Creating the Best Participant Journey for Your Peer-to-Peer Event

In the world of peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising, success isn’t solely defined by the day of the event itself. While it’s tempting to spend all your time thinking about the event and creating new elements to keep it fun and engaging (as an event geek myself, I get it), the truth is that the participant journey begins long before each participant arrives at your event and continues long after the event is over. This journey is just as critical to your event’s success as anything you introduce on event day. From first impressions to closing remarks, every step matters. 

Ensure First Impressions Last

When participants first hear about your event, they begin forming opinions. Is this fundraising event worth their time? Is the registration process easy? Do they feel welcome and excited to raise money for your mission after signing up? Your job is to make sure the answer to all these questions is a resounding “yes.”

It’s easy to think of registration and pre-event communications as set and forget or automated processes — get people signed up, send them a few emails and move on. But those are missed opportunities. A participant’s event experience begins the moment they register, and every touchpoint from that point forward should be designed to build anticipation and engagement.

The way participants feel during these early interactions sets the tone for their entire experience. Well-placed welcome emails, fundraising tips tailored to their needs, motivating and inspiring touchpoints, and clear instructions make participants feel supported. And that’s where you start building loyalty.

Find the ‘Fun’ in Fundraising

Fundraising can be seen as the most challenging part of the participant journey, and it happens long before event day. Supporting your participants during this phase will not only raise more money for your mission, but also give you the opportunity to get to know a lot of your attendees. This will make meeting them on event day much sweeter. 

A strong communication strategy that provides actionable tips and celebrates milestones keeps participants engaged and energized. However, if the tools or communication miss the mark — like sending generic reminders to fundraise to participants who’ve already hit their goals — it can feel impersonal and frustrating. Personalize your outreach as often as possible.

Here Comes Event Day

Event day is the culmination of months of effort. It’s the moment when participants finally see the impact of their hard work. But it shouldn’t be the only focus of your event planning. Everything that leads up to the big day contributes to how participants feel when they arrive. If their journey leading up to the event was positive, they’ll be even more excited to experience your event in person.

Introducing new elements can elevate your event or give your participants a fresh perspective. But if participants had a frustrating experience with registration or fundraising, these elements might not be enough to keep them coming back. Make sure new event-day elements complement — rather than overwhelm — the experience. 

Participants should feel like everything has been designed with them in mind. For example, a new mission moment or activation can build camaraderie, but not if it’s disorganized or hard to find. Is your event site easy to navigate? How does the flow feel? Make sure to brainstorm answers to these questions when creating your new elements.

Follow Up and Request Feedback

Every event is a learning opportunity, and feedback is your best tool for understanding how participants experience each stage of the journey. Sending post-event surveys and gathering feedback from key stakeholders allows you to hear directly from participants about what worked and what didn’t. Use this insight to improve future events and integrate new elements that truly enhance the experience.

The participant journey matters just as much as any new event-day element you introduce. From first impressions to post-event follow-up, each touchpoint plays a crucial role in shaping the participant’s experience. By considering how new elements fit into the entire journey and ensuring each stage is thoughtful and supportive, you’ll create an experience that’s memorable, engaging, and gets participants already thinking about next year — this year.

Three-Part Series on Planning Peer-to-Peer Events

Part I: Event Concepting: The Recipe for Your Secret Sauce
Part II: Creating the Best Participant Journey for Your Peer-to-Peer Event
Part III: From Paper to Production: How to Bring Your Event Ideas to Life

The preceding post was provided by an individual unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of NonProfit PRO.