How To Get Your Supporters to Fundraise for You

Some crowdfunding platforms offer the option to add “peer-to-peer” functionality to your crowdfunding campaign. This can be a great option -  particularly for organizations that have received their 501c3 status – to get your supporters to fundraise on your behalf.

The term “Peer-to-peer” fundraising is well known in the nonprofit world, and barely heard of elsewhere.  But it’s really quite simple.

You’ve perhaps seen or maybe even participated in walks or runs to raise funds for a charity? Or maybe you’ve seen friends on Facebook posting fundraising campaigns for a particular charity?

This is peer-to-peer fundraising. It used to be called “friendraising”. 

In the context of a crowdfunding campaign, adding a peer-to-peer option can be as simple as adding a “Fundraiser” button next to the “Donate” button on your campaign page.  

 Supporters can then choose to simply donate. Or they can choose to start their own campaign on your organization’s behalf as a “Fundraiser”.

Not all crowdfunding platforms offer this option. It’s more likely to be available on a platform that is geared toward nonprofit organizations, such as CauseVox or Classy.

The really exciting thing about peer-to-peer is the ability to exponentially grow your campaign’s audience by directly tapping into your supporter’s network. 

Peer-to-peer harnesses the power of many donors and many small donations. It gives you the ability to attract new supporters who you can then engage with over time.  

Classy’s article Why Small Donations Are Worth More Than You Think provides some interesting insight on this fundraising trend.

Instead of one crowdfunding campaign, you have many.

Peer-to-peer campaigns can run for a fixed period of time to correspond with the timeframe for your crowdfunding campaign. 

Or they can be organized to coincide with an event, such as a run or a walk that encourages in-person participation and possibly team fundraising.  

Check out this Causevox campaign that utilized peer-to-peer fundraising for a Polar Bear Plunge, raising $273,277, rallying 503 plungers (personal fundraisers) and securing gifts from 4,601 individuals. 

 For a good example of team fundraising, take a look at this Mighycause team campaign that has so far raised $142,657 for Giordano Dance Chicago.

Peer-to-peer campaigns can be a great idea if you are responding to a crisis or matter that’s caught the media’s attention.  They’re also a great idea if you already have some strong supporters who you think would want to be ambassadors for your organization.

If you have a particularly unique story, peer-to-peer can be a great way to go viral with fundraising.

Peer-to-peer campaigns rely on having a central message as a rallying point for your Fundraisers.  So, you’ll need an urgent call to action.

Since you’re empowering your supporters to raise funds on your behalf, you’ll also need to be prepared for some of your message and style to change. This makes your central message and your brand identity essential.

In setting up your campaign page, you’ll want to provide your Fundraisers with a lot of branded materials to use in setting up and promoting their fundraiser pages. 

This can include a one pager of information about the project and goals, sample social media posts and relevant hashtags.  You’ll also want to provide your Fundraisers with your organization and campaign logos.

It may also be helpful to provide Fundraisers with instruction and support. This can take the form of instructions on setting up their fundraising page, a guide to promoting their fundraiser, information about the research supporting your cause, a list of ways to take action in addition to donating, and periodic updates to drive momentum and give more context.

Other materials that you may want to give your Fundraisers may include downloadable Facebook® cover photos, text that can be used for fundraising pitches, downloadable press releases, and promotional photos and other materials.

A key to peer-to-peer campaigns is helping your Fundraisers throughout the process.  Like crowdfunding, peer-to-peer is an active process, not a passive one.  

Check out Classy’s 10 things that you need to have in place before starting your peer-to-peer campaign.

Each step of the process is an opportunity to engage your Fundraisers more deeply with your organization and your project.  

Every step you take to help them can raise your credibility.  

At the same time, it gives you more opportunity to guide and influence them in setting up and promoting their fundraising page. You’ll want this input to ensure consistency of message across the various fundraisers.

Reaching donors is the name of the game in peer-to-peer fundraising. Check out Causevox’s best practices for reaching new donors. 

Remember when people sign up to be your Fundraisers, they’re making a pretty big commitment of time and a generous sharing of their network.  They’ll need your guidance. This is a great opportunity to engage with them and bring them closer to your organization.

Online peer-to-peer fundraising is a really exciting way to bolster nonprofit crowdfunding campaigns.  If you think peer-to-peer is for you, or may be for you in the future, then be sure to sign up with a platform that offers it!