Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Brings in Donors — But Most Don’t Stay

Peer-to-peer fundraising helps nonprofits reach new donors, new data reveals. Those first-time contributors, however, rarely convert into recurring supporters.

Between 2022 and 2025, about 40% of first-time donors to nonprofits came through peer-to-peer campaigns, according to the new report, “Trends, Insights, and Opportunities: The Power of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising” (opens as a pdf) from GoFundMe Pro and GivingTuesday. Across that same period, 77% of donors who contributed through a peer-to-peer fundraiser were new to the organization, compared with 56% of donors who gave through other campaign types.

With the Fundraising Effectiveness Project reporting a 3% drop in participation in 2025, and long-term trends showing the percentage of U.S. households giving to charity has fallen significantly over the past two decades, peer-to-peer may offer nonprofits a way to expand the donor base. But acquisition is only the first step in a donor journey — and long-term sustainability depends on first-time donors becoming loyal supporters.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Expands the Donor Base

The analysis found that while 47% of organizations studied received at least one peer-to-peer donation, those organizations accounted for more than 80% of all donations on the platform. Among organizations that received peer-to-peer gifts, one-third of their total donor bases gave through peer-to-peer fundraisers.

At the same time, because most peer-to-peer donors are new to the organization, the organization’s long-term revenue impact depends on whether those donors make additional gifts.

The 90-Day Window Determines Retention

Researchers discovered this fundraising channel has a critical re-engagement window. Peer-to-peer donors are most likely to give again within the first 90 days of their initial gifts. After that period, repeat giving drops compared with donors acquired through other channels.

Because peer-to-peer campaigns skew heavily toward first-time donors — who historically have lower retention rates — organizations must develop a strategy to scale acquisition and strengthen loyalty among donors coming in through the peer-to-peer fundraising channel.

For organizations already grappling with retention pressures, ensuring proper stewardship within that 90-day window could be the difference between a one-time gift and a long-term relationship. 

Recurring Giving Is the Missing Link

Currently, just 0.4% of donors who come in through a peer-to-peer fundraiser choose to make their gift recurring.

That figure is notable given that donors who give more frequently tend to contribute more over the course of a year than one-time donors. If peer-to-peer is responsible for a significant share of first-time donors, but it’s rare for those donors to opt in to recurring giving, nonprofits are missing a key opportunity.

The report suggests one potential factor for the disconnect: Recurring gift amounts are often presented at the same levels as one-time gifts. Lowering suggested recurring gift levels could make the figures more appealing and increase total revenue raised from peer-to-peer-acquired donors by more than 30%, according to the analysis.

Donors entering through peer-to-peer campaigns are often motivated by an immediate goal — supporting a friend, meeting a campaign target, or contributing to a specific event. Without a deliberate follow-up strategy, those donors may never transition beyond that initial moment.

Because peer-to-peer supporters fundraise within their own networks, their efforts lend credibility and personal connection to the cause. But developing stewardship tactics to keep them part of your nonprofit’s community is essential for long-term retention. Acquisition can open the door, but conversion determines whether donors stay.

"Current peer-to-peer campaigns tend to be built around a one-time ask, leaving a massive gap in recurring giving potential,” Woodrow Rosenbaum, chief data officer, GivingTuesday, said in a statement. “But donors are ready to give, and by rethinking the design of these campaigns and offering smaller, manageable monthly options that fit into people's daily lives, we may be able to tap into a huge reservoir of sustained support. Ultimately, this isn’t just a minor tweak; it’s about leveraging the deep trust people have in their networks to build lasting relationships with causes."