How to Conduct a Successful Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign: A Step-by-Step Guide
Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising is a powerful tool that allows organizations to expand their reach and increase donations by partnering with their supporters to engage new networks. Rather than relying solely on an organization’s efforts, P2P fundraising empowers individuals (peer fundraisers) to raise money on behalf of a cause they care about by leveraging their social networks, relationships, and personal touch. P2P fundraising has been a strong contributor to the success of India Giving Day with 45% of the donations received in March 2024 being generated by P2P fundraisers, and 46% of those donors self-identifying as new to the organization.
Here is a 5-step guide to help you facilitate P2P fundraising for your organization.
1. Start Early
The most successful P2P fundraising campaigns are those that get started early, ideally a few months prior to the beginning of your campaign. Make it a goal to secure at least 10 P2P fundraisers from among your most ardent supporters. Hold community gatherings to tell your donors, volunteers, and friends about India Giving Day and the opportunity to serve as P2P fundraisers in order to attract new support for your important programs. The organization that was most successful in P2P fundraising during IGD 2024, Heart to Heart, generated 74 volunteer fundraisers who generated 400 gifts during the course of the campaign. A full 61% of the gifts they received during IGD were from new donors. More about how they did this later on in this document. Meanwhile, know that an early start will give you the time you need to prepare the materials your volunteers will need to be successful and will allow them the time they need to create their own strategies for outreach.
2. Set Clear Goals and Objectives
Set a realistic and attainable goal that motivates both you and your fundraisers. If possible, identify a specific project or intention that you hope to achieve through their efforts and let them know the impact they will have if they are able to reach your stated goal. Having well-defined goals gives your fundraisers a clear sense of direction and makes it easier for you and they to track their progress and celebrate their successes throughout the campaign.
3. Engage your most enthusiastic supporters
The heart of a P2P campaign is your volunteer fundraisers. They can be your family and friends, board members, donors, volunteers—anyone who is passionate about your cause and willing to ask people in their networks to contribute. We encourage you ask by phone, video call, or in person, as many of your top 100 donors and volunteers as possible during the month of January and early February to become P2P fundraisers for your organization's IGD campaign. Set a goal to reach at least half of them and present them with the opportunity, explain what is involved and how they will be supported, and tell them how much it would mean to your organization if they agreed.
Be sure to include young people and families in your efforts. During India Giving Day 2024 the top 5 fundraisers, as measured by the number of donors secured, were young people in their teens and early twenties. Vibha leveraged their network of 700+ youth volunteers to secure the “Most Donors” prize for the second year in a row with 51 volunteer fundraisers and 414 donors, 43% of whom identified as being new to the organization.
Heart to Heart engaged volunteer fundraisers by holding several events leading up to India Giving Day and encouraging family participation. They ensured that volunteers, young and old, had the tools they needed to run a successful campaign. Their top two fundraisers spoke to the personal nature of their commitment, as both had witnessed firsthand the important work being done in India. Be sure to reach out to all of your supporters, especially those who have witnessed your work in India.
4. Provide your fundraisers the tools they need to be successful
Your P2P fundraisers need resources to be successful. You can help them by providing everything they need to craft a compelling and personalized campaign. There are sample email templates, social media posts, and thank-you messages on the India Giving Day website that you can customize to fit the unique character of your organization.
Sample messaging: Share powerful stories about the people or communities your campaign will help. Use real-life testimonials to bring the impact of their donation to life. Be sure to have them include a clear actionable step such as “donate now” or “please support my fundraiser today.”
Photos and videos: Share high-quality images and videos that your fundraisers can use to visually tell your story. If you are fundraising for a specific program or program enhancement, try to include specific language, testimonials, and photos that best represent your initiative.
Fundraising tips: Provide advice on how to craft their own personal story of why they are fundraising on your behalf. Help them set up their personal fundraising page (see last year’s training here) and learn how to use IGD social media effectively by showing them your own social media posts for India Giving Day.
Tracking their success: Fundraisers for India Giving Day will be able to track their progress on their own fundraising page and on the Peer-to-Peer leaderboard. The India Giving Day software will automatically track the name of each donor and the amount of each donation. This will help your fundraisers stay in touch with those who have not yet responded and thank those who have.
Matching Gifts: Matching gifts are a great motivator. Vibha, which relies heavily on grass roots fundraising and P2P fundraisers, was able to secure two $5000 matching gifts. With these gifts, P2P fundraisers were able to quadruple the impact of their funds raised by coupling the two Vibha matches with the IGD match provided by Rural India Supporting Trust (RIST).
5. Provide ongoing support and encouragement
Running a P2P campaign requires consistent communication with your volunteer fundraisers throughout the process. The top P2P fundraising organization during India Giving Day 2024, Heart to Heart, met with their volunteers weekly to ensure that they had all of their questions answered, all of the tools needed, their milestones celebrated, and the support of other fundraisers who were also learning how to manage their own campaign. They were also reminded to post regularly on social media, make phone calls, host gatherings, and have fun!
One of the top fundraisers for Vicente Ferrer Foundation, Nitin Charles, crafted his own brochure with a QR code that linked to his campaign page. He spoke to his church community, youth group, and South Asian Community Club. During his presentations he shared the India Giving Day video which can be found here and will soon be updated to include a listing of all the participating organizations for India Giving Day 2025.
Acknowledge progress: Remember to celebrate milestones along the way. Whether it’s a fundraising goal met or a specific donor milestone, recognizing achievements can keep morale high.
Send updates: Regularly update your fundraisers on campaign progress, whether it be through in person meetings, phone calls, emails or other. Share any new developments or updates that might inspire them to increase their efforts.
Say thank you: Recognizing your fundraisers and donors is essential. Thank them for their efforts and make sure they know how valued they truly are.
Campaign Conclusion
When your campaign is complete, be sure to thank each fundraiser and donor personally and consider having an in-person or online gathering to let them know how much their effort meant to the success of the campaign. Share stories, photos, and measures of how the campaign helped advance your mission and how the funds raised are making an impact on individuals and communities.
Learn from your campaign
Ask your fundraisers for feedback on their experience. Understanding their challenges and successes will help refine future campaigns. With the right planning, tools, and engagement strategies, your P2P fundraisers can become a transformative part of your organization’s fundraising efforts and your next India Giving Day campaign.