8 Ways to Motivate Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

 

You’re ready to launch a successful peer-to-peer fundraiser. You’ve picked your platform and set a fundraising goal. Your biggest advocates have all signed on to run their own individual campaigns. Now, since your peer-to-peer fundraisers will be going the extra mile for your cause, it’s up to you to coach, educate, and inspire them to reach their goals. While they’re busy recruiting their friends and family to donate, there are a few things you can do to keep them going strong all the way to the finish line:

1. Make sure they have the tools they need.

Give your peer-to-peer fundraisers some expert reassurance: draft emails for them to send to their friends and share social media templates that they can use to promote their campaigns. These resources will make sure they start off on the right foot.

2. Create fundraising teams.

Which team will raise the most money?

There’s nothing that motivates people like a healthy dose of friendly competition. By giving individual peer-to-peer fundraisers the option to form fundraising teams, you can add an extra layer of incentive to everyone’s efforts. When they see other teams raising money, it will inspire them to follow suit…and maybe even raise more.

3. Highlight the progress meter.

We’re visual creatures by nature, and the progress meter at the top of your campaign tells an important story. Are you super close to reaching your goal? Does everyone need to push a little harder to make sure you raise enough money to fund your programs? Adding a progress meter to your fundraising pages will help your peer-to-peer fundraisers (and your donors) plainly see how much money has been raised – and how far they have to go.

4. Post frequent updates.

While you might have your fundraiser on your mind 24/7, your peer-to-peer fundraisers have busy lives and plenty of other competing priorities. Regular updates will remind them about their goals and inspire them to keep fundraising. Some ideas for updates include:

• A kickoff message: We’re so excited to launch our fundraiser to support [cause]! Over the next few weeks, you can help us reach our goal of raising $[amount]. A big thanks to our team fundraisers [Name, Name, …] who are getting the word out in support of [describe your cause].
• Weekly progress reports: Thanks to the generosity of our fabulous donors, we’ve raised $[amount] in a little over a week. You’re making it possible for us to deliver [tangible impact]. 
• Calls to Action:  There’s only one week left, and we’ve raised 75% of our goal! Help us raise $[amount] in the final stretch!
• Messages of support from the field: Our volunteers at [program site] are sending their heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. “You’re the reason we’re able to achieve [specific outcome] and we’re filled with gratitude!” -[Volunteer Name]

5. Reach out to inactive fundraisers.

Sometimes people need a little extra nudge to get started. Once you launch your campaign, keep an eye on individual fundraising pages and check in early with those who haven’t raised any money yet. It might be their very first time fundraising, which can be scary! Whatever the reason, they will need extra support. Direct communication about their progress will make them feel accountable to your organization and to their own goals. Let them know that you’ve got their back and are ready to help in any way you can.

6. Get personal with a text, call, or email.

Everyone who creates a peer-to-peer fundraiser on behalf of your organization feels a personal connection to your cause. Hearing directly from you (or the point person on your campaign) will remind them why they got involved and will keep the lines of communication open throughout your campaign. It can be as simple as saying hello and asking how their campaign is going.

7. Share tips from your top fundraisers.

Staying in touch with all of your peer-to-peer fundraisers will also give you the chance to learn what’s working well for people. It’s likely that your top fundraisers are doing something special and have advice they’re willing to share with others. When you hear these insights, be conscious about sharing their insider information with everyone involved.

8. Celebrate their wins and milestones.

The very best way to keep your peer-to-peer fundraisers motivated? Give them the recognition they deserve! When individuals reach certain milestones, like raising 75% or more of their goal, send them a message to say congratulations and encourage them in the final stretch. Free design tools like Canva will let you add some flavor to your emails with a bright, branded image:

Tip: you can write these emails in advance!

You can even send an email update to all of your peer-to-peer fundraisers recognizing those individuals and teams who reach their goals. Be sure to include the tips you’ve gathered from your top fundraisers.

When it comes down to it, people who fundraise successfully are driven by personal connections. To keep your peer-to-peer fundraisers motivated, focus on providing them with the right resources and cultivating strong relationships from start to finish!

---

Planning on running a peer-to-peer fundraiser? Flipcause can help! Launch a fundraising campaign, make it easy for your supporters to become peer-to-peer fundraisers, send updates, and have all your donor data funnel into your CRM automatically. We can even build the campaign for you! Schedule a demo today to see how it works and start a free trial.