DIY P2P
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of writing, thinking, training about the changes in fundraising. And while there are so many things that are changing two things jump out. The growth in importance of monthly giving and of Do It Yourself Peer to Peer fundraising.
A lot of this is down to generational changes. If your organization is not considering how to reach out to younger, perhaps less affluent (or at the very less, less willing to make large gifts), you may find yourself in a few years without any donors at all.
We all know that there is a huge transfer of wealth from those of us who are baby boomers to our babies—now grown, often with their own families.That in itself should be a warning, not to mention the fact that we—baby boomers—are getting old (though none of us FEEL old and most of us wonder who in the heck is standing in front of us when we look in the mirror).
Peer to Peer (or P2P) fundraising checks so many boxes. It reflects younger donors who want to be involved with their organizations rather than just give money. And it builds upon the core of fundraising—the fact that fundraising is all about relationships. In this case, the relationships of the P2P fundraisers themselves.
DIY Peer to Peer (P2P) is the best for smaller organizations. Unlike big organizational walks/runs/bike rides or other planned activities, DIY is “do it yourself”—with the person raising funds for you the one doing it.
A great way to start your organization on DIYP2P fundraising is get the board to all commit to raising funds from their circle for their birthday, anniversary, any special (or even not so special—I’ve had clients do “Hey it’s Thursday” fundraising events) day.
You provide them with some language for however they want to raise funds and a link to your giving page. Make sure that the page has an obvious space where donors can tell you that they are making this gift in honor of…….
So what are the ways your P2P fundraisers can raise funds?
The easiest is sending out a blast email—if you board member is willing to give you their list, you can send it from your constant contact, mail chimp, database email, whatever you use with the subject line being “A message from…with the person’s name.
If their list isn’t extensive, they can simply send emails to all their friends, family and other contacts. Either way, help them to craft something that explains their passion for your wonderful organization and ask their friends to join with them by clicking on the link. And just a note—yes, Facebook often makes this easier, but then it (a) takes a very long time for you to get your money and (b) you don’t always know who responded. So ask them to use your link
But, speaking of Facebook, using their social media to make an ask can also be brilliant, again sharing the link for those who wish to honor their special day
Sometimes they may be having a party to celebrate that special day. Perfect. Ask them to tell their friends that they are “already gifted” and so please don’t bring something. Instead, please “join me in supporting our wonderful organization.”
For those who are not online, a call, a handwritten note, a word-processed letter suffices. Tell their friends where to send a check and how to get to your landing page.
Of course, special days are not the only thing your P2P fundraisers can use to connect their friends to their organizations. One person I know asked his group to give to his organization every time his neighborhood baseball team won a game. And when they persistently lost, he asked his friends and family to help the organization anyway with a gift of $10 for every run the other team beat them by.
Anything you do can be P2P fundraiser. Just ask your circle to support your organization because of what you are doing.
Of course, this support is ephemeral. They’ll support you because their friend asked, and never again. Unless, of course, you work at changing that dynamic.
A good friend of mine runs marathons. At the last one he ran, he asked us—his circle of influence—to support his organization with a gift of any amount for every mile he ran. He raised about $2,000 for his efforts.
But then, the organization did something spectacular. Within 6 weeks, each person who donated got an email from the ED thanking them for their support and inviting them to a 10-minute zoom meeting where they would learn more about the organization and how their support mattered.
Not many attended. Only 5 or 6. But afterward, 2 of those gave a second gift. And over the 5 years since, have both become very loyal donors.
But the organization didn’t stop there. The continued to reach out to those who didn’t attend the zoom meeting, first sharing with them the information (edited down to a 1.5 minute video!) those on the zoom meeting heard. And they reached out to those who didn’t give a gift to my friend, telling them how what their friend and colleague did helped their clients.
Younger generations tell us that they don’t just want to give. They want to be involved in the process. A DIY P2P fundraising effort does that…and much more.