10 Principles for Successful Peer-to-Peer Fundraising, Part 2

Typically, a campaign starts strong, hits a lull and then picks up again near the end. So it’s crucial to start strong. Momentum builds on momentum. Get better results by beginning with a bang:

• Hold a kick-off event for the campaign.
• Get your board to create fundraising pages first.
• Find partner organizations to help fundraise.
• Leverage offline events.
• Build anticipation through newsletters.
• Encourage fundraisers to be the first to donate.

7. Empower your fundraisers
Peer-to-peer fundraising turns your community into fundraisers, but they need coaching on how to fundraise to the best of their abilities. Here are ways to help them along:

• Provide talking points and standard text.
• Encourage fundraisers to continue to take action themselves.
• Highlight effective fundraisers, and share what they’re doing.
• Provide best practices in fundraising.
• Give regular updates on progress so they see where they stand.

8. Communicate regularly
Communication equals updating plus appreciation plus encouragement. These are the three purposes of communication. In peer-to-peer fundraising, all communications should be defined with one or more of these purposes.