The Four Pillars of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Fundraising is all about understanding human psychology. The better you understand what motivates the human brain, the more effectively you can inspire and mobilize people to unite around a cause.

Fundraising is much more than asking for donations. It’s about driving people to take action.

Since CauseMatch began in 2016, we’ve isolated four four key principles to harness the power of human nature to achieve remarkable fundraising success.

Used appropriately, you can enlist dozens – even hundreds! – of volunteers to join as ambassadors for your fundraising campaigns. As ambassadors, they’ll reach out to their family and friends for support.

By engaging in an ambassador-led, peer-to-peer campaign, you will have opened the door to many new donors to your organizations. These are people who share similar values and interests as your key supporters. These are people who are likely to be in similar financial situations as your key supporters. These are people who are going to care about your organization simply because they care about your key supporters.

But, in order to execute effectively, you have to understand how to motivate your base to become ambassadors.

Let’s explore four pillars and see how they can transform your campaigns and help you reach your fundraising goals.

When fundraising campaigns start doing well from the beginning, more people want to get involved. That’s why we suggest organizations start with a “soft launch” before the official campaign starts. This means they collect 20%, 25%, or even 40% of their goal before they really start. If donors see a page with 0% or 5%, they might feel discouraged.

Crowdfunding campaigns are all about showing success.

The beauty of this approach is that it applies to stakeholders even beyond donors. Organizational leaders set higher goals and exert more effort and enthusiasm when they feel success within their reach.

A recent campaign illustrates the power of this principle. One of our coaches suggested that an organization set an ambitious fundraising goal. The nonprofit leader, in response, expressed concern. She was worried about falling short. .

The coach replied that he wasn’t planning on adding a tally to his loss column anytime soon. “I am totally committed to your success,” he said. “And you should be, too.”

Upon hearing this, the nonprofit leader’s mindset shifted immediately. She wanted to be a part of a winning culture. She committed – truly committed – to the ambitious goal. Not only did the organization achieve it, but they surpassed it with room to spare.

The underlying principle here is simple: success breeds success. When you’re on track to “win,” your team rallies behind you. The sense of accomplishment creates a positive feedback loop. It attracts more individuals to join your cause. It positively contributes to your fundraising efforts.

By understanding and embracing the first pillar of peer-to-peer fundraising, organizations can harness the power of success to drive their campaigns forward. They can inspire their team. And they can create powerful momentum that leads to remarkable fundraising outcomes.

Fundraising ambassadors play a pivotal role in driving the success of peer-to-peer campaigns. These dedicated individuals commit to fundraising goals and then reach out to their family and friends for support.

They are the engine that will drive your campaign forward.

But to do so, they must view their campaign as their own.

This principle is rooted in basic human psychology. When we feel a sense of ownership over a goal, our motivation to achieve it skyrockets. This holds true whether it’s building a business, earning a degree, or improving physical fitness. The stronger our desire, the more willing we are to go the extra mile to succeed.

At CauseMatch, we advise clients never to dictate fundraising goals to ambassadors. Instead, ambassadors should choose their own goals. That way, they develop a sense of ownership and commitment to it.

An inspiring example. Around a year ago, an ambassador on a campaign set a modest fundraising goal of $1,000. Within a couple of days, she had raised a staggering $14,000!

We were curious so we asked her secret.

She told us that she had recently participated in a mindfulness course. She learned about the concept of entering a “flow state.” In this state, one becomes absorbed on a task, dismissing any distractions in the way.

She harnessed the power of the flow state. She thought of her goal as a personal challenge and immersed herself in her fundraising efforts.

Once she hit her original $1,000 goal, she simply continued. She was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop her.

This ambassador serves as a shining example of how goals can become reality. The three keys are:

1. embrace ownership,
2. adopt a growth mindset, and
3. tap into the innate human ability to achieve the extraordinary.

Empower your ambassadors to take ownership of their goals. Help them tap into their full potential. Show them that they, too, can feel the euphoria of a flow state.

Every task you accomplish from the moment you begin to work on your campaign adds up. Every person you enlist to volunteer adds up. Every donation, every dollar, every forwarded WhatsApp adds up.

Executing a campaign is hard work. There are a lot of steps involved and a lot of people who need to take action in order for a campaign to succeed.

It’s easy to allow a wave of overwhelmedness wash over you. Nothing produces anxiety like a laundry list of things you need to accomplish.

The solution, however, is to break up your laundry list into tasks.

Task by task, you will cross things off once they are done. Conversation by conversation, you will expand your circles of support by engaging another volunteer, fundraising ambassador, or donor. Step by step, you will navigate your way through the campaign process.

And when you emerge on the other side, you will look at all that you’ve done in amazement. You will have raised millions of dollars simply by executing a clear and systemized plan.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Are you ready to take it?

The main reason why donors give to a given cause is because someone asked them to. We give to causes that our friends/family deem important. That means that if fundraising ambassadors reach out to their contacts to ask for a donation, those contacts will respond in kind.

We make thousands of decisions everyday. And those decisions, whether we realize it or not, are influenced by our family and friends. We associate with people who share our values, our priorities, our beliefs.

So when a friend comes to us and says, “this is a cause that I believe in,” we’re predisposed to trusting it because a) we associate with people who are like-minded and b) we want to do the right thing.

By donating when a friend asks, we are essentially saying “I trust you. I know this is important to you and therefore it’s important to me.”

If you have a $1,000 donor, you have $1,000. But that $1,000 donor knows 10, 20, or even 50 people who would be willing to give $100 just because believes in what you do and knows many people that believe in him.

By that math, if you have a $1,000 donor who is ALSO a fundraising ambassador, you have $6,000. People give to people, not to organizations.

Invest in your fundraising ambassadors, and watch your campaign grow.

The four pillars of peer-to-peer fundraising provide a foundation for nonprofits to optimize their fundraising efforts. This is the mindset you need to adopt to succeed. By understanding the importance of a) early success, b) personal commitment, c) cumulative efforts, and d) leveraging personal connections, you can achieve remarkable results.

By showcasing early success and creating a winning team, nonprofits can inspire confidence and attract more donors to their cause. Personal commitment and ownership of fundraising goals empower ambassadors and drive campaign success. The power of cumulative efforts, breaking down tasks and engaging volunteers, leads to significant impact. Lastly, leveraging personal connections and the influence of friends and family helps expand the donor base and foster trust.

Incorporating these pillars into your peer-to-peer fundraising strategy can transform your campaigns, forge meaningful connections, and make a lasting impact. Remember to adapt these principles to your unique context and prioritize building genuine relationships with donors and ambassadors.

By embracing these pillars, you have the tools to create compelling and successful fundraising initiatives. Together, let’s harness the power of peer-to-peer fundraising, amplify your mission, and achieve extraordinary outcomes.

CauseMatch is a peer-to-peer fundraising platform designed to help you increase your donor base and raise more money from each donor.