Peer to Peer

People listen differently when stories are told. Just watch a toddler listen to their favorite book over and over again to know this is true. At the end of your workday, you likely share short glimpses into your day with the stories you tell your family or friends. A well-constructed story is one of the most effective fundraising tools simply because our brains love and need stories to process what we are thinking...

What if you could send hundreds of volunteer ambassadors into the community to recruit for your walk? What if you could deliver on parts of your mission promise at the same time? At least one nonprofit does just that...

We often hear it called “peer-to-peer,” “crowdfunding” and a few other things. Social fundraising is definitely being talked about in both the nonprofit and direct giving space a lot these days. But as I read through post after post, a thought occurred to me: What if everyone is sort of “missing it” with social fundraising? There seems to be something larger here that nobody is really talking about...

There isn’t a “more helpful” sex; both men and women help others. But the gender difference in the peer-to-peer realm is stark—women participate and fundraise at significantly higher levels than men do...

America’s love affair with peer-to-peer fundraising events is well documented. Every year, thousands of organizations sponsor “a-thon events”—such as walks, runs and rides—in which their supporters act as their fundraisers...

If your job is in peer-to peer fundraising, you are in the movement business. Movements require numbers—big ones. Mainstream fundraisers often look at P2P fundraising with suspicion veiled in skepticism. It looks a little bit like magic, too much like an art and certainly not a science. It looks like messy work, too, with big numbers of humans all attached to small donations...

With the rise in popularity of fitness challenge events, attracting and retaining high-value fundraisers has become increasingly competitive and beneficial for charities. But the influx of potential event participants can also expose them to additional risks and losses. They lose vital revenue with every deferment and dropout, so education, inspiration and motivation delivered regularly throughout…

The use of SMS in the nonprofit sector got its biggest spotlight with the Red Cross mobile giving campaign on behalf of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Relief agencies raised more than $40 million dollars via text message donations...

While meeting with Turnkey’s clients in New York City this week, a recurring question came up: What is the state of fundraising walks? Is the walk dying off? Will DIY someday edge out the tried and true mainstay that has raised millions—sometimes billions—of dollars for so many nonprofits?...

I have spoken at and attended many of my clients’ national leadership meetings, supporting their peer-to-peer income streams. I have been in a lot of bars (for the sake of science), have been in a lot of conference hotels and have spoken with a lot of volunteer leaders about how they came to be there...