Building a Training Strategy for Peer-to-Peer Fundraisers

All kinds of nonprofit organizations use peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising to expand their networks and tap into their supporters’ passion. These supporter-led campaigns bring new levels of enthusiasm to your community, but turning that raw enthusiasm into donations requires thoughtful planning.

For your volunteer peer-to-peer fundraisers to successfully spread awareness and secure new donors for your organization, they need effective training. In this guide, we’ll discuss how to develop a structured, thoughtful training approach that gives volunteers the exact tools they need to fundraise effectively for your mission.

1. Focus on accessibility from the beginning.

First and foremost, you need the right mindset to train volunteers in peer-to-peer fundraising. Participants will likely join your campaign from different locations and with varying levels of experience, especially if your organization offers DIY fundraising. To accommodate all of their unique needs and perspectives, prioritize accessibility in your training materials.

Ways to create a welcoming training experience for all peer-to-peer fundraising participants include:

• Taking a conversational approach. Design your training materials so that all participants can easily digest the information and learn at their own pace. Use friendly guidance to put nervous or inexperienced volunteers at ease.
• Training your trainers. Team members who lead any live aspects of your training must be prepared to guide participants smoothly through the entire fundraising process. Ensure these trainers are fully equipped with the knowledge and patience needed to lead diverse groups of participants successfully.
• Maintaining web accessibility. Ensure that online training materials comply with accessibility standards, like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This includes providing alternative text for images, captions for videos, and appropriate color contrast for those with visual impairments.
• Staying open to feedback and accommodations. Encourage staff to share volunteer questions and concerns that pop up often. Keep refining your training strategy as you test it, and prepare to offer special accommodations to anyone who needs them.

Your fundraising technology will help you ensure accessibility on your peer-to-peer fundraising campaign pages and donation forms, but it’s your trainers’ responsibility to center it throughout the training process.

2. Create a virtual peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit for volunteers.

Peer-to-peer fundraising happens almost entirely online, so the bulk of your training materials should be virtual, too. The easiest way to provide the information volunteers need is to compile a digital peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit and publish it on your website.

A comprehensive peer-to-peer toolkit should include essential fundraising information and resources, such as:

• An introduction to peer-to-peer fundraising that explains what it is, how it works, and how it supports your organization’s mission
• Specific steps for setting up and personalizing their individual peer-to-peer fundraising pages
• Suggestions for where to share their campaigns, such as social media platforms, email, and text messages
• Guidelines and official talking points for promoting your organization, including any phrases to avoid
• Direct links to your peer-to-peer platform and live example pages for inspiration
• Ready-made marketing materials and templates for emails, text messages, and social media posts
• A checklist of immediate next steps at the end of the toolkit, like setting up their page and texting five friends about their campaign

House your toolkit on a single page on your nonprofit’s website, alongside a few more in-depth resources like explainer videos or short lesson segments. Peer-to-peer fundraisers are fast-paced, so do everything you can to make training quick and easy. Avoid bogging down participants with lengthy courses. Stick to short videos and mini-lessons instead.

Keep these resources publicly available and easy to find on your website. This way, current participants can refer back to the resources as often as they need to, and prospective participants can learn what the process looks like.

3. Offer face-to-face training opportunities when possible.

While digital resources are a must-have, in-person training fosters a stronger sense of community and shared purpose. If you have the time and capacity, offer at least one opportunity for peer-to-peer participants to train face-to-face.

To get the best of both worlds, combine physical gatherings with your online resources. Use a hybrid approach that allows participants to join an in-person campaign kickoff session to meet staff and ask questions. Then, upload your toolkit and reference materials online, keeping the focused, step-by-step segments available on your website so volunteers can easily reference them as they fundraise.

At your in-person kickoff, consider asking a current beneficiary or a long-time volunteer to share their story. Connecting a human face to your mission grounds the fundraising initiative in real-world impact, making the subsequent online training feel far more meaningful and urgent.

4. Evaluate the success of your training

A training strategy requires constant refinement to stay effective. After launch, actively assess how well volunteers access and retain the information by monitoring metrics like: 

• Number of toolkit downloads
• Form completion and bounce rates on your training page
• Individual fundraising totals
• Percentage of participants who used your templates
• Volunteer satisfaction rates

Then, combine this quantitative data with qualitative feedback from volunteers and trainers to gauge the success of your training process. Send out a survey asking how useful different training materials were, then update your P2P toolkit and micro-lessons based on the insights.

If you offered an in-person option, segment your performance data to compare the success rates of volunteers who attended the in-person kickoff with those who only used the digital toolkit. This information will help you justify future budget allocations for live trainings and highlight exactly where the online modules need strengthening.

Thoughtfully preparing your volunteers for fundraising outreach is the foundation of any thriving peer-to-peer campaign. When you create accessible, friendly, and highly focused resources, you set both your organization and your supporters up for success. Combine these tips with open communication and regular updates to your toolkit, and you’ll ensure your fundraisers always feel supported and ready to champion your cause.