start small and work your way up. Setting and reaching an initial $200 goal is better than setting an initial $2,000 goal that may intimidate potential donors. You want to find an amount that is challenging enough to motivate yourself and supporters, yet still attainable. 

2. Write Your Appeal

Appeals for support should be clear and concise. If you need some help to get started, this is a great opportunity to use the power of an AI tool like ChatGPT. Here are some things to make sure to include in your appeal:

What does the organization do? 

Start your appeal by explaining what the organization does. For instance, “Habitat for Humanity provides simple, decent and affordable housing to communities in need around the world.”

Why do you care?

Then share why you care. Use a personal story, explain how you first got in contact with the organization and why their mission is important to you. For example: “I first encountered Habitat for Humanity as a volunteer. I met a family who lived in a cramped and dilapidated apartment. They had little financial resources to provide a stable and secure home for their kids. It was a privilege to have the chance to be a small part of their journey as we partnered with them to build a new home from the ground up. I saw the look of hope on the children’s face and how they began to envision a future filled with possibility.”

Why should they care? 

Then state why your potential supporter should care. Highlight the impact and benefit that comes along with supporting your worthy cause. This can include a statistic or brief story. For instance, “Habitat for Humanity has helped more than 29 million people improve their housing conditions since 1976. Not only do they provide housing, but they also help break the cycle of poverty through stable living conditions. This in turn leads to improved education, health and economic opportunities.” Transparency is key here; be sure to share how the funds will be used so there are no barriers to any supporter donating. 

Call to action

Finally, make a call to action. Be clear and direct in asking for your supporter to donate. It is helpful to give different dollar amounts and what that will achieve. For instance: “I am asking you to support Habitat for Humanity as they continue building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter by donating $25 a month. Every $25 given goes directly to purchasing building materials so more families can experience shelter and stability.”

Say Thanks!

Be sure to end your appeal with a thank you. Remind your supporters that they are the real heroes!

3. Include a Photo or Video

If you don’t have a relevant photo of you to share, consider making a video about why this cause matters to you. Visually showcasing your connection and passion creates relatable and compelling narratives that inspire others to connect with and rally behind the cause. The organization you are fundraising for may have content or options for you to choose from. Choose one that speaks to you! 

Levi does a great job of adding his own personal call to action before sharing a video from the organization he is fundraising for. 

4. Include Progress Updates on Your Page

Including updates helps you maintain momentum, build trust with your supporters, and keep them involved and connected to your cause. With CauseVox you can easily provide progress updates, share stories, and express your gratitude directly to your personal fundraising page.  

Sharing Your Personal Fundraising Page

Launch Your Campaign

Using your personal email contact list and social media accounts, you can easily spread the word about your fundraising campaign to your network. With CauseVox’s share button, you can easily share your personal fundraising page on these channels.  

Keep Posting and Sharing Updates

Consistently post and share updates throughout your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign to keep your supporters engaged and informed. Provide regular progress updates and statistics, share impactful stories and leverage both social media platforms and email communication to maintain momentum and foster a sense of community around your cause.

Use AI to Your Advantage

Utilize ChatGPT by leveraging its language generation capabilities to brainstorm ideas, generate content, and seek insights to enhance your peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. You can refine the AI generated content to create compelling storytelling and persuasive calls-to-action that resonate with your audience and inspire them to support your cause.

Don’t Forget to Say Thank You!

Ensuring regular updates and expressing gratitude to donors are vital practices that foster donor engagement. With CauseVox, your supporters will automatically receive a thank you email, but we recommend adding your own personal thanks and social media shoutouts to make supporters feel valued and impactful in their contributions towards the cause

Get Started Today

Building your personal peer-to-peer fundraising page empowers you to rally support for a cause you care about. By leveraging the collective power of your network to make a meaningful difference, your page has the potential to transform lives and create lasting change. And it is easier than ever with CauseVox. Check out our detailed guide on how easy it is to create a personal fundraising page and get started today.

If you are a nonprofit looking to host a peer-to-peer fundraiser, CauseVox has you covered with clutter-free admin control, time-saving fundraising automation, and real-time reporting. Book a demo today to see how our platform can work for you!