Smart Techniques for Wrapping Up Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign
This article originally appeared in
Blackbaud’s npEngage on July 8, 2015
In previous articles, my colleagues at Cathexis Partners and I have given you some proven tips and techniques for planning and launching a successful peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising campaign:
- Mark Becker, Founding Partner, wrote aboutfour things you should know before starting a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.
- Nancy Lemmon, Account Manager, wrote about top tips for planning a P2P fundraising campaign.
- Laura Higgins, Account Manager, wrote abouthow to launch a P2P fundraising campaign.
- I wrote about keeping the spark alive in your P2P fundraising campaign.
And now, it’s time to think about how to wrap up your campaign. Here are a few ideas:
Say Thank You
Your fundraisers have worked hard, and while you have thanked them throughout the campaign, be sure to send them a wrap-up thank you email, and maybe even call your top fundraisers. Let them know how much money your organization has raised due to their support and commitment, and tell them what your organization will be able to do with the funds raised. In your messaging, you can include pictures and stories to highlight features of the campaign. And, just as you held a kick-off event to get the ball rolling with your campaign, consider inviting your fundraisers to a wrap-up event — maybe a breakfast or luncheon with an awards ceremony for top fundraisers — to recognize your fundraisers’ great work.
Ask for Feedback
The end of your P2P fundraising campaign is the perfect opportunity to request feedback from your fundraisers. While the experience is still fresh in their minds, send them a survey with questions that address what worked, what didn’t, and how you can improve your next campaign. Some questions you might ask:
- On a scale from 1 – 5 (with 1 being easy and 5 being difficult), how easy was it for you to set-up your own campaign?
- What tools did we provide you that were most helpful?
- What tools did we provide you that were least helpful?
- What tools did we not provide that would have been helpful?
- What did you like most about the process of fundraising for our organization?
- What did you like least about the process of fundraising for our organization?
- What can we do to improve our next campaign?
Debrief with Your Campaign Team
Run reports that help quantify the goals and objectives agreed upon prior to the start of the campaign. Look for metrics including total participants, total funds raised, number of returning participants, and average fundraising per participant. Plus, dig deeper to find trends such as amount raised based on registration date, number of emails sent, and whether or not someone updated their personal or team fundraising page.
The end of your P2P fundraising campaign also is the perfect time to get feedback from your organization’s stakeholders. Bring together everyone who was involved with the campaign to review your original campaign goals, discuss results and lessons learned, and begin outlining your next campaign. Be sure to take notes so you’ll have them to look back on as you start work on your next campaign.
Keep in Touch
Just because your campaign has ended doesn’t mean it’s time to stop communicating with your fundraisers. In fact, your fundraisers typically are your most loyal supporters. So, keep them engaged with regular updates on what your organization has done with the funds they helped raise, and they’ll be even more likely to help you again with your next campaign. Also, be sure to keep them on your newsletter distribution list, and include them in some of your year-round campaigns so they are up-to-date on all of your organization’s activities. As soon as you have the kick-off date for your next P2P campaign, be sure to let them know that, too.
There are more aspects to creating effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns than we can cover in a few articles, but I hope you’ve found fresh inspiration and ideas from this article series. If you’d like a helpful tool for designing and implementing a successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, download Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Workbook, a free resource for nonprofits, published by Cathexis Partners andidealware.
