Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerful way to bring in money and develop new donors. Butorganizing a successful crowdfunding campaignisn’t as simple as launching itand watching the money roll in. Peer-to-peer fundraising needs attention, inspiration, and motivation that comes from you and spreads through all your grassroots fundraisers. Without nonprofits leading the charge, your campaign is likely to fizzle before it yields meaningful donations. There are tried and true ways to have your best peer-to-peer campaign, and the key ingredient in all of them is excellent communication.
With peer-to-peer fundraising, it’s important that you communicate your message specifically to the people receiving it. Here are our 5 peer-to-peer communication tips to help you motivate your peer-to-peer fundraisers.
Even though peer-to-peer fundraising relies on the individual initiative of each fundraiser and fundraising team, each campaign still needs strong leadership. Social fundraisers like to be kept in the loop and to know that their efforts are worthwhile and appreciated. Here are three ways to motivate your fundraisers through your communication style:
These kinds of communication really helps to energize your fundraisers and teams, especially when sent consistently. What’s more, strong peer-to-peer communication techniques tend to trickle down, influencing the way fundraisers engage and motivate their own community.
Images, stories, and videos shared on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are a great way to build excitement among existing fundraisers, while acting as social marketing to people not yet involved. Polish each post until it’s a valuable social nugget. Then send them off to your crowdfunders to share with their networks and spread the word more effectively.
One of the best ways to be an inspiring leader is to communicate directly with your campaigners. Has one of your fundraisers been on fire lately? Call her up and let her know. Has your youngest volunteer seemed discouraged? Help pick up his spirits over coffee. When people feel appreciated, they're more motivated, and when they enjoy what they do, they tend to do it better.
It’s important to think about the people you’re communicating with. Relying on canned and generalemail blasts (“thanks guys, you rock!”)is rarely effective. When you communicate, think about the details. If you are talking with a specific group, talk about their unique contributions and stay relevant to what is important to them. If you are talking to people who are new or uncommitted to your nonprofit, think of how you can make your communication inspiring.
It doesn't take a talk show host to engage others well. Using color, friendliness, and good wit are all effective ways to engage your supporters. Good-natured humor makes it fun to read your emails and makes you more approachable as an organization. Keep it professional, but have fun with your fundraisers—it will motivate them even more to be part of your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign.
Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerful tool for bringing in donors and increasing online giving. Because every new volunteer has a social network of his or her own, a good crowdfunding campaigncan engage new donors at exponential growth rates. But it takes solid leadership and excellent communication to keep your fundraisers motivated.
Looking for more on planning and executing your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign? We've put together the most up-to-date peer-to-peer and crowdfunding resources to help you get started.
