Soapbox Engage Blog

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns have practically become a staple in the nonprofit fundraising strategy "playbook." We can thank the rise of social media for the shift toward peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising, but COVID-19 only solidified it as a top fundraising strategy for nonprofits.

Here's a quick summary of how it works: Peer-to-peer fundraising allows donors and supporters to raise money on your behalf with personalized online fundraising pages. These individual campaigns can take many forms, but the goal is to mobilize your supporters to fundraise from their friends and family.

The Relay for Life was one of the earliest examples of P2P fundraising. Before social media, people went door-to-door, collecting pledges in the form of cash, checks, and bags of change. Now, collecting donations from friends and neighbors is as simple as sharing a link to a personalized fundraising page via email, text, or social media!

Now that COVID-19 pushed even more fundraising activity to online and virtual platforms, nonprofits are becoming increasingly reliant on P2P fundraising. Not only can it bring in funds quickly with low overhead, but it's also an excellent strategy for expanding your donor network.

But, like all strategies, peer-to-peer fundraising is not without its pitfalls! Avoiding these 6 common mistakes will really set you up for greater success with your next P2P fundraising campaign.

P2P Fundraising Mistakes

1. Not setting clear goals
2. You're not mobile-friendly!
3. Recruiting the wrong peer fundraisers
4. Failing to offer fundraising training and resources
5. Forgetting the follow-up
6. Forgetting to incentivize your fundraisers

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Mistake 1: Not setting clear goals

Of course, a primary goal for any fundraising campaign is to raise money. Still, most fundraising efforts have more than one desired outcome. What would you like to accomplish with your P2P fundraising campaign?

Even though peer-to-peer fundraising relies on your supporters making appeals on your behalf, internal goals are still essential. Your donor, Sally, might have a personal goal of raising $500 for her birthday fundraiser, but how many donors would you like to host birthday fundraisers this year?

The solution: Write SMART goals for your P2P fundraising campaigns, so you and your team know exactly what you're trying to accomplish with each P2P fundraising campaign. Each goal should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Whether your primary goal is to raise a certain amount of money, engage a certain number of donors, or add a specific number of new supporters to your network, setting a goal brings clarity and increases your likelihood of success.

It's also helpful to encourage each P2P fundraiser to set one or two personal SMART goals for their fundraising campaign.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Mistake 2: You're not mobile-friendly!

By design, peer-to-peer fundraising relies on social media, email, and text communication. That means many people will be using their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices to read and engage with peer-to-peer communications.

Since mobile giving donations have increased by 205%, it's safe to say that being mobile-friendly is critical for P2P fundraising success.

The solution: use a customizable online donation page that's mobile-friendly. The Soapbox Engage Donations app is set up with peer-to-peer fundraising in mind, and it's mobile-friendly, so people can access and give from any device.

The Donations app lets you design hundreds of custom donation pages with bright donate buttons, images, personalized content, and other vital features of a successful donation page.

In addition to using mobile-friendly donation pages, consider incorporating other mobile communications in your overall fundraising. For example, have you considered experimenting with texting a short, personalized thank-you message to thank a new donor? Unlike emails, which can easily get lost or overlooked, most people read texts fairly quickly.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Mistake 3: Recruiting the wrong peer fundraisers

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns rise and fall on the shoulders of your supporters since they're the ones doing the fundraising on your behalf.

Identifying a solid core of supporters and establishing a reliable vetting and training process can increase your likelihood of success, especially if this is your first P2P fundraising campaign).

The solution: Examine your current donor network to identify individuals who have a solid connection to your organization, a broad network, and time to be involved in your P2P campaign.

If you're planning to incorporate "rolling campaigns" into your P2P fundraising efforts, your vetting approach might look a bit different. Rolling P2P campaigns are usually general fundraising efforts on their own. A donor might host a P2P fundraiser on their birthday or in honor of another special event throughout the year. With rolling campaigns, your nonprofit has an "open start" time, meaning supporters can start and end their P2P campaign at any time during the year.

It's less critical to "vet" your fundraisers for "rolling P2P campaigns." Still, it's equally vital to offer training and resources to ensure they're equipped for success.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Mistake 4: Failing to offer fundraising training and resources

It's tempting to think of peer-to-peer fundraising as a "hands-off" or "set it and forget it" fundraising strategy. Quite the opposite. Your donors have passion and enthusiasm in spades; they probably don't have fundraising training.

While your P2P fundraisers certainly do the lion's share of the actual fundraising legwork, you still need to provide comprehensive tools, training, resources, assistance, and encouragement along the way.

Sending your P2P fundraisers out without adequate tools and training sets them up for failure, and they probably won't return to try again. Eventually, you'll run out of people willing to give P2P fundraising a go on your behalf, and it won't be an effective fundraising strategy.

The solution: Arm your P2P fundraisers with an excellent fundraising kit with everything they need for success. Include easy-to-follow instructions, templates, and samples and plenty of opportunities to ask questions and receive support along the way. The more education and resources people have from the beginning, the less they'll rely on you and your staff throughout their fundraising campaign.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Mistake 5: Forget the follow-up

Peer-to-peer fundraising allows your nonprofit to expand its donor base organically. Just like with any other fundraising strategy, follow-up is critical. While your donors might make an appeal for the first donation, it's the nonprofit's responsibility to follow up and steward the new donors well.

Because many people who donate to peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns might not have a personal connection to your nonprofit, it's even more critical to establish that relationship quickly.

The solution: Before launching your first P2P fundraising campaign, create a strategic follow-up plan. Many people donating through P2P campaigns might only know what their friend or family member told them about your nonprofit. Be sure and include strategies to introduce your organization as you acknowledge and thank each donor.

Some clever and effective follow-up strategies for P2P fundraising campaigns include recording a short introduction video, mailing a thank-you card with a photograph and personalized note from your team, or even a quick phone call.

Every donor will appreciate personal, meaningful gratitude and recognition for their gift. It's also essential to establish a direct relationship with that donor and invite them to continue learning about your mission.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Mistake 6: Forgetting to incentivize your fundraisers

While most donors are eager to support a great cause with their time, money, and resources, you won't have many participants if your P2P campaign isn't interesting and engaging. Many nonprofits add incentives and even "gamify" the P2P fundraising process.

If you're hosting a sizeable peer-to-peer fundraising event, keep all your donor-fundraisers updated about progress toward your goal. Consider adding a thermometer to your website and donation pages to offer live updates.

Some nonprofits offer incentives to donor-fundraisers. For example, a P2P fundraiser who raises $500 receives a custom water bottle and t-shirt; and a fundraiser who brings in 25 unique donations receives a branded coffee tumbler. You get the idea. Incentivize your P2P fundraisers to work toward your goals and reward their efforts with endless praise, public recognition, and some prizes.

If you'd like to stoke a bit of friendly competition, consider adding a leaderboard to your P2P fundraising campaigns. Send a weekly or daily email updating the leaderboard and offer a prize or unique experience to whoever secures the top spot at the end of the campaign.

For rolling P2P campaigns, consider offering a "swag bag" to any fundraiser who reaches a specific goal. Be sure to express your gratitude and support to ALL your P2P fundraisers, regardless of their success. Even something as small as a handwritten note can go a long way. They sacrificed valuable time, energy, and resources on your behalf, and they'll likely do it again if they feel appreciated and valued.

Avoiding these common mistakes in peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns is easy once you're aware and mindful of them. Strategic planning, careful communication throughout the campaign, and a heart of gratitude will lead to greater success and a sense of fulfillment for everyone involved!

And remember, Soapbox Engage is always here to offer resources, tools, and support through all your fundraising adventures.

Here are three more resources to strengthen your fundraising strategies.

• How to Boost Nonprofit Fundraising Event Ticket Sales: Many nonprofits rely on ticket sales to ensure they'll reach their minimum fundraising goal for fundraising events. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many nonprofits to shift to more virtual or hybrid fundraising events, raising the question, "How do you successfully sell tickets for fundraising events that might include virtual or hybrid options?" Check out this blog for nine strategy steps that will help you boost ticket sales for your next fundraising event.
• Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: What You Should Know and a Quick-Start Guide: Peer-to-peer fundraising is one of the fastest-growing forms of crowdfunding in the nonprofit world. This blog offers some essential insights and a quick-start guide to help you launch your first Peer-to-Peer crowdfunding campaign.
• 5 Easy Ways to Maximize Your Fundraising On Facebook: Social media is now a central part of our culture. Facebook and other platforms are transforming how individuals and nonprofits network and fundraise. If done correctly, you can expand your support base and raise significant funds on social media platforms, especially on Facebook. Check out this blog for some key things you need to know before asking for donations on Facebook.