Online Peer-to-Peer Event Fundraising is NOT About Technology

There are many ways to do such segmentations — there isn’t necessarily a "right way." The important thing is that you identify segments that are relevant to your situation and have a plan for communicating with each segment.

Incentivize them — activate, stretch and reward fundraisers
Many organizations that have events already use some sort of incentive system. Incentives are often basic "swag," such as water bottles, T-shirts, hats, etc. Or they can be aspirational, such as sports tickets, experiences, a weekend at a ski resort, etc. There are also "recognition" incentives, such as starting at the front of the run, special access at the event, etc.

As with the segment groups above, you should have a strategy for how you use different levels of incentives for different groups of fundraisers based on where they are with their fundraising efforts. For example: How do you motivate apprehensive fundraisers to get started vs. helping those fundraisers who are cranking right along to reach for new heights vs. recognizing your "rock star" fundraisers? One event manager I recently spoke with explained how the organization raised $10,000 in 48 hours from people who were inactive fundraisers (hadn’t even raised $1!) by offering a free event water bottle to anyone who got three donations in 48 hours. Breaking fundraising down into fundamental steps like this is a great tactic for helping people understand how to get started.

For fundraisers who are doing well and are raising money, often it only takes a friendly reminder that if they raise only $100 more, they will be eligible for a higher-level incentive. Helping them strive for the "next level" is a tried-and-true method of using effective incentives.

Coach them — help fundraisers reach their potential
The online tools you use help make your fundraisers’ jobs easier, but most volunteer fundraisers need your help and coaching. Don’t depend on the technology tools to do all the work. You can help each of your participants feel like, and actually be, better fundraisers. Here are a few examples: