Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: P2P Engagement for Your Donor Network

Peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising has evolved into one of the most impactful ways nonprofits can expand their reach, deepen donor relationships, and drive meaningful revenue growth. However, succeeding with P2P engagement requires more than just setting up an event and hoping supporters will show up. It’s about experience, community, and consistent engagement.

A common misconception is that running a peer-to-peer fundraiser is as simple as hosting an event and waiting for people to return year after year. But that just isn’t enough anymore.

The turning point comes when organizations make their events memorable. One example is the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s “Moment of Unsilence”, a powerful moment where participants scream together before their walk begins. That single addition transformed their event, sparking strong participant engagement and retention.

At its best, peer-to-peer fundraising is about the experience of participants and how they bring others into that experience. That’s what unlocks network effects and long-term engagement.

Recruitment strategies for participants

Strong recruitment starts with meeting people where their connection to the cause begins.

• Community partnerships. Breakthrough T1D Canada taps into hospital networks where families are first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, inviting them to join local walks as a way to connect and build community.
  
• Local champions. Hockey Helps the Homeless relies on local co-chairs in each city to recruit participants from businesses and community networks. The Brain Tumour Foundation has also begun empowering community champions to lead local events when staff can’t.

The HHTH Pros page (Hockey Helps the Homeless)

• Digital outreach. For CNIB’s Pup Crawl, an entirely virtual event, recruitment happens largely through Facebook and online advertising.
  
• Internal pathways. Some organizations use entry-level events, such as walks, as feeders into more intensive rides or tournaments, building supporter journeys that grow over time.

Equipping participants is just as important as recruiting them. Nonprofits that provide clear resources, FAQs, and fundraising toolkits see higher p2p engagement and stronger fundraising results.

Gamifying the P2P engagement experience

Gamification taps into participants’ sense of fun and friendly competition. Done well, it boosts both fundraising and retention.

Thermometers and online features

Before the event itself, digital gamification tools keep participants engaged on a day-to-day basis. Fundraising thermometers on personal and team pages create a visual sense of progress and urgency. Leaderboards spotlight top individuals or teams, sparking friendly competition. Badges for achievements like “self-donated” or “returning participant” reward consistency and keep participants motivated. These online features let supporters feel the same momentum in the weeks leading up to the event that they’ll feel on event day.

A P2P fundraising team page with a thermometer (Melanoma Canada)

Recognition through gear

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation doesn’t just reward fundraising milestones with digital thank-yous; they turn them into visible markers of achievement. Riders earn different jerseys and achievement badges based on their fundraising levels, creating a sense of pride and belonging. When you show up on event day in a jersey that signals you’ve raised $5,000 or more, it motivates both the participant wearing it and others who want to reach that level next year. Achievement gear becomes a kind of mobile billboard for the cause.

Pre-event incentives

At Jack Ride and Brain Tumour Foundation events, the momentum begins long before the event day. Riders who hit early thresholds might receive water bottles, hats, or even helmets sent to them in advance. Those early rewards are more than just tokens; they’re reminders that the event is approaching, nudges to keep fundraising, and a way to maintain high energy long before the start line. Pre-event incentives also create natural opportunities for social sharing, which fuels network effects.

Non-monetary recognition

Some organizations highlight top fundraisers on event banners or walls, or invite them on stage for a moment of thanks. These gestures give fundraisers a sense of pride that’s often more powerful than prizes. Survivor flags on bikes at cancer rides are another example: they carry deep meaning, honouring both participants and the community they represent. These touches reinforce why the fundraising matters, tying achievement back to the mission.

Social media amplification

Social media is now central to P2P engagement in fundraising. Its reach extends far beyond the event itself, making every participant a potential advocate. By equipping participants with stories and assets, nonprofits turn social posts into authentic calls-to-action that drive both awareness and donations.

• Storytelling. Video content from participants and patients resonates deeply, helping others understand the “why” behind the cause.
  
• Easy sharing. Organizations that create ready-to-use assets, graphics, captions, and hashtags remove barriers for participants and multiply their reach.
  
• Impact framing. CNIB shows progress in concrete terms, such as the number of service dog donations that will be funded, making sharing a lot more compelling.

How raisin supports P2P engagement

raisin makes it easier for nonprofits to design P2P campaigns that grow organically and keep participants motivated:

• Referral programs. Built-in tools enable participants to recruit friends and family directly, turning every supporter into a fundraiser. Fundraisers are motivated to recruit new donors or registrants through a referral program. That built-in incentive encourages them to tap into their networks, making recruitment feel less like a burden.
  
• Super Starter Onboarding. raisin’s Super Starter sequence automatically guides new participants through key first steps: updating their page, making a self-donation, and sharing with their networks. Step-by-step guidance for new participants helps them get fundraising fast, with templates and resources ready to use.

• Customizable fundraising portals. Nonprofits can set the right story with on-brand images, email templates and default messaging across personal and team pages. Thus making advocacy much easier and ensuring a strong first impression, even when participants don’t customize their fundraising pages.
• Milestone badges that actually move people. Badges are awarded for key behaviours, such as hitting a personal goal, making a self-donation, returning to the event, or captaining a team—and they display on the participant’s page and in their “trophy case” in the fundraising portal.
• Kick-start with bulk participant import. If you’re migrating last year’s riders/walkers or onboarding a whole roster at once, you can import participants (and teams/groups) in bulk. raisin auto-creates usernames, generates passwords, spins up default personal/team pages, and can send an automated email with the participant’s account information so that fundraising can start immediately.
• Targeted survey questions. Surveys can be dropped into specific moments. That way, you collect only what you need, when you need it. You control response types (lists, radios, multi-select, text), required/optional status, and conditional logic to reveal follow-ups based on a prior answer. Some examples of those moments:
  • Registration: When a participant registers for the event.
  • Team creation: When someone creates a team for the event. 
  • Donation/Sponsor: When a person or organization makes a donation to a participant or the event as a whole.
  • Volunteer sign-up: When someone volunteers to help create/steward the event experience. 

Peer-to-peer fundraising succeeds when it focuses on people and connection. The best campaigns do more than raise money; they create experiences that inspire participants to stay involved and bring others along.

By designing events around engagement, strong recruitment, meaningful storytelling, and easy sharing, nonprofits can build lasting communities. With tools like raisin, it’s easier to guide participants, celebrate progress, and track results so every event drives growth and deeper supporter relationships.

Words by Sonia Amadi and Jordana Knoblauch