6 KPIs for Measuring Text Messaging Success in Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Programs

Many nonprofits evaluate text messaging success using the same metrics they apply to email and direct response fundraising: list growth and revenue generated from a single appeal. While those metrics have value, they tell only part of the story. 

For peer-to-peer fundraising programs, text messaging serves a very different purpose — and should be measured accordingly. Rather than driving one-time transactions, effective peer-to-peer texting builds relationships, increases participant engagement, and improves fundraising outcomes over time. 

In direct response fundraising, text messaging is often used to prompt immediate action: Make a gift, sign a petition, or respond to an urgent need. Success is typically measured by revenue attributed to a message or campaign. 

But P2P fundraising is fundamentally different. When organizations text peer-to-peer participants, they are not simply asking for donations. They are recruiting lapsed participants, welcoming new fundraisers, celebrating milestones, encouraging key actions, and coaching participants through their fundraising journey. 

That means the most important metrics for texting in peer-to-peer programs are not transactional — they are behavioral and relationship-based. 

Many nonprofits undervalue text messaging because they judge it only by direct response standards. Case in point: the 2026 M+R “Benchmarks” study reported that mobile messaging drove less than 1% of total online revenue in 2025. But when the goal of your text campaign is not direct donations, that metric greatly underestimates the value that text can bring:

• A coaching text that inspires a participant to raise an additional $100
• A reminder that reactivates a lapsed fundraiser
• A message that helps a captain recruit five teammates

The dollars associated with these messages may not count as text-attributed revenue, but their value is real — and will likely generate greater lifetime value than a one-time donation appeal. These outcomes matter, but only if organizations measure them correctly. For P2P programs, there are six key performance indicators that matter most.

1. Participant Retention and Reactivation

One of the most valuable uses of texting is bringing back lapsed participants. Measure how many former participants return after receiving recruitment texts. Re-engaging a past participant is typically more cost-effective — and more valuable — than acquiring someone entirely new. 

2. Text Message Engagement

Metrics such as RCS read rates and click-through rates help determine whether messages are relevant and timely. Strong engagement is often the clearest sign that your communication strategy is working. 

3. Completion of Key Actions

Successful coaching texts encourage behaviors that lead to better fundraising performance. Measure whether participants who receive coaching texts complete these actions at higher rates than those who do not:

• Making a self-donation.
• Updating a fundraising page.
• Downloading a fundraising app.
• Getting a first donation.

4. Fundraiser Performance Lift

At the end of your campaign, compare how much participants raise on average if they received coaching texts versus those who did not. Messages with fundraising tips, milestone reminders, and encouragement often produce measurable gains in average dollars raised. 

5. Team Performance

Team captains frequently drive outsized campaign results. Segmenting coaching texts to team captains can help them recruit teammates, stay organized, and motivate their teams. Measure whether teams led by captains who receive texts outperform those that do not. 

6. Opt-Out Rate

Unsubscribe rates are one of the clearest indicators of message quality and cadence. If opt-outs rise, content may be too frequent, poorly timed, or lacking relevance. Low opt-out rates (less than 2%) often signal that participants view messages as helpful and valuable. 

The most successful nonprofit peer-to-peer texting programs are not built around mass sends or direct donation asks. They focus on delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time. When organizations do this well, text messaging becomes more than a communications channel — it becomes a driver of retention, fundraising growth, and participant satisfaction. Direct response texting drives transactions. For peer-to-peer fundraising, texting drives engagement, behavior change, and stronger communities.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with NonProfit PRO. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of NonProfit PRO.