Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: How Walk-a-Thons and Read-a-Thons Drive More Donations

Peer-to-peer fundraising turns your supporters into active fundraisers. Instead of relying only on your internal team, you empower individuals to raise money on your behalf.

This approach reduces workload while expanding reach. Your organization manages one central campaign, but each participant brings in their own network of donors.

Between 2022 and 2025, about 40% of first-time donors came through peer-to-peer campaigns, which shows how effective this model is for reaching new audiences.

It also fits naturally into campaigns like walk-a-thons, read-a-thons, and other activity-based fundraisers. These formats are easy to understand, simple to run, and highly engaging.

What is peer-to-peer fundraising?

In peer-to-peer fundraising, the organization runs one main campaign and recruits supporters to join. Each supporter signs up as a fundraiser and creates a personal fundraising page.

On that page, they tell their own story, set a goal, and get a unique link or shareable widget. They then reach out to their networks, such as friends, family, and co-workers, to donate on their page.

All the money raised through each personal page goes back to the nonprofit under the umbrella of the central campaign. This is what makes peer-to-peer fundraising so powerful for nonprofits.

Why peer-to-peer fundraising is effective for nonprofits

Peer-to-peer campaigns use supporters’ own social circles. Every fundraiser can reach dozens of people outside the nonprofit’s usual base. It is powerful because people tend to trust recommendations from those they know.

In fact, 92% of people trust word-of-mouth. By letting volunteers ask their friends, the nonprofit reaches new potential donors without cold-calling. In short, P2P “expands your network” by connecting with brand-new audiences.

Because volunteers do most of the outreach, the nonprofit staff have less to manage. Instead of running dozens of separate campaigns, the team oversees one main campaign hub.

The fundraisers themselves handle personal asks, reminders, and social media. In practice, that means your small team runs one campaign while participants do much of the fundraising. It’s like having extra people on your team – all without hiring more staff.

Peer-to-peer giving involves supporters more deeply. Instead of just donating, they become ambassadors and storytellers.

When someone raises money for a friend, they often feel more invested. Engaged fundraisers tend to stay connected and may even continue supporting the nonprofit long-term.

Types of “athon” campaigns nonprofits can run

1. Walk-a-thons (High-Engagement Fundraising Events)

Walk-a-thons are a classic P2P event. Participants commit to walking a certain distance or time. They collect pledges or donations from friends and family – often asking for a flat fee or a set amount per mile or lap.

Why walk-a-thons work for fundraising:

• Easy to organize
• Community-driven
• Highly visible and shareable

In a walk-a-thon, “the more they walk, the more they raise”.

2. Read-a-thons (Perfect for Schools and Literacy Nonprofits)

Read-a-thons are common for schools and literacy causes. In these, supporters (often students) pledge to read as many books or pages as they can in a set time.

Why read-a-thons work:

• Mission-aligned (literacy + fundraising)
• Family and school engagement
• Clear, measurable progress

They’re one of the easiest fundraising ideas to launch with built-in community support.

Donors sponsor the reader by pledging a certain amount for each book or every page read. For instance, a family might pledge $10 for every 100 pages a student reads. Once the challenge ends and the student reports how much they read, the donors fulfill their pledges.

3. Move-a-thons and activity-based campaigns

Beyond walking and reading, nonprofits can create any activity challenge. For example, a team could organize a dance-a-thon, bike-a-thon, or even a video-game marathon.

Sports teams often do events like dunk-a-thons or lap-a-thons: donors pledge a small amount for each dunk or lap a player completes. The idea can extend to almost any activity: fundraising for miles biked, laps swum, steps walked, or even chores completed.

How to set up a successful peer-to-peer campaign

Here’s how your nonprofit can run a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign:

1. Set a clear goal: Define what you’re raising funds for and the total target. Break it down so each participant knows their part (e.g., raise $500 each).
2. Create a central campaign page: Build one main page that explains the cause, shows progress, and lists all fundraisers with an easy donate option.
3. Keep sign-up simple: Use a short form so people can join and start fundraising in minutes.
4. Provide templates and guidance: Give ready-to-use email scripts, social posts, and sample messages so participants don’t have to start from scratch.
5. Promote consistently: Share updates, milestones, and reminders through email and social media to keep momentum going.

How to increase participation and donations

Use team-based fundraising: Group participants into teams (schools, companies, friends) and add friendly competition. Teams push each other and often raise more.

Add matching donations: Get a sponsor to match gifts (e.g., dollar-for-dollar). Try to create urgency and motivate people to give faster and in higher amounts.

Show progress publicly: Share real-time totals, milestones, and leaderboards. Updates like “75% reached” encourage more people to jump in and help close the gap.

Common mistakes to avoid in peer-to-peer fundraising

• Long or confusing registration will scare people away. Keep the signup form short and easy.
• Don’t launch and forget. Without instructions or templates, volunteers may not know what to do. Be sure to train or onboard fundraisers so they understand how to run their page.
• Expecting volunteers to sign up without prompting is a mistake. Actively recruit participants through personal outreach and clear messaging. Otherwise, few people may join.
• If you don’t communicate during the campaign, fundraisers and donors will lose interest. Send regular check-ins and tips, and celebrate milestones along the way.
• Failing to recognize or thank fundraisers makes them feel unappreciated. Publicly celebrate and thank your fundraisers (on social media or in newsletters) so they know their efforts matter.

Why Nonprofits Choose BetterWorld for Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Once you have multiple fundraisers active, things can get hard to track. That’s where using the right platform helps you stay in control without extra effort.

With BetterWorld, you can give every participant their own fundraising page, organize teams, and manage everything from one place. You can see donations come in live, track progress, and know exactly how your campaign is performing at any moment.

Instead of dealing with manual tracking or scattered tools, you stay focused on getting more people involved, while we keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

All of it comes at zero cost! So you can keep all the funds you raise.

Connect with Betterworld and start raising funds with zero cost.

FAQs

What is peer-to-peer fundraising in simple terms?

Peer-to-peer fundraising is when supporters raise money on a nonprofit’s behalf by asking people they know to donate. In practice, each person creates a personal fundraising page and shares it with friends and family, who then give to that page for the cause.

How do walk-a-thons raise money?

In a walk-a-thon, participants raise money by walking a set distance. They get sponsors to pledge a donation in advance – usually a flat amount or a pledge per mile or lap. The more they walk, the more money those pledges earn for the nonprofit.

Is peer-to-peer fundraising suitable for small nonprofits?

Yes. It’s actually ideal for small teams. By enlisting volunteers, a nonprofit can run a big campaign without hiring extra staff. Small and mid-sized organizations often see great results because engaged supporters do much of the work for you.

How long should a peer-to-peer campaign run?

Experts say about 2–6 weeks is the sweet spot. This is long enough to build momentum and reach people, but short enough to keep the urgency and excitement high. Very long campaigns risk people losing interest.