Optimize Your Campaign Platform
Your peer-to-peer event website is the hub for fundraisers and donors alike. Everything about it should be geared toward making it easier for both groups.
Calls to action – Be sure your Register and Donate buttons occupy a prominent spot on the website. They should be the first thing a visitor to the site sees. Also consider using custom text on the buttons. Instead of Register, pick something specific to your event. If it’s a bike ride, you could say, “Become a Rider” or “Start Pedaling.” Instead of Donate, perhaps try “Sponsor a Rider.”
Make registering and donating easy – Once someone clicks one of those buttons, the process should be seamless and streamlined. For registration, allow participants to register using a social media account. If you use Facebook for registration credentials, be sure to use the added layer of allowing them to using the FB mobile app for registration as well as the web portal. For donations, streamline the process to as few screens as possible to complete the transaction. Also, it is crucial that the process is as easy on a mobile device as it is on a laptop or desktop computer. Finally, allow donors to pay their pledged donations in monthly installments. Being able to break up a donation into manageable amounts encourages larger donations.
Consider a mobile app – If your event is getting bigger and the number of participants is increasing, it might be time to make the big leap and have a mobile app designed. There are now reasonably priced options for simple apps that make registration, fundraising and donating simple.
Motivate Donors and Fundraisers
Add levels of sponsorship – Along with offering a monthly payment plan, another great way to increase donations is to add support levels to the donation page. In addition to suggesting amounts, consider noting what that level of sponsorship will provide for clients of your organization, e.g., a month of medication, hot lunches for 10 school children.
Use incentives that incentivize – Giving incentives to fundraisers as the reach certain milestones can be a great motivation – provided the incentives are worth getting. Branded merchandise related to the event can build a lot of excitement. If your event is a walk or a run, visors, water bottles and socks with the event logo on them will create a sense of unity among participants.
Create a friendly competition – Leaderboards showing teams and individuals who’ve raised the most money are an easy way to stimulate some competition among fundraisers. Break out lists for specific regions to give participants a better chance of seeing their name listed as a top fundraiser. You can also offer incentives for getting the most donations or raising the most money in a specific time frame.
Add Custom Support for Fundraisers
Provide a personal page – Give each fundraiser their own page on the website to tell their story about why they are participating. Have a default story available for fundraisers who don’t write their own.
Suggest social media posts – Make preset social media posts available for fundraisers to use when they post a link to their donation page. Offer several options for each social media platform. Encourage participants to customize and personalize them.
Facilitate communication with donors – Write compelling fundraising email templates for fundraisers. Create several templates so participants are not sending the same email over and over. Also offer thank-you letter templates and strongly encourage fundraisers to thank donors. You might even consider branded postcards so motivated participants can send hand-written thank yous.Peer-to-Peer fundraising is a great way to cultivate new donors and turn current donors into evangelists for your cause. Use these tips to go the extra mile in showing your appreciation and your clients will ultimately reap dividends.
