[GUEST POST] A New Spin on Peer-to-Peer Fundraising
There aren’t many types of fundraising programs that match the resource commitments of the average peer-to-peer campaign. It’s not something you’d typically think about successfully achieving with limited budget or time!
And with so many things competing for your supporters’ attention, your campaigns must not only be highly engaging, but also stay true to your audience and your mission.
Addressing all of these considerations might seem like too much – especially if you have a small staff, limited time, or minimal budget. But even so, your organization can provide a unique and compelling experience that delivers big results.
Real-world example: A new spin on peer-to-peer fundraising
One of Funraisin’s charity partners from the UK provides us with a great example of a new spin on peer-to-peer fundraising that delivers a stellar outcome with minimal budget.
The Army Benevolent Fund (ABF) is a nonprofit organization that serves as the UK Army’s national charity – supporting serving soldiers, former soldiers, and their immediate families when they are in need. Despite a small number of fundraising staff, they were charged with a familiar task: deepening and broadening their audience without breaking the bank.
With the innovative Operation Bletchley, ABF introduced an immersive, digital experience that remained true to their history, reached a new audience, and encouraged a sense of community to build lifetime value throughout their other programs.
Operation Bletchley is a virtual codebreaking challenge that uses a theme based on Bletchley Park, the center of British intelligence during World War II. The campaign presents participants with a mission: crack the codes and uncover the secret message they need to deliver to Winston Churchill before time runs out! For every five miles logged (at their own pace) in their 50-mile journey – the distance between Bletchley and London – they receive a new code and a reason to return to their fundraising hub.
There are multiple aspects of this campaign that make it a success:
- It maintains an authentic tone that rings true with the organization’s audience and mission.
- It doesn’t disrupt what works: ABF used common best practices to keep much of the experience streamlined and low cost.
- It has a multi-generational appeal that engages families on a national scale, rewards them with “mission accomplished” badges and gifts for reaching certain fundraising milestones, and encourages participants to have fun and stay involved while supporting a serious cause. In fact, with this campaign:
- 70% of participants completed the full campaign
- 77% of participants achieved their fundraising goals
- 28% returned to engage in a second activity with the organization
While it requires careful thought about the stories and messages used to promote and execute the campaign, it does not require a big budget or large staff. In fact, the Army Benevolent Fund team was able to build and manage the initial campaign in just 12 weeks using mostly out-of-the-box features in the Funraisin peer-to-peer fundraising software.
They even delivered a surprise, low cost reward to a major fundraiser: a bucket of fried chicken!
Learn more about the Army Benevolent Fund’s unique peer-to-peer fundraising campaign
You can hear more about this creative and successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaign (and find out where the fried chicken comes in) from The Army Benevolent Fund in the on-demand webinar, Crack the Code of Authenticity in Event Fundraising. If you have any questions about the campaign or would like more information about the Funraisin software used to provide the digital experience in this campaign, you can reach out to us at Funraisin or contact our great friends at Cathexis Partners. We’re ready to help you learn more.
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Lance Melton, General Manager of North America, Funraisin
Lance is the General Manager of the North America offices at Funraisin.co, where he supports among the most engaging online fundraising programs in the world. He leverages more than 17 years of experience in nonprofit CRM, marketing, and fundraising technologies to ensure that your fundraisers are shown the same love and care that they show for your causes.
