When it comes to nonprofit fundraising, peer-to-peer (P2P) is a wildly successful way to engage with your recurring donors and acquire new donors.

It also happens to be my favorite type of nonprofit fundraising! Find out why by listening to this Storytelling With A Purpose episode. According to our friends at GiveButter, “A peer-to-peer fundraiser is a fundraising campaign where a group of loyal supporters recruit their own network to support their cause.” But what makes a great individual P2P fundraiser?

At Community Boost’s 2023 Nonprofit Marketing Summit, I had the pleasure of hearing Floyd Jones, Community & Partnerships Lead at Givebutter, share his insights on this exact topic. He stated that there are 3 “A”s that make an incredible peer-to-peer fundraiser for your organization: Attendance, Attention & Attitude.

Here is what Floyd’s 3 “A”s mean to me:

1. 1. Attendance: Who has really shown up for your organization? Your best P2P fundraisers are trustworthy, put in the work, and show up when you need them!
   2. Attention: Who pays attention to the important details of your organization? Great P2P fundraisers will represent your organization’s mission and branding in a correct, consistent way.
   3. Attitude: Who has a “cheerleader” attitude that draws people in? People give to people. So, what type of attitude would motivate YOU to give? Ask those people to be your representatives!

But once you’ve found these top-tier fundraisers with all 3 “A”s – What comes next? 

The key to running a successful peer-to-peer campaign is to empower your individuals by making it as easy as possible for them to raise funds. Often, it is not in someone’s nature to ask others for money. As a nonprofit fundraising professional, that’s where you come in!

One way to empower your fundraisers to reach their fundraising potential is by creating and distributing a social media toolkit. 

Today, we’re taking it one step further, by talking directly to those people with the 3 “A”s. Instead of simply asking for donations, think about what you can do for your donors (your friends and family) in return!

Check out these five out-of-the-box ideas to boost your individual P2P fundraising:

1. 1. Build A Donor-Made Playlist.

If your P2P campaign involves a fitness event, like a marathon, let your donors choose the tunes you run to! Instead of just asking them to donate XX dollars to your campaign, tell them “For every XX dollars you donate, you can choose a song to be added to my running playlist”.

This is an incredible (and easy!) way to make your friends and family feel involved with your event. Yes, you might get some friends who choose silly songs, but when that song starts playing, you’ll be reminded of their support in real time.

2. 2. “Sell” Handmade Crafts. 

If you’re crafty, you can create handmade items like jewelry, knitted goods, or artwork and “sell” them to raise money for your campaign. I have personally done this in years past, and it has been a huge game changer. Here is the model I used:

Cost of Materials + Shipping + $25 donation = Total Gift

I made custom string art, so every design was different, but you might want to consider a couple options for people to choose from. For my example, shipping often cost about $10 and materials would cost less than $5. Therefore, the amount agreed upon for the donation was about $40 total, but I found that many people would end up donating $50 or more!

3. 3. Host a Game Night.

Do you love game night? I know I do! You can host a game night and invite your friends and family to come and participate. For an event like this, I recommend that you let them know upfront that there is a “Suggested Donation” for their attendance. 

Canva has great Game Night Invitation templates and graphics you can use to make your invitation fun and formal. You can use your peer-to-peer fundraising page to collect the donations, or collect money at the door.

4. 4. Perform A Virtual Concert. 

Are you a musician? Hop on Facebook Live or Instagram Live and put on a concert for your friends and family! In this post-pandemic world, a lot of people are looking for fun reasons to stay in. There would be no requirement for people to give to enjoy the show, but remind people in between songs the reason you are playing and the cause you are fundraising for. Telling your story is the best way to encourage donations from your listeners.

5. 5. Put Your Donors in Control with a 1-for-1 fitness pledge.

Making a 1-for-1 fitness pledge is a fun way to engage with your friends and family while getting in a great workout. Here’s how it works:

1. • Choose a date and time for your workout. I recommend a Saturday or Sunday around noon.
   • Pledge to do 1 exercise rep for every $1 donated. The donor chooses the exercise.
   • “Go live” on Instagram or Facebook on workout day.
   • Do the exercises, thanking each donor and reminding them of what their donation supports.

I have used this model a few times to raise several hundreds of dollars. People often start off with commonly known exercises, like push-ups or tricep dips. But, this structure can (and most likely will!) lead to ridiculous videos. Check out this one of my husband when he was asked to do squat thrusts while holding our dog, while raising money for Code of Support Foundation.