Asked & Answered: 12 Trending Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Questions

Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising remains one of the most powerful tools for nonprofits to expand their reach, raise money, and energize their community.  

But how do you run an effective peer-to-peer event when social media tactics and donor expectations change constantly? 

We recently sourced 12 questions about peer-to-peer fundraising, all from online forums and discussion boards. And we asked fundraising expert Samantha Otero to provide best practices from the dozens of fundraisers she supports every year. Let's dig in!

1. What’s the Ideal Length of a Peer-to-Peer Campaign?

The ideal peer-to-peer fundraiser length is usually 6-8 weeks. That's enough time to build momentum and keep fundraisers engaged, without burning them out. A "too short" campaign sounds risky, but a "never-ending" campaign is more damaging! Only run a campaign as long as you can get participants excited and keep them excited.

Of course, you know your community best, so be sure to tailor the campaign to them. (And this is a great question to ask in a survey.)

• If it's a shorter peer-to-peer campaign, focus on creating urgency.
• If it's a longer campaign, set many goals to help participants keep their momentum.

2. How Should You Set Fundraising Goals for Teams and Individuals?

Much like a marathon, it’s not just about the finish line—it’s about creating motivating mile markers along the way. Break down the overall goal into smaller, more achievable milestones for your individuals and teams.

Then create goals, rewards, and recognition for each tier.

3. How Do You Motivate Fundraisers Who Aren’t Natural Self-Promoters?

Some people are deeply dedicated to the cause, but equally uncomfortable talking about themselves and asking for help.

It's especially hard to sit down and get started. Make promotion easy, and eliminate those small moments of friction that lead to procrastination.

• Provide pre-written emails and text, shareable social graphics, success stories, and impact statistics.
• Offer formats for both in-person and digital/text outreach.
• Consider ice breakers. Coaching or role playing can help those who are shy or introverted.
• Kickoff with team-based challenges or friendly competition to get the spark going.

4. How Do You Keep Fundraisers Energized Throughout the Campaign?

It's all about communication!

• First, provide fresh ideas and tools every week.
• Second, share campaign progress (like a thermometer) to show incremental growth.
• Third, share impact stories from your cause. Videos, photos, stories, and testimonials from the community are all incredibly motivating.
• Lastly, celebrate every effort and win, no matter how big or small. Simple gestures like shout outs, digital high fives, and small prizes can reignite enthusiasm and build confidence.

5. What Are the Best Social & Digital Tools (That Don’t Overwhelm Volunteers)?

First, prioritize what's most popular among your volunteer community. Then create a simple, centralized toolkit with resources to suit, like personal campaign pages, email prompts, text or phone scripts, or Instagram templates. It's more important for peer-to-peer volunteers to be comfortable and authentic than to be "everywhere."

And when in doubt, a short first-person video about their personal connection to the cause will almost always generate great engagement.

>> Related: A Nonprofit's Guide to Peer-to-Peer Fundraising <<

6. How Important Is Mobile Engagement?

We have to meet donors where they are. And they're probably on their phones! It's essential to offer quick-and-easy engagement from a phone. Consider:

• Text-to-give donation links
• QR codes for on-site registration at the event
• And QR codes for donations at the event itself

7. Is Livestreaming Worth It?

Yes! Livestreaming is a fantastic way to authentically share the event experience, especially for participants who can't otherwise attend the event. 

It's also dead simple: there's no music or editing. Just set up a tripod and lifestream directly on popular channels like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Think how fun it would be to watch a polar plunge! All with a donation link in the corner.

>> Related: Customizable Peer-to-Peer Project Management Template <<

8. How Do You Turn One-Time Donors Into Recurring Supporters?

Start by being a consistent communicator:

• Follow up quickly and personally after a donation. And highlight the impact of their contribution in human terms. Even a $10 gift matters, so show them how.
• Invite donors to continue making a difference, whether it's joining a specific campaign, volunteering, or setting up recurring donations.
• Consistently share compelling impact stories, the mission, and the cause's progress, long after the event.

9. Beyond Dollars Raised, What Metrics Should You Track?

Growth metrics go far beyond dollars raised. To get a more comprehensive view of a campaign's effectiveness, consider:

• What percent of target participants joined the cause? Did that number grow YOY? Did they have more or less activity?
• Did we retain participants YOY? Did certain segments stand out?
• What was the average gift size compared to last year?
• What outreach tools were most effective? What messaging resonated the most?
• How much did our contact database grow?
• How many corporate sponsors did we have? What their their average gift size?

But also consider the impact on the cause itself... How many people did we help? What programs did we fund? 

Lastly, survey participants and donors! Ask them what went well, what they liked, and what they would change. Asking some of the same questions every year will also provide interesting trends.

10. What Incentives Actually Work?

With peer-to-peer fundraising, support is a two-way street. 

First consider free incentives. Personalized recognition on social media, shout outs during meetings, and leaderboard tracking are all powerful motivators.

Then consider small gifts for each tier of fundraising, such as event tickets, swag, or gift cards. And it may be counter-intuitive, but small financial incentives have great fundraising ROI. 

11. How Often Should You Email Donors Post-event?

This is another great question to ask in a survey. But if you lack that data:

• Start with 1–2 emails per week for a couple weeks.
• Then taper to biweekly or monthly.
• Remember to communicate with all supporters all year – if only to remind them that the mission is ongoing and we're continuing to support it.

>> Related: 7 Peer to Peer Fundraising Event Planning Mistakes<<

12. How Do You Avoid Donor Fatigue?

First, send post-event surveys to learn what worked and what didn’t. Then apply those lessons to the next campaign. Listening to our community goes a long way.

Then, make sure to send a rotation of:

• storytelling and emotional connections
• low-pressure ways to engage or create community
• financial asks

And remember the risk of burnout, and ramp up communications and pressure only in the throes of the campaign itself.