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Selecting Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Software: Engagement Capabilities to Consider

When selecting peer-to-peer fundraising software for your nonprofit, an important area to consider is the software’s engagement capabilities. Email marketing is a vital part of an organization’s multi-channel communication strategy, but it can be time-consuming to manage. Automating as much of this type of communication as possible frees your team to focus on other aspects of an event or campaign.

At the same time, it’s apparent that social media is becoming a more important piece of the overall multi-channel communication strategy. The platform you select should help ease the administration of engaging with your constituents, participants, and donors based on your specific communication strategy.

Here are some capabilities to consider as you research options for peer-to-peer fundraising software for your organization:

  • Participant emails — Can participants upload their contact lists and send emails from the platform? In today’s world it may feel like social media is the only point of contact between friends and family, but email is still an important communication tool. Be sure to give your participants options on how they want to spread the word.
  • Sample emails — Does the platform support providing sample fundraising emails for your participants to send? You’re asking your participants to fundraise on your organization’s behalf, and the more you can help your participants by providing them with tools like sample emails that they can then customize and send to their friends and family, the more likely they are to raise funds.
  • Organizational emails — Does the platform allow you to upload email addresses for campaign invitations, plus allow you to send registered participants fundraising tips, tools, mission information, event logistics, and post-event follow up?
  • Third-party email tools — What email tools does the platform integrate with, if any? This is important if the built-in email tools allow only basic auto-responder functionality and not proactive/on-demand emailing.
  • Social media sign-up — Does the platform allow participants to sign up using their social media credentials to make it more convenient for them to register? This feature streamlines the registration process by a one-click registration process or by auto-filling biographical information.
  • Team functionality — Does the platform support team creation? This is particularly important because members of teams typically raise more than individual participants.

Finding peer-to-peer fundraising software that’s right for your nonprofit’s staff and budget can seem challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Just be sure to understand your organization’s specific requirements, request software demos that match your organization’s needs, and ask a LOT of questions before making a purchase.

For more tips and insights on capabilities to look for when selecting peer-to-peer fundraising software, read The Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Technology Landscape, an introductory guide for nonprofits.


by Laura Higgins, Strategic Consultant, Cathexis Partners
Laura specializes in fundraising and community-building events, and has worked with nonprofits for more than 15 years.

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