Keep the Spark Alive in Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign
This article originally appeared in
Blackbaud’s npEngage on 23 June 2015.
Picture this: You’ve just launched a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with an inspiring, well-executed kickoff event. You sit back in your office chair, smile, and pat yourself on the back. Your job is done. Right?
Not quite.
In many ways, launching your peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising campaign is just the beginning of your work on the project. To keep your campaign strong, you must keep the momentum going by coaching, supporting, and motivating your fundraisers.
Here are a few ideas for keeping the spark alive throughout the life of your campaign:
Send a Weekly Email
Weekly emails are a great way to inform and motivate your fundraisers from the campaign’s start to finish. A few ideas for what to share with fundraisers each week:
- An article highlighting a top fundraiser
- Tips on “how to raise $X this week”
- A thermometer of funds raised so far
- An example of what funds can do for the organization’s mission (for example, a $50 donation can feed a family of four for X days)
- An inspirational story about someone who benefitted from your organization’s mission
Make It Social
Take advantage of social media to keep your campaign vibrant. Post images and stories about your campaign and your organization’s mission. Post pictures and stories from your kickoff event and of those who benefit from your organization’s work. And, don’t forget to ask your fundraisers to re-post, re-tweet, and share your posts so you can get your message out to more people. Creating a hashtag for your campaign can make it easier to cultivate and share messages from your supporters.
Add a Personal Touch
In our digital society, we often forget about the power of one-to-one communication. Consider picking up the phone and calling your fundraisers. Ask them how things are going, and thank them for their hard work. Also, consider writing a personalized note, perhaps signed by your executive director or a member of your board, to thank fundraisers for their support. And, while it may not be quite as personal as a phone call or a handwritten card, add texts to the mix – they’re a great way to send a quick virtual high-five to fundraisers as they reach milestones.
Think About Who You’re Talking To
In all of your communications with fundraisers, be sure to segment your lists and tailor your messages accordingly. For example, if your campaign allows for the formation of teams, send tailored messages to team captains with tips and encouragement for keeping their team members motivated. You also should have different messages for your top fundraisers, and even for fundraisers from past P2P campaigns (who you can continue to encourage to sign up to fundraise this time around).
Segmenting your audience can become fairly complex, but it doesn’t have to. Just be sure to think about your key audiences and what will keep them engaged with your campaign.
Keep It Fun
The whole point of communicating with your fundraisers during your campaign is to keep them informed and motivated. So, keep your messages to them succinct and fun. Use bullet points, graphics, and videos to make communications easy and interesting for fundraisers to read. And, be sure to keep content varied and compelling, giving them a reason to open and read your messages each week.
There are so many aspects to creating effective peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. In previous articles about peer-to-peer fundraising, my colleagues at Cathexis Partners have offered up tips for making your P2P campaigns a success:
