Would you like to make a difference in the lives of young children? Read our guest post from Rebecca Taylor for great tips on how to do Peer-to-Peer fundraising for the Plant a Seed Foundation.

 

Peer-to-Peer fundraising (P2P) is a popular method of fundraising. It is when an individual (or group) raises funds by asking their network to make a donation to the cause they’re championing. Many people may think they’ve never done P2P fundraising before but if you’ve ever sold Girl Guide cookies or ran for charity with pledged miles, those are both examples of P2P!

P2P is an important revenue source for many charities as one fundraiser, through their primary and secondary networks, can literally reach hundreds of people on behalf of the charity. With many charities operating with minimal staff and limited resources, tapping into their supporters’ extended networks is essential to finding new donors and funding important programs.

If you’re ready to fundraise for your favourite charity, here are some tips to help you plan, stay motivated and reach your P2P goals!

Believe in your cause.

This may sound obvious but it’s important to choose a cause you believe in as it’s that passion that will sustain your energy throughout your fundraising journey. You might focus on a specific campaign within that cause such as Plant a Seed Foundation’s “Create a Garden. Inspire a Generation” or choose to raise funds to support the broader work of the charity.

Contact the charity.

Before you start fundraising, contact the charity to get further details about the specific project for which you are raising funds, what their tax receipting guidelines are and what resources are available to you. Most charities will have downloadable pledge forms, donation request templates, online fundraising platforms and other tools for you to use.

Make a plan.

Taking the time to create a plan will help keep you focused, engaged and on the path to fundraising success. It can be as simple as choosing your fundraising goal, identifying who you will be reaching out to, how often you will be contacting your networks, key messages you want to convey and the date by which you’d like to reach your goal.

Set your goal.

It’s impossible to know exactly how generous your network will be, but be realistic when setting your fundraising goal. If your contacts are likely to donate around $20, a goal of $1,000 may be right for you whereas $5,000 may be a reasonable goal for someone else. Choose a goal you’re comfortable with and once you’ve reached it, there’s nothing stopping you from raising even more!

Plant a Seed Foundation has made it easy for their fundraisers to choose a goal by listing a variety of fundraising levels based on specific needs they have to build gardens in the community on their Create a Garden P2P campaign page.

 

Set up your fundraising page.

Once you have your goal, you can set up your personal page. Many of us have networks that span the country so an online fundraising page will allow you to easily accept donations from donors far and wide. Some pages come with standard messaging but personalizing your page with your own words and a photograph will further help connect your network to the cause and increase the likelihood of them making a donation.

Create and Edit My Personal Fundraising Page

Although most will give online, some still like to give by cheque so provide them with a pledge form with the charity’s official name, mailing address and your name on it to ensure their donation is attributed to your campaign.

Click here to Set Up a Team Page

Connect your audience with the cause.

When pulling together your campaign messaging, consider who you’re speaking to. Are they passionate about the same cause? If so, leverage that common link. If not, articulate why the cause is so important to you and how the charity’s activities benefit their community or even them as individuals. The charity can provide you with great information about the impact of their programs.

Make time.

Fundraising should be fun and will be if you commit the time and energy within your schedule. Plan your fundraising activities when you can focus on the task at hand and don’t be shy about asking others for help if you need it.

Be open.

Not everyone may be able to give a cash donation so engage those individuals in a form of giving that works for them. Some may be willing to give you some product which you can sell to others in your network (leverage that Girl Guide experience!) and then donate the proceeds. Others may be able to provide a service by donation on your behalf such as a cut-a-thon by a hair stylist.

Don’t be scared of “no”.

There are literally thousands of great causes and most of your network will have charities they already support. Some will also give to your charity of choice but some won’t and that’s OK. Don’t take it personally as they aren’t saying no to you, it just may not be a fit for them. Be gracious; thank them for their consideration and move on to your next donor prospect.

Thank your donors.

We can get so busy asking for donations that we can sometimes miss saying thank you to everyone, especially whose who mail in a cheque. Online fundraising platforms will send an automatic thank you response to donations made but a personal note from you will go a long way in making all your donors feel appreciated. Add it as a repeating task in your plan to personally thank new donors.

Go fundraise!

Once you’ve got your page set up, plan in place and prospect list ready, it’s time to start asking for donations and making an impact in your community. And remember, every dollar counts so whatever amount you raise, it will make a difference!

Click here to start raising funds for the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation

 

Rebecca Taylor was a professional fundraiser for a national charity for 10 years and also completed many personal P2P fundraising campaigns for environmental and health charities through participation in running and cycling events.