Peer-to-peer fundraising works because it taps into what already exists: your community’s relationships, trust, and passion for your mission. When done well, it can significantly expand your reach and bring in new donors who might never respond to a traditional appeal.

When it struggles, it is usually not because supporters do not care. It is because the experience feels confusing, time consuming, or intimidating.

The most successful peer-to-peer campaigns follow a simple principle: make it easy, personal, and well supported.

Below are the best practices we recommend to help you remove friction, build momentum, and set your supporters up for success.

1. Choose the Right Platform

The technical side of fundraising should never get in the way of a donation. When selecting a platform, prioritize the supporter experience above all else. Whether you use Classy (now GoFundMe Pro), Givebutter, or DonorDrive, the interface should be intuitive and mobile-friendly.

The best platform is the one your supporters will actually use. If the sign-up process is too complex, you will lose potential fundraisers before they even start.

2. Set Clear but Realistic Goals

Success is a powerful motivator. You need a campaign-wide financial target, but you also need to help individual fundraisers set their own goals.

While it is tempting to aim for the moon, overly ambitious goals can be discouraging. Aim for a stretch goal that feels achievable. When people see a progress bar moving steadily toward the finish line, they feel like their contribution truly matters.

3. Secure a Matching Gift or Incentive

Nothing creates urgency like a match. Reach out to a major donor, a board member, or a corporate sponsor to secure a matching fund before you launch.

A match provides immediate legitimacy to your campaign. Psychologically, it tells your supporters that their $50 gift is actually worth $100, which significantly boosts participation rates and average gift sizes.

4. Personally Invite a Core Group

Do not rely on a mass email to kick off your campaign. Instead, identify a small group of highly engaged supporters and invite them personally to be your lead fundraisers.

Personal outreach makes these individuals feel valued and invested. When these leaders start fundraising early, they create the social proof needed to recruit others and build initial momentum.

5. Use a Leaderboard for Friendly Competition

A little healthy competition goes a long way. Use a leaderboard to highlight top fundraisers and teams. This keeps the energy high and encourages supporters to check back often.

Keep the tone fun and mission-focused. The goal is to celebrate the impact they are making, not to create a high-pressure environment.

6. Create a Simple Toolkit

Your supporters want to help, but they are busy. They should not have to spend hours writing copy or designing graphics. Provide them with a ready-made toolkit that includes:

• Messaging templates for emails and texts.
• Sample social media posts with high-quality images.
• A simple how-to guide with tips for asking.
• Clear deadlines and milestones to keep them on track.

When you do the heavy lifting for them, you make it easy for them to say yes to the mission.

This is why we created our Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Toolkit—to give nonprofit teams a ready-made foundation they can customize, deploy quickly, and use to support fundraisers from day one.Our toolkit includes customizable messaging, social posts, and more so you’re not starting from a blank page every time.

Ready to Launch Your Best Campaign Yet?

Building a toolkit from scratch is time-consuming. The goal is to get you started faster and support your fundraisers better.

If you want support building or refining a peer-to-peer campaign, Strat Labs can help.

Talk with Strat Labs to explore how we partner with nonprofit teams to design fundraising strategies that are easy to launch and easy for supporters to champion.