Best Practices from StayClassy: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

We’ve been doing a series on Best Practices in Fundraising as follow up to our webinar series, and today I’m pleased to share tips from our friends at StayClassy on Peer-to-Peer Fundraising, or P2P. The StayClassy blog has a ton of more detailed useful content on P2P but if you’re just getting to know this solution, this will give you a start.

Here are some of top best practices from Mike Spear of StayClassy:

• Put user experience at the top of your strategy: 10-15% of all charitable giving is done online and 15% of online giving happens through mobile devices. This trend is accelerating, so think hard about how your prospective fundraisers are experiencing your messaging.

• The key is engaging supporters properly, and providing tools that empower them. Anyone can do P2P fundraising - don’t assume it’s just for millenials.

• Build a foundation of year-round peer-to-peer fundraising, supplemented with time-based campaigns. A regular cadence of strategic fundraising efforts helps to minimize the inevitable peaks and valleys.

• Focus on Recurring Donations: Recurring donations have 70% donor retention: almost double that of first-time donors. Consider advocating for regular monthly donations whenever possible. One great example of an organization that both StayClassy and Idealist Consulting work with is Team Rubicon, who has an “Eleven11” campaign each year to encourage people to donate $11 per month and join the “Support Squad,” which has become a reliable source of revenue from engaged donors

• Treat each new donor as an opportunity. Take them from being a casual supporter or one-time donor…then upgrade them into recurring donors, fundraisers, and lifelong evangelists.

For lots more statistics and examples of the power of recurring donations and peer-to-peer fundraising, watch the webinar recording, and check out the previous posts in this series on mass email and online donations for make your fundraising machine even more powerful.