The Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Playbook (2025)

Your guide to launching high-converting, supporter-driven campaigns with Raisely.

Peer-to-peer fundraising is at an inflection point. The good news? You’ve got the playbook.

We’ve seen this P2P strategy empower supporters, expand reach, and bring in new donors. But the nonprofit fundraising landscape is shifting.

In 2024:

• 📈 Campaign volume increased 18%
• 🔄 Activation rates held steady at 76%
• ❌ Revenue per participant dropped 20%, from $308 to $244

More peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns and more fundraisers aren’t leading to higher returns. In fact, we’re seeing a widening gap between participation and performance-indicating that without the right support, many fundraisers stall before they make a meaningful impact.

Today, standout peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns go beyond recruitment. They invest in participant experience, enable fundraisers to succeed, and prioritise quality over quantity.

P2P fundraising isn’t losing relevance-it’s taking a new shape. One that’s more personal, strategic, and sustainable.

This playbook is designed to help you adapt to that shift. To build campaigns that activate and equip fundraisers, and ultimately grow both your mission’s reach and the revenue that supports it.

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P2P Benchmarks You Need to Know

If peer-to-peer fundraising is changing, we need to understand how. Surface-level numbers don’t tell the full story, but dig deeper and clear patterns emerge. Raisely’s 2025 Fundraising Benchmarks Report reveals:

• 📊 Most gifts are small, but they drive real impact
• Only 3% of donations are over $250
• Yet 80% of total P2P fundraising revenue comes from gifts over $50
• 📈 Participant engagement is steady, but outcomes are slipping
• Average fundraising per participant dropped 20% from $308 (2023) to $244 (2024)
• Activation rates remain strong at 76%, and profile creation is steady-suggesting fundraisers are showing up, but not always equipped to succeed

The challenge? Many peer-to-peer campaigns still rely on tactics like free merchandise or minimal onboarding-boosting sign-ups without setting fundraisers up to thrive.

Campaigns that performed best:

• Prioritised P2P enablement-clear communication, helpful resources, and smart supporter journeys
• Refined digital acquisition strategies and avoided over-reliance on giveaways or incentives
• Delivered consistent engagement via SMS, email, and social sharing tools

More peer-to-peer campaigns and participants alone don’t equal impact. Without strategy and support, you risk shallow engagement and stalled fundraising.

The opportunity lies in participant quality, not just quantity. Give your supporters the tools, recognition, and connection they need—and you’ll turn quick sign-ups into confident advocates.

🎯 Want to dig deeper into the nonprofit fundraising trends shaping P2P strategy right now? Explore the full 2025 Fundraising Benchmarks Report for more insights and strategies you can put into practice.

Raisely is built to support a fundraiser-first approach—with automation that saves time, personalisation that deepens connection, and analytics that help you continuously improve.

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Engagement Is What Moves the Needle

The most important signal in this year’s peer-to-peer fundraising data?

📉 The average raised per participant dropped from $308 to $244.

That’s not a minor dip—it points to a deeper issue. Nonprofits are still recruiting fundraisers, but fewer are meaningfully contributing. Why? Because peer-to-peer is often treated as a short-term tactic instead of a long-term engagement strategy.

Too often, P2P fundraising is used to plug resource gaps or quickly scale awareness. But without proper investment in fundraiser support, these campaigns fall flat. Participants stall out, feel disconnected, or drop off altogether.

The organisations bucking the trend are doing things differently. They’re not just recruiting—they’re activating advocates.

Here’s how they’re doing it:

• They align fundraisers with the mission from day one
• Fundraisers don’t just get instructions—they get inspired. They’re welcomed into the campaign’s purpose with stories, talking points, and personal reasons to care.
• They prioritise two-way communication
• Through regular check-ins, progress updates, and open channels, fundraisers feel seen, supported, and encouraged to stay involved.
• They recognise effort, not just outcomes
• It’s not only about top earners. Success is celebrated at every stage—first donations, personal outreach, creative ideas. This reinforces that every action counts.

Peer-to-peer fundraising thrives on scale, but real growth comes from meaningful engagement. When participants feel like partners—not just promoters—they go further. They fundraise more. They stick around.

Peer-to-peer campaigns also offer something other strategies don’t: personal reach and trust. When supporters carry your message into their own networks, they create visibility and connection beyond what your team could achieve alone.

But this impact only happens when campaigns are designed with intention—when you invest in the people behind the profiles.

The shift is clear: engagement over acquisition. It’s not about more fundraisers. It’s about supporting the ones you already have, and turning them into champions for your cause.

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📺 Webinar On-Demand: What Fundraisers Want

Watch the full session that inspired this playbook, including the latest data and a walk-through of Raisely’s new P2P Template.

🌐 Watch now

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The 3 Essentials of a High-Performing P2P Campaign

So how do you turn strong intent into real momentum? The best peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns focus on three essential elements:

1. Turn fundraisers into advocates

Your fundraisers aren’t just names on a leaderboard—they’re partners in your mission. Onboard them like teammates, not just volunteers:

• Share your “why,” not just your how-to
• Give them stories, messaging, and impact to carry into their own networks
• Recognise their effort early and often

2. Help them reach the right people

Fundraisers already have the audience—they just need the tools to activate it:

• One-click sharing tools and pre-written messages
• Email and SMS reminders at key moments
• Social media shoutouts to amplify momentum

3. Build killer campaigns that inspire action

Once fundraisers are aligned and engaged, your campaign needs to deliver:

• Strong branding, compelling storytelling, and a clear call to action
• Milestone communications, visual progress updates, and live leaderboards
• Rewards that reinforce effort, not just top performance

When all three are in place—advocates, reach, and story—you create a campaign that doesn’t just raise money. It raises community, confidence, and long-term capacity.

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🆕 Download our Peer-to-peer Fundraising Framework

Built by fundraising experts and inspired by outstanding campaigns, this framework is your go-to resource for brainstorming, planning, and executing a winning peer-to-peer fundraising strategy. 👉 Download the framework

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Real Campaigns, Real Inspiration

Need peer-to-peer campaign examples to inspire your next big idea? Here are three top-performing campaigns on Raisely that show how flexible and effective P2P fundraising can be.

🎀 Liptember — Themed Fundraising

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Supporters wear bright lipstick during September to raise awareness and funds for women's mental health. A fun and highly shareable way to drive advocacy and donations.

Why it works: Clear concept, easy participation, strong sense of community.

🚴 Tour de Cure’s Signature Tour — Event Fundraising

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An eight-day cycling tour raising millions for cancer research. Riders create fundraising profiles and rally their networks to support their journey.

Why it works: Built-in event structure, powerful mission, and well-supported fundraisers.

🌍 The Westmead Institute - Community Hub / DIY Fundraising

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Give supporters the tools to launch their own birthday fundraisers, personal challenges, or campaigns in memory of a loved one.

Why it works: Flexible, supporter-led, and great for year-round engagement.

These peer-to-peer campaign examples show that P2P fundraising can adapt to your audience, your brand, and your goals—while helping fundraisers feel empowered and connected.

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Questions to Ask Before You Launch Your Next Peer-to-Peer Campaign

P2P success isn't about running a single campaign-it’s about building real relationships that lead to long-term advocacy. Before you hit “launch,” take time to ask the questions that shape outcomes and build a sustainable P2P strategy.

Quick gut-check questions:

• Are we enabling participants to feel like true partners in our mission, or just asking them to fundraise?
• How do we move beyond transactional engagement to create lasting, ongoing relationships?
• What’s the balance between incentivising participation and ensuring those incentives lead to real commitment?
• How can we turn inevitable drop-offs into re-engagement opportunities?

Take these questions to your next team meeting:

• Do we provide fundraisers with tools that help them confidently talk about our cause, or are we just giving them a link and a goal?
• How many personal touchpoints do we offer after someone signs up, and who on our team owns those moments?
• What does our onboarding actually look like? Is it inspiring, values-driven, and action-oriented-or just a task list?
• When we offer incentives, do they encourage storytelling and long-term engagement, or are they just quick sign-up drivers?
• Do we have systems to spot drop-offs early, and a plan to re-engage fundraisers meaningfully?

P2P fundraising works best when it's built on trust, ownership, and sustained energy. Ask these questions early and often to keep your campaign focused on what really matters—empowering people to advocate for your cause.

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Ready to Launch Your Best Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign?

You’ve seen what drives results in peer-to-peer fundraising—clear onboarding, timely nudges, personalised support, and fundraisers who feel like true advocates for your mission.

But even the best peer-to-peer strategy needs tools designed specifically to support it.

Raisely’s Peer-to-Peer Template brings best practices to life—without the tech headaches.

With Raisely, you can:

• ✅ Launch your peer-to-peer campaign quickly with pre-built, customisable templates
• ✅ Keep fundraisers motivated through automated check-ins, milestone tracking, and personalised engagement
• ✅ Save hours on admin and focus on building real connections with your community

The best part? It’s completely free to use, easy to set up, and built specifically for nonprofits running peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns.

📅 Book a demo to see how Raisely can help you launch a high-performing P2P campaign