Peer to peer fundraising asks supporters to ask

Aug 29
3 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Introduction

Someone offers to run a marathon for you, or hold a coffee morning, or ask for donations instead of birthday presents. The charity says thank you, sends a link, and hears nothing until a modest amount arrives months later.

That supporter had access to a network you cannot reach, was motivated enough to volunteer, and was then left entirely alone. Peer to peer fundraising is one of the few channels where the charity's effort is almost all in support rather than in asking, and it usually fails from neglect rather than from anything the fundraiser did wrong.

1. Peer to peer fundraising works through networks you cannot reach

Understand what the supporter is actually giving you.

They are lending you their credibility with people who have never heard of your organisation and would ignore your appeal. That is worth far more than the money, because a proportion of those donors become yours.

2. Respond immediately and personally when somebody offers

The first hour sets the tone.

An enthusiastic reply from a named person, within the day, with a clear next step. An automated link sent three days later tells the supporter this is routine to you, and their effort tends to match.

3. Give them the materials they need

Most fundraisers have never done this before.

A page they can personalise, suggested wording, photographs they may use, a poster, and a short explanation of what different amounts achieve. Left to write it themselves, many produce something vague or quietly abandon it.

4. Help them set a target and explain it

Targets change outcomes substantially.

A specific goal tied to a specific outcome raises more than an open-ended appeal, and a visible progress bar prompts the final push. Suggest a realistic figure rather than leaving them to guess.

5. Stay in contact while they are fundraising

The support gap is where most of the loss happens.

Check in, encourage, share their page, and tell them how they are doing. A fundraiser who feels the charity is watching and cares raises more than one who suspects nobody noticed.

6. Make donating to them straightforward

Every extra step costs them money, not you.

A short link, a page that works on a phone, no account creation, and a clear indication that the money reaches you. Their friends are giving as a favour to them and will not persist through friction.

7. Thank the fundraiser first and properly

They did the work.

A personal thank-you, a note about what the total achieves, and public recognition if they want it. Charities routinely thank the donors and forget the person who assembled them, which is why so few people fundraise twice.

8. Follow up with the donors they brought you

The step that turns an event into growth.

With appropriate consent, welcome these donors, tell them what the organisation does, and invite them to stay in touch. They gave for a friend; some will stay for the cause if anyone asks them to.

9. Ask them to do it again

Repeat fundraisers are the backbone of this channel.

Someone who had a good experience and was thanked properly will often repeat it annually and recruit others. Ask them directly a few weeks later, while the goodwill is still fresh.

Check what rules apply to fundraising in your name in your jurisdiction, including how money is collected and held, and give supporters clear guidance. Well-meaning fundraisers can create real compliance problems for a charity that never told them the boundaries.

Conclusion

Support the fundraiser rather than only accepting the offer, because you are borrowing their network and their credibility.

Reply personally within the day, supply the wording, images and materials they will not create themselves, suggest a specific target tied to an outcome, stay in contact while they are running the appeal, remove friction from the donation page their friends will use, thank the fundraiser before the donors, welcome the supporters they introduced with proper consent, and ask them to do it again while the experience is still recent.