Soapbox Engage Blog

Whether you run a nonprofit or you're looking for a way to help your favorite charity, peer-to-peer fundraising is an excellent way to raise money and connect with new supporters.

People are more likely to financially invest in a nonprofit if they have a relationship with the organization. Peer-to-peer fundraising can strengthen relationships with your current supporters and develop relationships with new donors. With a little creativity, the right tools, and a little support from your friends, you can rally the troops to make a significant impact.

Here's a list of six peer-to-peer fundraising ideas to get you started!

1. Celebrate special days
2. Go on strike
3. Run, ride, hike--get active
4. Wear your cause
5. Personal challenges
6. Host a marathon (not the running kind)
7. Watch a movie

1) Celebrate special days

Help your supporters celebrate their special events like birthdays, anniversaries, or weddings by raising money for your nonprofit.

Charity: Water mastered the art of mobilizing their audience to raise money on their special days to build wells in developing countries. Harry asked friends and family to donate $78 in honor of his 78th birthday. He raised nearly $4,000 for Charity: Water.

They also encourage their community to be creative in their fundraising efforts. David raised nearly $2,000 by raffling off the opportunity to shave his head and face however the winner so chooses. Charity: Water posted the photos of the--er--unique makeover.

2) Go on strike

Well Aware rallied their troops to go on strike! All their peer-to-peer participants decided to skip daily showers until they raised their goal amounts. Their strike efforts raised over $340,000 in 2019 for clean water.

World Vision hosts annual 30-Hour Famine events where they invite people all over the world to skip food for 30 hours to raise money and awareness about hunger and food insecurity.

Your organization might not want to host a Shower Strike or skip meals. Still, there is probably something else you could encourage your community to do (or not do) to raise awareness and money. You might be surprised just how much money your supporters can raise if they give up coffee, soda, chocolate, or some small item in their daily lives and invite friends to do the same.

Peer-to-peer campaigns that encourage people to give something up or add something to their routines are most effective if there's a direct connection to your cause. Well Aware's Shower Strike is impactful because it's connected to having access to clean water.

3) Run, ride, hike--get active

Some of the earliest successful peer-to-peer fundraising events were walk-a-thons, 5K fun runs, bike rides, and other athletic events. These activities bring people together and allow them to use their hobbies to support a good cause.

The American Diabetes Association hosts annual Tour de Cure events all over the country. They challenge people to ride, run, or walk their events and raise money to fund diabetes research and support people living with diabetes.

You can also have fun with it! The city of Boerne, Texas, hosts an annual 0.5K race (yes, you read that correctly) to raise money for the Blessings In Backpacks charity. They've branded their event, "the running event for the rest of us." It's so popular that it sells out!

Another way to be creative is to connect your fundraising goals with how many miles participants will bike or run, or how many steps they pledge to walk.

4) Wear (or don't wear) something

We aren't encouraging you to get people to do anything TOO crazy, but our wardrobe choices can make powerful statements.

Dressember is a foundation that raises money to fight human trafficking. Every year, they mobilize thousands of people around the world to wear dresses or bowties for the entire month of December. It began as a vision to restore dignity to women and, in their words, "reclaim and reappropriate the dress as a symbol of freedom and power."

Red Nose Day is another peer-to-peer fundraiser that involves wearing something unique (though we aren't sure how many people actually wear their red noses). In just five years, the campaign raised over $190 million for programs that fight child poverty.

5) Invite your supporters to set personal challenges

Give your supporters free rein to come up with their own creative challenges. You'll probably be surprised at their creativity, resourcefulness, and… well… endurance. People are willing to do crazy, humiliating, and even questionable things for a good cause.

Jesse Carey performed "the ultimate test of endurance" by listening to the entire catalog of Nickelback albums on repeat for a whole week. Yes, that's 168 hours of nonstop Nickelback. Not only did he far exceed his $10,000 fundraising goal, but he also got the attention of Time magazine and the band itself.

The next year, Jesse performed another feat of mental strength for charity. He watched Nicolas Cage movies for 24 hours straight to raise $24,000 for charity.

Personal challenges don't have to be quite as crazy or mentally taxing as Carey's shenanigans. People come up with all kinds of unique challenges, from growing their beards to participating in polar plunges. You'll be surprised just how creative and resourceful your supporters can be when given the opportunity.

6) Host a marathon (not the running kind)

Whether it's a golf marathon, dance marathon, yoga gathering, board game or video game event, or craft-a-thon, your supporters can turn just about anything into an enjoyable marathon fundraising activity.

The Children's Miracle Network mobilizes high school and university students all over the country to host 8 to 40-hour dance marathons to raise money and awareness for their local Children's Miracle Network Hospital.

Rescue Pink hosts a golf marathon to raise money for their cause. They recruit 40 golfers to raise support then play 100 holes of golf (not putt putt) in one day. With or without golf carts, golf marathons are definitely epic feats of marathon endurance that can bring in big bucks if done well.

Perhaps the most widely-recognized peer-to-peer fundraising event is the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. It's a marathon walking event where teams and individuals raise money and pledge to walk for the duration of the relay event.

7) Watch a movie

For those organizations in a changemaking space, especially advocacy groups, one way to engage in peer-to-peer fundraising is by rallying your community around watching a movie, particularly a documentary, can be a very powerful way to engage your supporters. A movie watching day can be created to encourage your supporters to watch a movie, then join you online for discussions, fundraising, and advocacy. To build this fundraising campaign, set a date for everyone to watch the movie, and consider hosting a chat room online for discussions. Have your supporters recruit others to watch the movie, and contribute to the cause via donations.

The Global Fund for Women created a beautiful set of videos called Fundamental, highlighting grassroots movements and community leaders who stand up for our fundamental human rights. With a variety of peer-to-peer outreach supports, they have provided their community a number of virtual ways to get involved, including hosting a movie watching, raising funds, and more.

One of the beautiful things about crowdfunding is that you are really only limited by your creativity. Almost anything can become a P2P fundraising event. No matter what kind of event you choose, it's essential to find one that your supporters will be excited about. After all, they're the ones you want to mobilize to fundraise on your behalf.

Are you ready to incorporate crowdfunding into your fundraising strategy? Here are three more resources to help you take the next steps:

• 5 Must-Have Features of Nonprofit Event Registration Software: if you are planning to incorporate crowdfunding in your fundraising strategy, it will likely involve an event of some kind. This resource will help you choose an event registration software that has all the features to make your life easier.

• 5 School Fundraising Ideas that People Will Actually Enjoy: As you expand your crowdfunding opportunities, here are some creative fundraisers that are effective and enjoyable.

• Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: What You Should Know and a Quick-Start Guide: If you're new to peer-to-peer crowdfunding, here are the basics to get you started on your first P2P fundraising campaign.