Peer-to-peer fundraising can be very effective for nonprofits of all kinds. But what is peer-to-peer fundraising? By asking your supporters to advocate and raise funds for your organization, peer-to-peer can expand your reach and bring in new donors through your supporters' networks. We'll cover more in this article, plus share how you can make peer-to-peer work for your nonprofit.
You may have heard that peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the most effective ways you can expand your nonprofit organization’s reach and bring in new donors.
But what is peer-to-peer fundraising?
In short, peer-to-peer fundraising mobilizes your supporters to become advocates for your organization by creating their very own fundraising pages linked to your campaign.
In this article, we’ll dive further into what peer-to-peer fundraising is and how you can put it to work for your nonprofit.
Peer-to-peer fundraising enables you to put your top supporters to work for your organization, asking them to reach out to their networks to raise funds and expand awareness of your nonprofit and mission.
To launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, you create a main campaign online, often called a ‘parent’ campaign. Then, you invite supporters to create their own fundraising pages, otherwise known as ‘child’ campaigns. All funds raised through these child campaigns will flow directly into the parent campaign to support your nonprofit.
Supporters will then share the link to their fundraising page with their family and friends, asking them to donate. This helps you reach potential supporters outside your existing donor base, broadening your audience and bringing in new supporters.
Donorbox Peer-to-Peer makes peer-to-peer fundrising simple for your nonprofit. You can easily enable the feature and invite supporters from within the tool. These supporters will receive an email to sign up and create their own fundraising pages on Donorbox.
Here’s a great example – supporter Eli Stewart was fundraising for Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, College Station’s original campaign. Eli successfully raised more than $2,250 towards the organization’s total goal of $30,000.
Start Peer-to-Peer Fundraising With Donorbox
You could be the next organization running a successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaign on Donorbox – let’s see how!
It’s easy to get started with Donorbox Peer-to-Peer. We have a super helpful step-by-step guide to walk you through the set-up process – watch it below or read it here.
You can also find a free course in Donorbox Academy dedicated to peer-to-peer fundraising.
But creating an effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaign goes beyond just signing up and toggling a switch. Here’s how you can use Donorbox Peer-to-Peer to ensure the success of your campaign.
Just because your fundraisers will be doing a lot of heavy lifting doesn’t mean you should forget about the parent campaign page.
Be sure to highlight your mission through stories, images, and videos, as well as ensure your donation form is in tip-top shape. Include an impactful headline and a compelling call-to-action, and offer donors more than one way to give.
With Donorbox Peer-to-Peer, you can easily add your campaign story, images, and videos to your campaign page. You can also customize your donation form as well as add a fundraising goal meter and a donor wall to show the world that real people are making gifts.
Your top peer-to-peer fundraisers will also be displayed on your parent campaign page, further authenticating your organization.
Check out this example here –
Create Your Peer-to-Peer Campaign Now!
Although you can – and should! – include an ‘I want to fundraise for this’ button on your parent campaign page, you shouldn’t rely on this alone when it comes to recruiting fundraisers.
Come up with a list of your top supporters who may be good advocates for your nonprofit. Then, reach out to them with an invitation. Let them know more details about the campaign, how peer-to-peer fundraising works, and how their involvement will make a difference.
Lucky for you, Donorbox Peer-to-Peer makes it simple to invite fundraisers to join your campaign. We provide a templated email to make it even easier.
All you’ll have to do is click the ‘Invite Fundraisers’ option in your campaign editor. Either select existing donors from your database or enter their first name, last, name, and email address before hitting ‘Invite.’
You’ll also be able to quickly view who has accepted your invitation, and re-send invites with a single click.
Once a supporter has accepted your invitation, they’ll receive an email from Donorbox to sign up and create their own fundraising pages.
You can provide a detailed step-by-step guide to the setup process. Also, ask them to showcase their own images related to your organization, perhaps of a time they volunteered. Or share a set of pre-approved images or videos they can choose from.
Encourage your fundraisers to tell a personal story in the content of the page. If your fundraiser needs it, you can provide basic, templated text that they can edit.
You can also make it possible for your fundraisers to customize their thank-you messages to those who give on their own campaign page. This helps the donation process feel even more personal.
Donorbox Peer-to-Peer makes it easier for your fundraisers to get started. They’ll be guided throughout the process, needing little to no help at all.
Check out this example of a successful peer fundraising campaign page created on Donorbox. Here, supporter Laura has raised three times the initial goal set to fundraise for The Brighton Jones Richer Life Foundation.
Create Customized Peer-to-Peer Campaign Pages
Your fundraisers are busy people. They may not have the time or resources to build a campaign page and promote it. At least, not without a little help.
We suggest providing your fundraisers with a recommended timeline for sharing their fundraising page with their friends and family. This will ensure they are fundraising within the timeframe of your campaign.
Come up with a few social media post templates that your fundraisers can quickly edit and post without much time or effort. You can do the same for email as well! Here’s an example:
I’m raising funds for (organization name), a cause close to my heart. Their mission is (mission details), and it means a lot to me because (personal story).
Please give today to ensure (more mission details) at (link to child campaign).
Donorbox has an insightful webinar video for you to unleash the power of your supporters through peer-to-peer. Watch it to learn how to engage supporters and set them up for success –
Pro tip: Send emails to your fundraisers throughout the campaign, providing them with updates as well as reminders to share their fundraising pages.
Several nonprofit organizations from around the world have seen success with Donorbox Peer-to-Peer. Here are three stories of impactful peer-to-peer campaigns that mobilize supporters, increase awareness, and bring in critical donations.
When the war began in Ukraine, Maya’s Hope wanted to help in a big way. But, first, they needed to raise the funds to support their outreach efforts!
So, they launched a Donorbox Peer-to-Peer campaign, Maya’s Hope Ukraine Emergency Fund. Overall, this fund has raised more than $913,000 and now has 45 fundraisers acting on their behalf.
Their parent campaign page is a prime example of providing social proof, with an enabled donor wall, several campaign updates, and the ability to subscribe to updates or share the campaign on social media.
Revelation Wellness’ needs are two-fold – they aim to build awareness for their mission as well as raise the funds needed to continue serving it. That’s why Donorbox Peer-to-Peer was the right choice for them! This organization has raised more than $34,000 through Peer-to-Peer thus far.
They pair their campaigns with two events each year, giving their fundraising a boost while expanding the reach of their organization to new audiences.
Listen to what they’ve got to say about their peer-to-peer fundraising experience using Donorbox Peer-to-Peer.
Get Started With Donorbox Peer-to-Peer
Brighton Jones Richer Life Foundation came to Donorbox with a unique situation – they wanted to raise funds for three organizations, Grace Nanana, Kajiado Child Care Center, and The Ruben Centre. Each of these nonprofits serves underprivileged kids and families in Kenya.
To expand their possibilities, Brighton Jones created a Donorbox Peer-to-Peer campaign, #OneTeam for Kenya, that has since raised more than $569,000.
There are currently 125 fundraisers signed up to advocate for the campaign, each doing their part to help raise more funds.
Bonus – We have listed more such success stories with insights into their campaigns in this blog. Read it for inspiration on building a successful peer-to-peer campaign!
Peer-to-peer fundraising can have a big impact on your mission because it mobilizes your supporters and brings in donations from audiences you may not have reached otherwise.
In order to ensure peer-to-peer fundraising success, you must first perfect your parent campaign page, then invite your top supporters to become fundraisers. After they’ve signed on, be sure to provide them with timelines, templates, and encouragement throughout the campaign.
And don’t forget to pick top-of-the-line fundraising software, like Donorbox, to help you manage it all! Learn about Donorbox and its range of simple and effective tools on the website. We also offer a custom success package for your growth to skyrocket – check out Donorbox Premium!
Ready to jump in? Sign up for Donorbox today and launch your first campaign with us!
Want more insights into peer-to-peer fundraising? Go to the Donorbox Nonprofit Blog. We have a number of other important nonprofit-related topics covered to help your overall growth.
Kara has several years of experience in communications and marketing for nonprofit organizations, with knowledge in social media, email, public relations, event promotion, appeal writing, and more. She specializes in writing and enjoys sharing her expertise and advice with others.
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Kara Schmid