Peer to peer fundraising is simple at heart. Your supporters ask their friends, family and colleagues to give. You give them the tools, the story and the push.
Done well, it's one of the best ways to reach new donors. Every supporter brings a network you'd never reach on your own. Done badly, you end up with a pile of half-built pages and a quiet inbox.
Here's how to get it right, step by step.
1. Set one clear goal
Start with a number and a reason. "Raise £50,000 to fund 200 counselling sessions" beats "raise as much as we can". A clear goal gives supporters something to rally behind. It also tells you how many fundraisers you need.
Work backwards. If your average fundraiser raises £300, a £50,000 target needs around 170 active pages.
2. Pick the right format
You've got three main options:
· Challenge events: a run, a cycle, a swim, a trek. Supporters sign up and fundraise for it.
· DIY fundraising: supporters choose their own thing, from bake sales to head shaves.
· Campaign moments: a month-long challenge, like walking 100 miles in March.
Pick the one that fits your supporters, not the one that looks best on Instagram. Need ideas? Our 30 charity challenge ideas for 2027 has plenty.
3. Build your campaign hub
Your campaign needs one home. A branded event site where people can read the story, sign up, pay any entry fee and create their page in one go.
Keep the sign-up short. Every extra field loses you people. Ask for what you need now. You can ask for the rest later.
With Emma, supporters can set up an individual or team page in minutes, and your branding carries through every page.
4. Make starting easy
This is where most campaigns leak. People sign up, mean well, then never build their page. The fix is to remove the gap. Create the page for them the moment they register, so it's live before they've closed the tab.
We dig into this in why most supporters never start their fundraising page.
5. Give fundraisers what they need
Don't leave people to stare at a blank page. Send them:
· A suggested target, based on what's realistic.
· Ready-written page copy they can tweak.
· Images and a short video.
· A few social posts and a template email.
Our fundraising page templates are a good place to start.
6. Plan your supporter journey
Map out every message from sign-up to thank you. A simple journey might look like this:
1. Welcome email with page link (day 0)
2. "Add your story and photo"nudge (day 3)
3. "Make your first donation toyourself" tip (day 7)
4. Fundraising ideas and progress update(every 2 weeks)
5. Final push before the event (1 weekout)
6. Thank you and impact update (within48 hours of the event)
7. Use leaderboards and teams
A bit of friendly competition goes a long way. Leaderboards show who's leading. Teams give people a reason to keep going for each other. Both are built into Emma's peer to peer tools.
8. Claim Gift Aid
Don't leave free money on the table. Make sure every donation form asks for a Gift Aid declaration. Emma connects with the government's Gift Aid system, so claims are processed automatically.
9. Say thank you, properly
Thank fundraisers and their donors. Tell them what the money did. A thank you that shows real impact is the best way to get people back next year.
10. Review and repeat
Within a month of the campaign ending, pull the numbers:
· How many people signed up?
· How many built a page?
· How many raised money?
· What was the average raised perpage?
Those four numbers tell you exactly where to focus next time.
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