10 Peer-to-peer fundraising tips

Asking people for money can be awkward and uncomfortable, but with the following best practices and tips you can fundraise in a respectful and meaningful way!

1. Customize your fundraising page – Don’t rely on generic messaging a charity might load into the page, personalize it! Explain your connection to the cause and why it is important to you that visitors make a donation. Use relevant and compelling pictures and videos if the platform allows.
2. Set a goal and don’t be afraid to change it – Make the goal challenging but attainable. Getting close to or surpassed your goal? Raise it.
3. Set the tone with a self-donation – Visitors to your fundraising page will be more likely to give if they see that you have.
4. Use your network – It may seem obvious but challenge yourself to think big about who is in your network. Sure, your friends and family, even co-workers are “low-hanging” fruit. How about businesses you frequent, your workout buddies, a book club, etc.? You’d be surprised how many people you interact with.
5. Use social media – Again, this seems obvious these days but be creative and thorough. Check out the groups you belong to and drop a message there (if it isn’t against the group rules). Include pictures and/or videos and don’t forget the direct fundraising link.
6. Use email – While social media is great, email still generates the most donations. It is a lot less passive and the message can be more personalized.
7. Don’t ask just once – It often takes a person three asks before they take action. Send out regular updates of your fundraising progress to both your donors and those who have not yet donated.
8. Leverage a milestone event – Got a birthday (particularly a big one) coming up? Ask for donations to your cause in lieu of gifts.*
9. Create a fundraising event – Is “bake sale” the first thing that comes to mind? Yeah, you could do that. How about a garage/yard sale or gear swap? How about guest bartending at a place that “knows your name?” The key here is knowing your audience and making it fun.*
10. Thank your donors – This is very important not only because it is the right thing to do, but recognizing your donors will make them more likely to share your effort with other potential donors. They’ll tell five friends and so on, and may donate again in the future!

*Be sure to incorporate proper social distancing guidelines in any events during the pandemic!