How to Take Advantage of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising for Your End-of-Year Giving Campaigns
During the end-of-year season, it’s not uncommon for nonprofit leaders to feel just a bit overwhelmed. On top of the standard fundraising campaigns, there’s also a little thing called #GivingTuesday to worry about. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little help?
Well, look no further. The best place to optimize end-of-year giving campaigns is, of course, your current donors! Tapping into the social fundraising movement with your current supporters could be your secret weapon in the year-end giving season.
Remind Me – What is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising?
At its core, Peer-to-Peer fundraising (also known as Peer-to-Peer or Social Fundraising) refers to any fundraiser that uses supporter networks to raise money for your cause.
Yep, your fundraisers’ social networks are here to help at year-end! Each participant has their own fundraising microsite for competitive giving, gamification, and social sharing.
With a strong Peer-to-Peer fundraising platform in place and a successful campaign marketing strategy, your Peer-to-Peer end-of-year campaign can be a success. Some common Peer-to-Peer fundraising campaigns include:
- Community 5ks, walks, and runs
- Sports or endurance events
- Corporate challenges
- Social campaigns and online scoreboards
- Scavenger hunts and local events
- Personal donation pages
The social aspect of Peer-to-Peer campaigns helps foster a community of donors. During the end-of-year giving season, Peer-to-Peer campaigns can really help your cause increase participation and drive engagement.
End-of-Year Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Best Practices
To truly take advantage of Peer-to-Peer fundraising, here are best practices to plan and build out your campaigns:
Make it easy for supporters to get involved
The supporter experience makes or breaks a Peer-to-Peer fundraising campaign. If it’s hard to set up an account or the donation process is clunky, people will go to other places to give.
As you build your campaigns — whether you’re planning a charity hockey game or an online give-a-thon — keep in mind:
- Is the registration process a seamless experience?
- How are you marketing your Peer-to-Peer campaign?
- What channels are you using to connect with your audience?
- How are you engaging your most loyal donors?
Start with your end goals in mind, and work backwards to ensure maximum engagement and maximum donations.
Set up a holistic social campaign
The rise of social media has given the peer-to-peer efforts great reach. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram make it easy for Peer-to-Peer supporters to share details with more people than ever before, taking end-of-year campaigns to new heights.
For your end-of-year Peer-to-Peer campaign:
- Come up with a creative #hashtag for people to tag and follow
- Include all of your social information on your campaign site
- Encourage supporters to share with their social networks
If you have an innovative Peer-to-Peer fundraising solution in place, your team can track social engagements in real-time to measure how well your campaign is performing.
Share your campaign end goals
This is a must-do for any type of nonprofit charitable campaign, but very important for Peer-to-Peer campaigns.
- Communicate Impact: Donors are more likely to engage with causes where they understand the impact and feel a connection to.
- Share Goals: Communicating goals is critical – it galvanizes support and connects people to the campaign.
- Update Progress: Have ways for individuals to see the collective impact. Giving walls, social feeds, and leaderboards create excitement to carry you to your goals.
When it comes to the holiday season and #GivingTuesday, remember it’s the personal message at the heart of the campaign and your ability to engage donors that gets them to give.
Wrapping Up!
Whether you’re a Giving Tuesday pro or you’re doing your first campaign, here are a few additional resources to get you on your way to having an amazing giving day (and month):
