Editor's Note: Where Is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Heading?

Back in November, I attended P2P 201: Redefining Peer-to-Peer Conference, which was hosted by NonProfitPRO in partnership with our friends over Turnkey. Nonprofits, including March of Dimes, Susan G. Komen, United Way Worldwide, Stop Soldier Suicide and UNICEF, came out to share their stories on peer-to-peer fundraising. They talked about campaigns that they've launched—the successes and pain-points that came from it.

We've seen the sinking numbers that have been declining over the years for peer-to-peer events, but is it because the "fad" of peer-to-peer is going away? Absolutely not.

Peer-to-peer is based on real human connection, and that will be far more effective than any other kind of communication method in the long-term. Peer-to-peer has never been strictly limited to walks, runs or any other type of marathon. It's about human connection. And, with the digital evolution that we're in the middle of right now, we need to grab hold of it and embrace innovation.

The new generation of donors aren't passionate about our causes because they like to run; they're passionate about our causes because they truly believe in the work that we're doing. Nonprofits need to harness the power of technology and use it to their advantage to better engage their donor—and build a more meaningful relationship with them.

In order to do that, nonprofits need to look at their donor base and answer the questions, "what do our donors want… what do they like… what will enthuse them?"

As an example, let's take a look at livestreaming. Nonprofits are leveraging the power of livestreaming to engage their donors. People are becoming more interested in these people, and their adoration is building around these influencers. And, as a bonus, our new generation is heavily passion about philanthropy, so these influencers are livestreaming their activity—gaming, cooking, knitting, drawing—while raising money for charity.

Ninja, a popular gamer, raised over $113,000 during a one-day live stream. Twitch, the livestreaming platform, has raised $75 million for charity.

So, no, the peer-to-peer space is not declining—it's getting huge. The secret sauce is that nonprofits need to leverage the power of technology and truly, truly connect with their donors.