Peer to Peer

Crowdfunding is no longer reserved exclusively for small tech startups. Nonprofit organizations have started using this popular form of fundraising to extend their reach and to find new donors. Here are some tips to make your nonprofit's crowdfunding campaign a success. 1. Set a clear goal for your fundraising campaign. 2. Cultivate a community around your nonprofit crowdfunding campaign. 3. Create a great story that has potential to go viral.

Nonprofit crowdfunding is changing the landscape in online fundraising. As more and more donors are being exposed to crowdfunding for products and services, they’ll expect your fundraising to shift toward those approaches as well. Here are five best practices that I’ve learned along the way that you need to follow in order to crowdfund successfully for your nonprofit: 1. Start with a measurable goal. 2. Rethink rewards and donation tiers. 3. Create a sexy story. 4. Build a tribe of champions.

Here are seven steps to succeed with crowdfunding in 2014 gleaned from a meetup on crowdfunding.

Recent reports indicate good signs for 2014 fundraising. Despite the collective optimism for fundraising success, nonprofits must overcome a number of hurdles to get there. Here are some stats and three ways your nonprofit can drive giving gains this year.

Independent fundraising events, also known as DIY fundraising or third-party events, are emerging as a core strategy within peer-to-peer fundraising in large part to meet the wishes of donors. These programs are not replacing traditional peer-to-peer events, but supplementing them by allowing donors to fundraise on their own.

The keys to running a successful crowdfunding platform sound simple: Inspire people with great stories, make donating simple and then show what the gift has accomplished. But turning those ideas into practice requires a lot of testing and reworking.

That was one of the takeaways from a session at the South by Southwest Interactive festival with representatives from four nonprofits who have been working on their crowdfunding sites for years.

Charity Dynamics released the findings of its Independent Fundraising Event (IFE) Study demonstrating the emergence of IFEs as a core strategy for allowing donors to drive their engagement and support avenues. IFEs, also known as DIY fundraising, are donor-led peer-to-peer initiatives and often include virtual events, tribute campaigns or other grassroots activities.

More than half (57 percent) of organizations with existing IFE programs cite factors related to donor happiness or engagement as the driving forces behind their programs.

When Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, and Tim Ferriss met on the wrestling mat in high school, they never imagined they'd be crowdfunding titans. Joined by Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and fellow crowdfunding champion, they shared insights on the world of fundraising during last week's live chat. Here are four commandments from these experts of crowdfunding: 1. Don't sweat the small stuff. 2. Do build a community. 3. Don't reinvent the wheel. 4. Do be bold.

Crowdfunding raises questions. If young people give to these single-issue causes, is there less likelihood they will donate to the legacy charities such as the Red Cross, United Way and Save the Children? Does the individual and direct nature of crowdfunding act as a spur or a drain to such longtime nonprofits?

At Artez Interactive, we wanted to know more about the impact of mobile devices on peer-to-peer, or “crowd-sourced,” fundraising campaigns. When individuals are motivated to ask their friends and social networks to donate to a cause, are those supporters using smartphones and tablets to help them fundraise? Similarly, are donors in peer-driven events giving through mobile-Web-enabled devices?