What Is Peer-To-Peer Fundraising An Excerpt From Drab To Fab – Peer-to-Peer Event Makeover E-book
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What is Peer-To-Peer Fundraising an excerpt from Drab to Fab – Peer-to-Peer Event Makeover e-book
By Madeline Turner
Close your eyes. Picture the excitement of the starting line at your walk or run. Picture a pack of cyclists lined up as they are about to embark upon a 50-, 80-, or 100-mile journey. Picture someone so passionate about a cause that they would leap off a 30-story building to build awareness. Think about what makes your organization tick. What is it that keeps the lights on, keeps you inspired so you can continue to give your all day in and day out, and keeps you focused on the mission at hand? It’s something right in front of you.
People.
The power of people is an impressive front. People who care about your cause, who unite to move your mission forward, who ask their networks to care and give: that’s what keeps your mission alive. That’s peer-to-peer fundraising. It’s people asking people to do social good, all in the name of your cause.
Raising donations and building awareness for your cause doesn’t stop with your development staff, website, or targeted communications. One of your most valuable fundraising arms is people.
This resource can be your most integral channel for spreading your cause and increasing donations.
Think about it: your organization has a large network of friends known as your supporters. Your supporters also have a vast net- work of friends; these are your potential supporters. When you empower your supporters to tap into these networks for additional support, new doors and pathways for support open. Your job as an organization is to put the power in the hands of the people; give the people the right tools, and they will build awareness for you. This is the power of peer-to-peer fundraising.
I recently met with Tracey Sperry, director of development and research for the Scleroderma Foundation. The foundation holds 60 walks each year, and as Tracey put it, “Our [walks are our] strongest online fundraiser. We get 37% of our annual revenue from our events.”
Participants collect funds through their unique supporter web pages, which are sent directly to their networks of family and friends. This is a prime example of the power of peer-to-peer fundraising. Thirty-seven percent of this organization’s revenue is made possible by empowering its fan-base to be fundraisers.
These types of individual fundraising pages allow supporters to:
• Share stories
• Build awareness for the cause
• Provide details about the cause and their motivation for getting involved
• Set fundraising goals and monitor progress
• Inspire family and friends to contribute
When your supporters are empowered to be your “feet on the ground,” your organization’s reach expands exponentially. And this is bigger than just event-day fundraising; peer-to-peer fund- raising is about making it possible for supporters to spread your mission with their networks throughout the year. Videos, pictures, and stories go viral daily when individuals feel compelled to share. And oftentimes, people share because their friends have shared. We live in a copycat world. Use that to your advantage.
What if you could create a sort of chain reaction among your supporter base? If you are looking to make over your peer-to- peer programs, always keep these four key steps in mind:
Inform: Your supporters are influenced by their peers and vice versa. Give your supporters the tools to tell their families why they care about your cause and how they can get involved.
Incentivize: Whether it’s giving up birthdays, forgoing shaving for a month, or committing to only wear a certain color, making it fun and meaningful will expand your campaigns for continued participation throughout the year.
Show the value: What lives are being changed? What research is being funded? How will contributions be used? Help your supporters show their friends the value of supporting your cause. Make sure your fundraisers are armed to talk about you.
Prove it: It’s critical that those supporting your cause—and their networks—can see the impact of their donations. Provide updates, stories, and milestones that serve as reminders for why their support is needed. And, of course, make this information shareable.Whether you’re just starting out or a have a seasoned Peer-to-Peer program, get more great ideas kicking your fundraising into high gear with our Drab to Fab: Peer-to-Peer Event Makeover, including:
- Email fundraising templates for various peer-to-peer events
- Data to help you identify and cultivate new fundraisers while retaining existing fundraisers
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everydayhero Blog
06/14/2018 3:19pm EDT
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