In the age of social media, nonprofits are adopting peer-to-peer strategies to raise more money. But how do you know what peer-to-peer fundraising platform is best for you?
If you didn’t know, peer-to-peer fundraising (also commonly referred to as “p2p”) is an opportunity to leverage your supporters’ personal networks to increase visibility and engagement for your cause.
Peer-to-peer puts the “fun” in fundraising by giving your avid supporters a creative outlet to get involved.
Through p2p, there’s a high potential for return. On average, nonprofits who use p2p have the ability to double the amount that’s typically raised compared to those relying solely on traditional methods.
With online fundraising surging in popularity, there’s no shortage of peer-to-peer platforms to choose from.
To help narrow down your options, here’s an abbreviated guide on things to consider when looking for the best peer-to-peer fundraising platform.
1. The Type Of Campaign
When considering the best peer-to-peer fundraising platform for you, you have to consider what kind of peer-to-peer fundraising campaign you’re running.
You’ve probably noticed the birthday fundraisers that occasionally pop up on your Facebook newsfeed. You may have even donated to one. But birthdays are just one type; there are also fundraisers for walks, runs, special events, and other milestones.
Before kicking off your campaign, ask yourself what you’re fundraising for. Peer-to-peer initiatives take on many forms, including (but not limited to):
- Traditional p2p models (generally managed by an organization)
- DIY fundraisers (like ongoing campaigns, birthdays, or something to celebrate a special someone),
- Event-based (i.e. the classic walk/run)
- Team-based fundraisers to generate some healthy competition
- Giving days or year-end appeals
Almost any virtual fundraising initiative can thrive with p2p. You’ll want to find a dynamic peer-to-peer fundraising platform that works for all your p2p fundraising needs.
Innovation: Africa is an excellent example of how a campaign was impacted by the platform they chose.
Innovation: Africa provides light, clean water, food and proper medical care to over 1 million people throughout several African countries.
Running for over 4 years, Innovation: Africa has tailored their campaign for DIY fundraising, allowing fundraisers to create their personal fundraising pages on their life events and challenges.
Innovation: Africa’s easy-to-use DIY fundraising template provided a way for Ranan to easily create a personal fundraising page and raise over $24,000 for the organization in lieu of Bar Mitzvah presents.
Innovation: Africa’s DIY peer-to-peer fundraising campaign continually helps their supporters raise more with less effort because it’s perfectly tailored to fit their DIY fundraising needs.
2. Ease Of Customization
No design or coding experience? No problem.
The ideal fundraising platform should have fuss-free customizations so you can easily edit your campaign.
That’s why the team at North Texas Food Bank switched to CauseVox. Ashley VandenBush, Corporate Giving Account Manager at the North Texas Food Bank, wanted a platform that offered easily brandable, ready-made pages to their partners.
“It’s so simple and easy to use. We came from a platform that was very outdated and difficult to use on the back end and for our users. It was so easy to set campaigns up, pull data, and customize our sites with CauseVox,” Ashley says.
The North Texas Food Bank primarily uses CauseVox for their corporate and community partner campaigns. To date, the food bank has created over 130 branded campaigns using CauseVox software.
With CauseVox’s drag and drop features, users can:
- Create individual and team fundraising pages in minutes,
- Add photos, embed videos, and post blog-style updates,
- And incorporate your unique brand to reflect your nonprofit’s personality and drive donations.
Pro Tip: We’re constantly flooded with causes that demand our attention, which is why branding matters. To make your cause stand out from the crowd, couple appropriate branding with persuasive storytelling. Brush up on how craft a compelling story with our guide.
3. Essential Key Features
There are just some things you can’t do without:
Mobile-Friendly Platform
Let’s face it. These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find folks not on their smartphones. So it’s no surprise that mobile-giving has increased 80% since 2013. Digital fundraising is on the rise so it’s important to make sure your platform is mobile-friendly.
Social-Sharing
Chances are, you probably came across fundraisers scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Make sure the platform you choose allows your campaign to be easily shared across popular social channels.
Simple, Customizable Donation Form
If a donor has to jump through hoops to give, they’re probably not going to. Online donation forms should be a one-stop shop with features that allow you to enable recurring donations and set recommended gift amounts.
Pro Tip: Setting donation tiers and adding a description of the tangible impact of a gift gives donors an idea of where their money is going. When used properly, this tool can actually increase the average gift amount.
Check out how the North Texas Food Bank customized their CauseVox donation page to tie dollar amounts to real outputs.
Looking for some best practices on how to structure donation tiers? We got you.
4. Does It Make Your Life Easier?
A good peer-to-peer platform is designed to save you time. In theory, it should shift some of the administrative load off your plate. It should be quick and easy to set up Hopefully, it’ll offer a suite of tools that allows you to:
- Track fundraising progress and donor activity in real-time.
- Receive email notifications for donations as they roll in and when new pages are created.
- Automate outgoing emails and donation receipts.
- Come with an option to seamlessly integrate into an existing campaign.
Fortunately, CauseVox’s peer to peer software checks all of these boxes and more.
5. The Level Of Back-End Support
If this is your first p2p, consider the level of guidance and technical support you’ll receive with your peer-to-peer fundraising platform. Getting the right resources and one-on-one assistance from subject matter experts can make or break your campaign.
At CauseVox, we’ll make sure you’re confident to hit the ground running.
You’ll get 1-1 support to help you create and run a successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, plus access to a whole library of resources to help you thrive.
Choose The Best Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Platform For You
Choosing the best peer-to-peer fundraising platform is the key ingredient to any successful peer to peer fundraising campaign.
With CauseVox, you can run peer-to-peer fundraising with clutter-free admin control, time-saving fundraising automation, and real-time reporting without the extra effort.
