Do you ever get caught along with your occasion planning? Is your group firmly hooked up to solely “tried-and-true” occasions? If you wish to get unstuck, think about increasing your peer-to-peer fundraising technique past the standard run, stroll, or bike occasion.
That can assist you discover alternate options to been-there-done-that occasions, this submit will spotlight some really artistic and barely quirky P2P experiences. The enjoyable issue is excessive, and so is the sum of money raised. However I wish to do extra than simply encourage you. I’ll additionally present helpful suggestions for launching and selling your distinctive P2P problem, the whole lot from enabling solo DIY fundraisers to realize their generally zany private objectives to creating positive your app makes donating straightforward for his or her supporters.
And most essential, we’ll cowl the real-world outcomes of next-gen P2P occasions—really spectacular outcomes. Let’s get to it!
Not That There’s Something Unsuitable with Run-Stroll-Bike Occasions
Conventional run-walk-bike occasions stay fashionable with nonprofits as a result of they’re nonetheless very talked-about with fundraisers and the communities that donate to their causes. The truth is, walks have grown in recognition since 2020, in response to the Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Benchmark Report, and nonetheless produce probably the most income of any occasion kind.
So, there’s nothing incorrect with run-walk-bike occasions. Nonetheless, we do know that donor demographics and fundraising strategies are at all times altering. To maintain tempo with the instances and to make sure future engagement and outcomes, strategy-focused nonprofits are now not concentrating their sources solely on legacy P2P occasions; they’re additionally seeing success in 4 fast-growing classes:
- DIY campaigns: Self-driven fundraising with out direct organizational involvement
- Social fundraising: Campaigns that exist solely on social media, unconnected to a bigger occasion
- Streaming/gaming: Fundraising occasions offered on streaming platforms with no connection to a separate marketing campaign
- Competitions/challenges: P2P occasions with leaderboards and incentives for prime performers, with “ambassador” fundraisers competing to boost probably the most cash, generally tied to social occasions and galas, however usually they’re stand-alones.
Various P2P Occasions
Even when your run or experience is a slam-dunk occasion yearly, increasing your engagement alternatives to incorporate non-traditional P2P occasions can construct new social networks and increase your group’s visibility with untapped supporters. That may be a wise strategic transfer on your mission. Let’s check out some creative new occasions that would clean up your P2P technique.
As an alternative of a Stroll, Strive Gaming
Streaming providers that showcase avid gamers are big proper now. Creating live-stream fundraising occasions can assist you join with youthful audiences, offering a useful alternative to get the following technology of supporters concerned in your mission. Hit pause, although, if you happen to’re considering gaming is only for youngsters:
- 35 years outdated is the typical age of a gamer
- 83% of oldsters play video video games with their youngsters, with 51% enjoying with their youngsters not less than weekly
Like gaming individuals, gaming occasions run the gamut. Generally, they’re a one-off, DIY fundraiser, like a well known Canadian gamer, Jonny Warren, turning his avid followers into donors for Parkinson’s Canada. He saved their curiosity with challenges and gimmicks, corresponding to shaving his head. He raised hundreds for the group.
Need to construct relationships with reside streamers? Hearken to our podcast.
Gaming occasions additionally could be deliberate and managed by the group itself, corresponding to Sinai Dwell, a 13-hour gaming occasion that includes NHL gamers and different celebrities, who raised greater than $64,000 for the Mount Sinai Basis in Canada.
Make-A-Want is aware of that youngsters with important sicknesses usually really feel remoted. Gaming can assist them keep related to their mates. The group is so dedicated to gaming, they’ve a fundraising part of their web site devoted to streaming and encourage the gaming neighborhood to make a critically in poor health youngster’s want come true by internet hosting their very own fundraisers for the group.
Make-A-Want makes use of methods that would work for any nonprofit: They supply P2P sources—a toolkit with model logos, messaging, overlays, and suggestions—plus numerous inspiration, with movies and graphics telling the story of how a selected present quantity might carry delight to a Make-A-Want child who loves gaming.
- Outcomes: Make-A-Want focuses on gaming in two methods: Gaming as a want (it has granted 300 gaming-related needs this yr) and gaming as fundraising car. An instance of an org-sponsored P2P gaming occasion: the esports manufacturing firm Blue Mammoth Video games organized the Brawlhalla World Championship live-stream broadcast. Incentives all through the event rewarded gamers with in-game objects like avatars once they made a donation to Make-A-Want. In 2023, the live-streamed occasion raised greater than $8,200 for Make-A-Want Georgia.
If you happen to’re excited by producing (or encouraging) gaming occasions on your nonprofit, JustGiving® from Blackbaud presents free software program that enables P2P fundraisers to spotlight fundraising pages on their Twitch channel, plus how-to steerage to launch a gaming occasion.
As an alternative of a Journey, Strive an Icecycle
Journey occasions stay fashionable as a result of they’re such a vibe. Bike fanatics are there for the fellowship of the street (or the spin studio) and the grind of the bodily problem. The cash raised on your trigger is a bonus. However conventional rides should not the one method to roll. Take a look at how one New York group is reinventing the wheeled occasion.
Roswell Park’s Alliance Basis Icecycle to Finish Most cancers shifts gears on the bike expertise by making it tougher—a spinning occasion within the snow in upstate New York—and by making it an actual neighborhood expertise, interesting not solely to bikers but additionally to most cancers survivors and those that love them.
- Outcomes: In 2024, 1,300 Icecyle individuals raised $685,000 for analysis, scientific trials, and quality-of-life packages for most cancers sufferers and their households.
As an alternative of a Run, Strive a DIY (Fill-in-the-Clean) Occasion
Self-motivated supporters don’t wish to wait round on your run occasion. They’ve concepts! Like Jamie Campbell, working the London Marathon wearing a shrimp costume to learn BASICS Essex emergency care. Sure, it’s nonetheless a run, however it’s one thing else, too, one thing distinctly his personal.
DIY might be nearly something: skydiving on your trigger or donating the proceeds of a bake sale. DIYers wish to give their power and character to their fundraising expertise, so that they create their very own little motion. Mobilizing help on-line and on social media, they get behind your trigger in their very own approach—generally with out you even figuring out they’re doing it.
“Every of them clearly has a strong motivation to do good,” stated Jamie Parkins, Senior Product Supervisor for JustGiving. “And that motivation began with them. It didn’t begin essentially with an affiliation to the trigger. These motivations can’t merely be engineered by a corporation.”
How can your group take part in such a private effort? You’ll be able to amplify the message of people blazing their very own fundraising path by responding enthusiastically to their social media posts and reaching out to congratulate them when their problem has been accomplished.
Ed Pratt’s Supply to Sea Problem: To lift consciousness concerning the well being of rivers within the UK, this adventurer accomplished a solo problem to paddle the size of the River Thames. He recorded his 19-day journey and uploaded movies to YouTube. Alongside the best way, he set social media challenges for his followers, corresponding to naming his watercraft (Thamesy McThamesFace gained).
Pratt was an excellent wager for a unusual DIY distance problem: He turned a little bit of a sensation in 2015 by unicycling 22,000 miles all over the world, elevating greater than £300,000 for charity.
- Outcomes: By wading, swimming, and paddling the busiest river in Britain, Pratt raised about £22,000 for The Rivers Belief.
Tricks to Make the Most of Non-Conventional P2P Occasions
Now that you simply’re impressed by the creativity and superb outcomes of outside-the-norm P2P occasions, let’s take a look at three methods that may assist your supporters develop into profitable fundraisers on your trigger.
1. Go Cellular
Individuals verify their telephones 60 instances a day. Present a cellular app on your P2P occasions. It’s the place and the way you’ll drive probably the most consciousness and engagement. An app makes it straightforward for P2P fundraisers to replace their private pages and tales. They will ship messages and thank-you notes and connect with their social media posts within the app.
JustGiving discovered that fundraisers participating with a cellular app increase 89% greater than fundraisers who don’t use an app to fundraise for his or her occasion or DIY problem.
2. Gamify the Expertise
All people loves a problem, so add exercise monitoring or leaderboards for fundraisers to trace their progress. Exercise monitoring is a good way for fundraisers to problem themselves or compete with others. Fundraisers who interact in activity-tracking and gamification increase 10% greater than those that don’t.
3. Add Push Notifications
This content material supply mechanism sends communications with a way of urgency, corresponding to a reminder or a problem. Push notifications preserve your P2P fundraisers centered on their objectives and motivated to attach with donors. They usually’re more likely to get learn. Roughly 2% of emails are opened vs. 20% of push notifications.
Begin Diversifying Your P2P Occasions
Rigidity and inflexibility won’t be rewarded in immediately’s fundraising setting. That is the time to embrace new concepts, nonetheless massive or small. Check out methods for non-traditional P2P occasions. Your prices and dangers are small relative to internet hosting a run, stroll, or bike. Performed nicely, your P2P fundraising occasion can ship large year-over-year returns and domesticate lasting recollections for individuals.
Need to study extra methods for dynamic P2P occasions? Take a look at our webinar: Degree Up Your Participant Engagement—It’s Extra Than Only a Run/Journey/Stroll.
