Peer to Peer Donor Stewardship Tips

Most donors don't expect to hear from the organization when making a donation to a peer to peer fundraiser. A simple email will go along way in fostering a relationship with this donor. Keep in mind that when someone gives to a peer to peer fundraiser it is as if they have given to that person rather than your organization. Because of this, they rarely anticipate hearing from the organization after the gift has been made. This is your chance to step up and show that donor that you appreciate them and their willingness to support your cause.

Since this group requires a much different touch than your other donors, it is important to create a separate donor segment for them in your communication processes. By creating a separate segment for your peer to peer donors you are able to customize the messaging they receive and better manage this segments retention rate. It can be easy to be in the mindset that these are only one time donors, but that will remain the case if you don't take proactive steps to retain them.

To pull a list of donors that have given through a peer to peer fundraiser on your giving day, you will first download your donation report. You can find instructions on how to download this in the support article: How can I download a report of my organization's donations? In the downloaded spreadsheet, you will be able to use a filter to show all donations that were attributed to a fundraiser or a fundraiser team! You will be able to access their names and emails so that you can import them to their own group in your email marketing tools.

Apart from being able to use this information to personalize your communications with this segment, you are able to see just how big of an impact that peer to peer donors have made on your organization. Seeing this information will solidify why this segment should be acknowledged and cultivated to the best of your organizations ability!

Start by sending an email specifically targeted to your p2p donors thanking them for their donation to the organization. Be sure to include the name of the fundraiser that they donated to so that a connection is instantly made between your organization and the donor. This is also the perfect opportunity to give a little background about what your organization does.

When crafting this email:

• Make this introduction short and simple. This is not the time to share your organization's entire history.
• Do not ask them to give again! A thank you email is not the place to request additional funds.
• Include photos that show the work that your organization does. Donors will be much more interested in looking through photos than blocks of text
• Even if they do not have a personal connection to your organization, they will still be interested knowing that their donation helped to make a difference in your work

In your communications with peer-to-peer donors you will want to be aware of how much you are sharing with them. There can be a very fine line of trying to educate them about your organization and clogging up their inbox. Remember, This is very distinct group of donors that may not have a direct passion or connection to the work that you do. These donors wont engage by just being put on an email list. Because they do not yet have a deep connection with your organization, they will become annoyed with too much information.

Start by giving them one direct call to action at the end of your communications. For example, ask them to follow you on social media. Since they are already active on social media this will be an easy prompt for them and they will be able to see the great content that you put out year round!

You don't have to stop engaging these donors after the first email is sent out. While you shouldn't be sending them weekly updates, you should still take time throughout the year to let your donors know about any big news such as an upcoming conference or an annual report. This is a great way to track whether or not these donors are continuing to show interest in your organization.

Here are a few tips on how you can engage these donors year round!

• Ask if they are interested in participating in any of your volunteer opportunities
• Ask if they would be interested in running a peer-to-peer fundraiser for the next Giving Challenge. They will be flattered you asked and it will keep the peer to peer donor stewardship cycle moving!
• Offer special recognition of your fundraisers if they bring one of their peer-to-peer donors to an event with them or offer additional discounts on fundraising events
• Encourage them to get the word out by sharing a post on social media