This list of 50 church fundraising ideas gives you a mix of proven strategies and fresh approaches, from digital-first campaigns to community events that bring people together in meaningful ways. We’ve organized them into sections to help you find the right fit for your church’s size, budget, and goals.

 Easy Church Fundraising Ideas

1. Run For A Good Cause

Fun runs and 5Ks are fantastic fundraising opportunities for churches. They bring people together, promote wellness, and give the wider community a reason to participate. If you’re not in a position to join an established race, consider hosting your own route through your neighborhood. You can use peer-to-peer fundraising tools so each participant can collect donations from friends and family online.

Rise Beyond All Odds raised nearly $160k with their movement challenge.

2. Film A Video Campaign

A personal video appeal from your pastor or ministry leader is far more compelling than a web banner. Capture life-change stories from congregation members, interviews with people your church has served, and a clear call to give. Embed the video directly on your dedicated campaign page to keep everything centralized and shareable.

3. Create A Dedicated Campaign Website

A professional fundraising platform gives supporters confidence to donate online. With consistent branding and a smooth donor experience, your campaign page becomes a hub for sharing, storytelling, and tracking progress. CauseVox makes it easy to launch a polished campaign site in minutes, or include a fundraising thermometer on your website to show donors how close you are to your goal.

4. Encourage Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Personal relationships are your most powerful fundraising tool. When congregation members set up their own fundraising pages and share them with friends and family, your reach multiplies exponentially. CauseVox’s peer-to-peer features let individuals take ownership of smaller goals that add up to your big campaign target.

Active in Mission’s peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. 

5. Find Matching Grants

A matching gift challenge creates powerful urgency, it effectively doubles every dollar raised during the match window. Reach out to a major donor within your congregation or a local business with a corporate giving program. Even a modest match of $5,000–$10,000 can dramatically accelerate your campaign momentum.

Incorporate automated matching into your campaign with CauseVox.

6. Online Giving Kiosk or QR Code Station

Set up a dedicated giving station in your church lobby, such as a tablet, a printed sign, or even a simple QR code on your bulletin, that links directly to your donation page. No special equipment or technical knowledge required, just a clean, branded page that lets congregation members give in seconds right after service, while generosity is top of mind. It’s one of the lowest-effort setups you can deploy, and it works just as well for first-time visitors as it does for longtime members.

7. Coffee Morning

Set up a simple coffee booth outside your church after Sunday service and partner with a local bakery or coffee roaster for donated goods. Congregation members purchase a cup knowing their money supports a good cause. Maximize this idea by running it over multiple Sundays and promoting a giving goal on a visible thermometer.

8. Bail Out

Tie up your pastor or elder and don’t release them until their ‘bail’ has been met! This crowd-pleasing event especially resonates with younger congregants. Add costumes, a makeshift jail, and live donation updates to keep the energy high and the giving flowing.

9. Wear a Hat to Church Day

Ask your congregation to donate a small amount (say $5–$10) for the privilege of wearing a hat to the Sunday service, or something that’s normally not allowed. This low-effort, high-fun fundraiser requires zero overhead and generates goodwill alongside dollars.

10. Books for Bucks

Invite congregation members to donate unwanted books, then host a sale. Expand the idea by challenging younger church members to read as many books as possible within a set time frame, with friends and family sponsoring them per book. It raises funds while championing literacy and education.

Church Fundraising Events

11. Spread Testimonials

Nothing inspires giving like real stories of impact. Feature testimonies on your campaign page, in emails, and on social media. Video testimonials are especially powerful, a two-minute story of how your church changed someone’s life can outperform any fundraising pitch. Design them into Instagram or Facebook posts and reels to maximize organic sharing.

12. Buy One, Give One

Borrow from the TOMS playbook. If your ministry serves meals to the homeless, host a lunch sale where every purchase feeds one community member. This model ties a tangible, immediate act of generosity to each transaction and deepens donor connection to your mission.

Share impact tiers on your donation page so donors can see how their gift will create change.

13. Host A Vision-Sharing Night

Gather supporters for a dinner or dessert night where you share your church’s vision and invite people to invest in it. Enhance your presentation with video, images, and data that illustrate the impact of your work. These events often unlock significant major gifts from people who simply needed a clear invitation.

14. Offer A Community Sports Event

Sports days and neighborhood fairs bring families together and lower the barrier to participation. Sell affordable tickets, add concessions and branded merchandise, and make it a genuine community celebration. CauseVox’s event ticketing feature makes it easy to manage registration and collect donations alongside ticket sales.

Event ticketing with CauseVox

15. Giving Challenge

Tap into the viral potential of digital challenges by launching a giving challenge on social media. Create a simple, replicable action, like sharing a 30-second video of one thing your church has done for the community, and invite others to do the same and nominate friends to give. This modern take on the Ice Bucket Challenge format works especially well with younger congregation members.

16. Escape Room Fundraiser

Partner with a local escape room business, or build a DIY version in your church hall, and sell tickets to themed puzzle experiences. Groups of 4–8 pay an entry fee, with proceeds going to your cause. This is a standout idea for youth groups and young adult ministries who want a memorable team challenge.

17. Trivia Night

Host a charity trivia night with teams of 4–6 competing for prizes. Charge an entry fee per team, sell snacks and drinks, and add a ‘golden question’ that unlocks a bonus donation from a sponsor if answered correctly. Trivia nights are scalable, low-cost to produce, and generate strong word-of-mouth.

Oak Hill’s trivia competition raised over $70k with CauseVox.

18. Dance Marathon 

Host a dance marathon where participants must stay on the dance floor for a set number of hours. Each participant sets up a personal fundraising page, and the more they raise, the more dance breaks and rewards they earn. This is particularly effective for youth groups and high school ministries.

19. Face Painting

Set up a face painting booth at your summer fair or family event. Supplies are inexpensive and the activity generates steady foot traffic and donations. Pair with a bake sale or lemonade stand to maximize revenue from a single afternoon.

20. Travel Raffle

Partner with travel agencies, hotels, or airlines in your congregation to create enticing prize packages, then sell raffle tickets. A well-promoted travel raffle can stand alone as a campaign or complement a larger event. 

Small Church Fundraising Ideas

21. Sell Sidewalk Doughnuts

Krispy Kreme’s fundraising program offers a 50–60% profit margin, making it one of the highest-return food fundraisers available. Set up a stand right after Sunday service when foot traffic is at its peak. Pair with a donation jar for members who aren’t hungry but still want to contribute.

22. Community Car Wash

On a sunny weekend, host a by-donations car wash in your church parking lot. This is a great way for youth groups and families to get involved and to meet new community members. Promote it with a specific fundraising goal so donors can see their collective impact.

23. Sell Movie Vouchers

Cinema vouchers are practical, easy to sell, and have broad appeal. Partner with a local theater or use chain vouchers with long expiry dates. Bundle them with popcorn or candy donations for an easy upsell.

24. Charity Gift Cards for the Holidays

Charity gift cards allow donors to give a gift and direct the donation to your church. Spread awareness during the holiday season, particularly targeting congregation members who are shopping for people who ‘have everything.’ This is an excellent way to bring in first-time donors.

25. Service Week

Organize a week where congregation members volunteer in the community, yard work for elderly neighbors, meal deliveries, school supply drives, while also running personal fundraising pages. The combination of action and fundraising amplifies both the impact and the giving.

26. Digital Giving Day

Designate a single day as your church’s annual giving day and build a 24-hour campaign around it. Feature live donation updates, countdown clocks, and milestone celebrations throughout the day on social media. Tie it to GivingTuesday for built-in national momentum.

Giving Day with CauseVox

27. Partner With A Major Donor

Major donors require long-term relationship cultivation, but one committed supporter can transform your campaign. Identify prospects within your congregation, nurture those relationships throughout the year, and make a specific, personal ask when the moment is right. Major gifts often arrive when someone who cares deeply is clearly asked.

28. Volunteer Chore Team

Enlist church volunteers to do household chores for other congregation or community members in exchange for donations. This grassroots event builds community bonds while raising funds, and it’s especially meaningful when your team serves those who can’t afford services on their own.

29. Set A Short Deadline

Short campaigns outperform long ones because they create urgency. A 30-day window gives donors a reason to act now rather than ‘eventually.’ Use a campaign countdown on your final week as the last 72 hours of a campaign typically generate a disproportionate surge in giving.

Clearly show countdown and days remaining in your campaign with CauseVox

30. Craft Sale

Turn your congregation’s creative talents into a fundraising opportunity. Invite knitters, painters, woodworkers, bakers, and jewelry makers to set up booths and donate a percentage of sales. A craft fair atmosphere draws community members and creates a festive, connective experience.

Mission Trip Fundraising Ideas

31. Crowdfunding 

Crowdfunding is ideal for mission trips because it allows many small donors to collectively fund a big goal. Make sure your crowdfunding pages are mobile-optimized, easily shareable, and give donors a clear picture of impact. Make sure your campaign page tells a compelling story about who you’re serving and why.

32. Auctions

Collect donated items and services from local businesses and host a silent auction online or in-person. Online silent auctions through CauseVox require no physical event and can run for days, reaching donors beyond your local community. Set minimum bids to protect value and consider a live-auctioneer element for big-ticket items.

Easily run a silent auction with CauseVox where donors can bid on items seamlessly online. 

33. Host A Concert

A benefit concert doesn’t require a big budget, your own worship leaders and musically talented congregation members can headline. Sell tickets, raffle stubs, and concessions. This type of event builds excitement for your mission while creating a memorable evening that people talk about and share.

34. Outdoor Movie Night

Invite your community to an outdoor family movie night. Movie equipment rentals are widely available, and a local business may sponsor the event in exchange for promotion. Ticket and concession sales generate revenue while the relaxed setting makes giving feel natural and joyful.

35. Work-A-Thon

A full day of community service where each participant runs a personal fundraising page is a meaningful and effective way to raise money for mission trips. It shows donors that your team is willing to work for the cause, not just ask for money, which deepens respect and generosity.

36. Kickball League

Larger congregations can organize a multi-week kickball league where teams pay entry fees to compete. Sell concessions and branded merchandise throughout the season. The competition builds camaraderie and gives your mission team a fun shared experience before they travel.

37. Sponsor a Child

Rather than asking for generic donations, calculate the per-child cost of the mission trip and invite donors to sponsor one specific child. Follow up with personalized impact reports after the trip. This tangible connection between gift and outcome is one of the most powerful motivators in fundraising. Consider using donation tiers to show impact clearly to your supporters. 

Impact donation tiers with CauseVox

38. Pie the Pastor

Charge a small fee for the chance to throw a pie at your pastor’s face…younger congregation members will leap at it! Set a specific donation goal that unlocks the ‘pieing,’ and livestream it for remote donors. Simple, fun, and highly shareable on social media.

39. Adopt-A-Mile

Tie donation tiers to the total mileage of your mission trip. A donor who gives $50 ‘adopts’ one mile of your journey; $500 covers ten. The geographic connection makes the donation feel real and urgent.

40. Lock-In Fundraiser

Host an overnight lock-in for your youth group with games, movies, snacks, and prizes, all for a small entry fee. Lock-ins build team spirit before the trip, give parents a night off, and create a buzz that generates additional donations from parents and extended family who appreciate the value.

Youth Group Fundraising Ideas

41. Babysitting

Reliable childcare is always in demand. Offer scheduled babysitting nights so parents can shop, attend events, or enjoy a date night. Consider themed sessions (holiday shopping night, Valentine’s Day date night) to increase demand and set a seasonal fundraising calendar around them.

42. Karaoke

Karaoke has universal appeal and a guaranteed laugh track. Host a ticketed karaoke evening where the crowd votes for their favorite performers with donation dollars. The competitive element pushes people to give more, and the memories last longer than the songs.

43. Dog Wash

If your congregation is pet-loving, a dog wash fundraiser is a natural fit. Charge per dog, sell dog treats and accessories, and set up an outdoor wash station. Donors feel their generosity reflects their values, and the photo opportunities are great for social media promotion of your cause.

44. Host A Talent Show

A community talent show creates a platform for singers, dancers, comedians, and instrumentalists in your congregation. Charge ticket entry fees and offer food and drink sales. You can also run it as a hybrid virtual/in-person event where participants submit videos and audiences vote online with donations.

Talent show fundraiser hosted with CauseVox

45. Board Game Tournament

Teams compete in a multi-round board game tournament (think Catan, Ticket to Ride, or classic card games) and pay entry fees to participate. Award prizes to winners donated by local businesses. Offer bonus fundraising points to teams who collect the most donations from their personal networks before the tournament.

46. Make The Grade

At the start of a school term, youth group members sign up to collect pledges per good grade. At term’s end, they share report cards and convert pledges into donations. Offer a tiered pledge structure (e.g., $5 per A, $2 per B) so donors at every level can participate.

47. Calendar Sale

Each child or youth group member creates their own calendar page, illustrations, photos, or digital artwork, which is then compiled into a full calendar for sale. Include church events and fundraising dates to make it both artistic and useful. Perfect as a holiday gift for family members.

48. Burrito Mile

Participants eat a large burrito before running a mile, equal parts hilarious and endearing. Charge entry fees and collect donations on race day. Best for energetic youth groups who want a memorable, shareable fundraising moment. Video the event for great social media content.

49. Bake Sale

A tried-and-true fundraiser that works because it is delicious and simple. Set up a sale after Sunday service with youth-baked goods and watch them sell fast. Expand the idea by hosting a baking competition with entry fees and community judging as it turns a sale into an event.

50. Make Some Noise Fundraiser

Give your youth group permission to run through the church halls making as much noise as possible while collecting donations in buckets and jars. It’s memorable, rule-breaking in the most delightful way, and gets the whole congregation involved in cheering (and giving). A simple, zero-cost fundraiser with maximum energy.

Bonus: Capital Campaigns for Churches

A capital campaign is a focused fundraiser designed to raise a large sum for a specific purpose, a new building, major renovation, expanded ministry, or a significant equipment purchase. Capital campaigns are extremely well-suited to churches because congregations naturally rally around shared physical and spiritual spaces.

The key elements of a successful church capital campaign are:

• A capital campaign is a focused fundraiser designed to raise a large sum for a specific purpose, a new building, major renovation, expanded ministry, or a significant equipment purchase. Capital campaigns are extremely well-suited to churches because congregations naturally rally around shared physical and spiritual spaces.
• The key elements of a successful church capital campaign are:
• A clearly defined goal and timeline
• A compelling case for support tied to your mission and values
• A dedicated campaign website where donors can track progress and give online
• A peer-to-peer component so congregation members can fundraise within their own networks
• Regular progress updates to maintain momentum and celebrate milestones

Ready to Launch Your Church Fundraiser?

The ideas and insights above are just the beginning. Whatever your church’s fundraising goal, whether it be a new building, a mission trip, youth ministry, or community outreach, the most important step is simply to start. 

Choose one or two ideas from this list that feel right for your congregation, set a clear goal and timeline, and build a campaign that invites every member of your community to be part of the story.

CauseVox connects your fundraising, donor management, and communications in one platform so you can run campaigns, events, auctions, peer-to-peer, and more without juggling multiple tools.

Get started fundraising for free on CauseVox today.

Here is why it works so well. When your board member, volunteer, or longtime donor asks their network to give, that ask carries a level of trust your organization can never manufacture on its own. People give to people. A personal fundraising page from someone they know and respect will always outperform a cold email from an organization they vaguely recognize. Peer-to-peer fundraising takes that human connection and scales it across your entire community at once.

The numbers back it up too. Peer-to-peer campaigns consistently bring in new donors that your organization would never have reached through traditional channels, and those donors, acquired through a personal relationship, tend to stick around. You are not just raising money for one campaign. You are building a pipeline.

We have rounded up 25 peer-to-peer fundraising examples to show you what is possible, spark some ideas, and give you a clear starting point no matter where you are in your journey.

A Quick Recap of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

You give $50. You share the campaign with a friend, who gives $100. She tells her coworker, who gives $30, and her cousin who gives $20. Suddenly, that single supporter has generated $200 and four new donor relationships for your organization.

That’s peer-to-peer fundraising in action. Individual supporters create personal fundraising pages, share them with their own networks, and their smaller gifts stack up into something significant. The beauty of it is that it scales naturally: the more engaged your community is, the more powerful it becomes.

This model is especially well-suited for small and mid-sized nonprofits. You don’t need a massive budget or a full development team. You need enthusiastic supporters and the right tools to set them up for success.

25 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Examples

1. Honorary Fundraiser

People love fundraising when it feels personal. Whether it’s a birthday, a special holiday, or a memorial tribute, honorary fundraisers give supporters a meaningful reason to ask their network for support, and that authenticity translates into higher conversion rates.

Empower does this brilliantly by using running as a vehicle for purpose. They encourage supporters to run in honor of someone they’ve lost, which makes every ask feel deeply personal rather than transactional.

 Empower’s peer-to-peer fundraising campaign with CauseVox

The key is making it easy for supporters to self-launch. Give them a template, a pre-written appeal, and a simple way to set up their page then let them run with it (no pun intended). 

A peer-to-peer fundraiser’s page for Empower, sharing who she is running in honor of.

2. Outdoor and Active Events

Not every supporter wants to walk a 5K, some want a real challenge. Outdoor peer-to-peer campaigns work because they create experiences people actually want to talk about, and that word-of-mouth is fundraising gold. 

Take Orangewood Foundation’s annual challenge: teams of four tackle a multi-sport obstacle course, combining a physical and fundraising challenge to enter. The 2025 event raised over $538,000 to support vulnerable youth, proof that when you make participation memorable, the donations follow.

Consider adding a fundraising toolkit for your peer-to-peer fundraisers to help them feel confident in their fundraising efforts.

3. Giving Day

A single focused day of giving creates urgency that spreads fast. When your supporters know the clock is ticking, they are far more likely to share their fundraising pages, follow up with their networks, and push toward the finish line. GivingTuesday alone raises hundreds of millions of dollars every year, but you don’t have to wait for a cultural moment to make it work. 

Pick a date that resonates with your community, whether it’s your organization’s founding anniversary, a mission-related awareness day, or simply the end of your fiscal year, and build a peer-to-peer campaign around it. 

COHS activated their supporters for a giving day around honoring what made their school special (in honor of a teacher, program, etc).

Give your fundraisers a goal, a deadline, and a reason to act today, and you’ll be surprised how much a single day can move the needle.

4. Sleep Out/Overnight Challenge

A sleep out is one of those fundraising formats that does double duty: it raises money and it builds empathy. Participants spend a night sleeping outside, often in a parking lot, a park, or a school gymnasium, to raise awareness around issues like homelessness, poverty, or housing insecurity. 

Their personal fundraising pages become part of the story, with supporters sponsoring them for every hour they tough it out. What makes it so shareable is the visibility. Participants are posting from their sleeping bags, updating their networks in real time, and creating a night’s worth of content that keeps donations coming in. It connects the act directly to the mission in a way that a standard donation ask never could, and that emotional resonance is exactly what turns a one-time donor into a long-term supporter.

5. Golf Tournament 

Golf tournaments are a nonprofit staple for good reason. They attract corporate sponsors, bring in higher-dollar donations, and create a relaxed social environment that is genuinely fun to be part of. What makes a golf event shine as a peer-to-peer format is the team structure. Each group becomes a fundraising team with their own fundraising page, competing against other groups to see who can raise the most. 

Golf tournament peer-to-peer fundraiser hosted with CauseVox

That friendly rivalry between the finance team and the marketing crew can do wonders for your final total. Pair your tournament with event ticketing where you can easily set up a customized registration form that captures all of the information you need from registrants, including things like t-shirt sizes and sponsorship packages in one place. 

6. Cook-Off 

Everyone thinks their chili is the best. A cook-off fundraiser turns that friendly rivalry into real dollars for your cause. Participants register and spend the weeks before the event rallying donations from friends, family, and coworkers. 

On the day itself, attendees pay to taste and vote, adding another revenue stream on top of what fundraisers have already raised. It is warm, social, and incredibly easy to rally a community around. 

Local restaurants or grocery stores often jump at the chance to sponsor ingredients or prizes, which keeps your costs low. The competitive element does a lot of the heavy lifting too. Nobody wants to show up with the least-funded chili, which means your fundraisers are motivated to keep pushing their personal pages right up until the ladle drops.

7. Storytelling Campaign

The most powerful fundraising tool your organization has is not a matching gift or a deadline. It is a story. A storytelling campaign invites your supporters to share their personal connection to your cause on their individual fundraising pages, whether that is a short video, a written reflection, or a photo with a caption. 

When donors hear directly from the people who care most about your mission, in their own words, the ask becomes almost unnecessary. The story does the work.

This peer-to-peer page built with CauseVox shares a powerful story from the fundraiser

Encourage your fundraisers with a simple prompt like “tell us why this cause matters to you” and you will be surprised how many compelling narratives surface from your own community. Those stories live on their pages, get shared across social media, and keep bringing in donations long after the initial post goes up.

8. Pickleball Tournament 

Pickleball is having a moment, and your nonprofit should be taking advantage of it. It is the fastest growing sport in the country, it spans every age group, and it is social by nature, which makes it a natural fit for peer-to-peer fundraising. 

On the day itself, teams compete in a bracket format while supporters cheer, donate, and share the leaderboard in real time. Local courts, gyms, and recreation centers are often eager to partner on events like this, which keeps venue costs low. The best part is that because pickleball is still fresh enough to feel exciting, it gives your campaign a built-in talking point that older tournament formats simply do not have anymore.

Pickleball tournaments peer-to-peer campaign for Volo Kids hosted on CauseVox

9. Social Media Takeover 

A social media takeover flips the script on traditional peer-to-peer fundraising. Instead of just asking supporters to share a link, you hand them the keys to your organization’s Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook for a day and let them tell your story to their audience and yours at the same time. 

Followers are far more likely to engage with a real person sharing why they care about a cause than a polished organizational post. It also gives your most passionate supporters a meaningful role beyond just asking for money, and that sense of ownership tends to produce your most motivated fundraisers.

Download the Ultimate Guide To Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

10. Live Crowdfunding

Live crowdfunding combines the power of peer-to-peer with the energy of an in-person event. The idea is simple: while your guests are gathered in the room, you open up the campaign to remote supporters watching a livestream or following along on social media, giving everyone a chance to participate in real time. Use a tool like a fundraising thermometer so people can see how close you are to your goal and the impact of their gift.

Free fundraising thermometer with CauseVox

This format works especially well when paired with a silent auction running alongside your event. Guests in the room can bid on auction items while remote supporters donate through personal fundraising pages, creating two revenue streams running simultaneously from a single event. Whether you are hosting a gala, a community gathering, or an intimate donor dinner, live crowdfunding turns a one-night event into a moment your entire community can be part of, no matter where they are.

11. Corporate Gift Matching

Did you know that corporations around the country offer matching gift programs for nonprofits? It’s true! You can access these programs to maximize your fundraising with your next peer-to-peer campaign. The best part of this strategy is that it can be incorporated into any of the peer-to-peer fundraising examples listed here.

Use CauseVox’s automated matching to help fundraisers and donors see the impact of their gift in real time.

Many corporations prefer to donate to nonprofits that their employees also support. As such, most companies prefer to have someone who works at the company submit a matching gift request. While this may seem like a difficult barrier to entry, it can actually work in your favor with a peer-to-peer campaign.

If you have a large community of professionals in your network, consider asking them to start fundraising pages and solicit corporate matches through their work. This type of peer-to-peer fundraising campaign can raise a large amount in a short time with the right level of engagement. Some companies will match only those gifts submitted by their employees, while others will match all gifts made during a certain time period.

12. Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is one of the most underused formats in peer-to-peer fundraising, and that is exactly what makes it stand out. Teams register and set up personal fundraising pages, rallying donations from their networks before the hunt begins. On the day itself, teams race to complete a series of challenges and clues across your city, campus, or community, turning your cause into an adventure people genuinely want to show up for. 

The format is incredibly shareable too. Teams are posting photos and updates throughout the entire event, which keeps your campaign visible across social media for hours at a time. It works for all ages, requires minimal equipment, and can be themed around your mission to make the connection between the fun and the cause feel natural and intentional.

13. Volunteer Engagement

Volunteers are among the most important community members for every nonprofit. You may feel uncomfortable about asking them to fundraise for you in addition to all the other work that they do to support your mission. But you shouldn’t. Volunteers have been proven to be an invaluable asset for peer-to-peer fundraising.

The best part about signing your volunteers up as fundraisers in your next peer-to-peer fundraiser is that they can do double duty for your nonprofit. In other words, they can serve the community and your mission while they raise funds. You can even tie these two efforts together by having your volunteers challenge themselves to complete a certain number of volunteer hours while their community supports them with donations per hour worked.

Chances are, your volunteers are among the most knowledgeable and most engaged community members in your network. They will likely leap at the opportunity to spread the word about your organization to their friends and family.

Volunteer peer-to-peer fundraising team using CauseVox

14. Talent Show

A talent show fundraiser is exactly what it sounds like, and that simplicity is what makes it so effective. Ask your supporters to set up personal fundraising pages, record themselves doing something they are genuinely proud of, and share it with their networks. It could be a piano performance, a stand-up routine, an impressive cooking skill, or something completely unexpected. The more personality the better. 

Because supporters are sharing something personal and entertaining, they are far more motivated to blast it across every channel they have, and every view is a potential donor. The format also translates beautifully to short-form video content on Instagram Reels and TikTok, where a compelling clip can take on a life of its own and pull in donors your organization would never have reached through traditional outreach.

Talent show fundraiser hosted with CauseVox

15. Pledge Campaign

A pledge campaign is one of the simplest ways to increase the average gift size across your entire peer-to-peer fundraiser without asking donors to give more upfront. Instead of a single lump sum donation, supporters commit to giving in a series of smaller installments over time. 

The psychology is straightforward: a donor who might hesitate at a $500 ask will often say yes to $50 a month without a second thought, even though the annual total is the same. For your personal fundraisers, it also gives them a more compelling pitch. Rather than just asking their network for a donation, they are inviting people into an ongoing relationship with your cause. 

Ask your fundraisers to set clear giving tiers on their personal pages so donors can see exactly what each pledge level makes possible. That tangible impact framing is what turns a maybe into a yes.

16. Board Fundraiser

Your board members are some of your most credible advocates, so why not put that to work in a peer-to-peer campaign? A board fundraiser asks each board member to set up their own personal fundraising page and reach out directly to their professional and personal networks. Because board members carry genuine weight with donors, their ask tends to land differently than a general appeal from the organization. It also creates healthy internal accountability. 

When board members can see each other’s progress on a shared leaderboard, a little friendly competition tends to bring out their best fundraising instincts. It is a low-cost, high-trust campaign format that works especially well as a year-end push or ahead of a major organizational milestone.

Volo Kids board member peer-to-peer campaign helped raise over $22,000.

17. Walk-a-thon

Walk-a-thons can be localized, such as a local high school service group, or nationwide, occurring simultaneously in many cities. Like other activity-based events, supporters raise a set amount of money to participate. 

Beyond this, walk-a-thons can layer in additional revenue through corporate sponsorships, matching gifts, and branded merchandise, while team-based competition and milestone incentives help keep participant energy high throughout the campaign. With relatively low upfront costs and high engagement potential, walk-a-thons consistently rank among the highest-ROI activity-based peer-to-peer fundraisers available to nonprofits.

Make it easy for supporters to sign up and become a fundraiser for your walk-a-thon.

18. Bowl-a-Thon

Bowl-a-thons have been a nonprofit staple for decades, and for good reason. They are accessible, social, and naturally built for team fundraising. The format is simple: participants form teams, set up personal fundraising pages, rally donations from their networks, and then come together on the lanes to compete. 

That combination of online fundraising and in-person fun creates a level of energy and accountability that is hard to replicate with a standard donation campaign. Partnering with local businesses and corporations to field employee teams is a particularly effective strategy, since it expands your reach well beyond your existing donor base and brings in a competitive crowd who are motivated to out-raise each other. Whether you run one event or many, the bowl-a-thon format scales surprisingly well and tends to bring in a wide range of gift sizes from a wide range of donors.

Bowl-a-thon hosted with CauseVox

19. Build-a-thon

A build-a-thon flips the traditional “thon” format on its head in the best way. Instead of running, walking, or biking, participants build something, and their community sponsors them for it. 

Record Robotics Build-a-thon peer-to-peer fundraising page with CauseVox

The format works beautifully for schools, maker communities, and mission-driven organizations whose work involves creating something real in the world. Supporters fundraise through personal pages, donors see exactly where their money goes, and everyone gets to celebrate something being built together.

20. Bike-a-thon

A bike-a-thon is one of those formats that works as well in person as it does virtually, which makes it incredibly versatile for any size organization. Participants set up personal or team fundraising pages, share their story, and raise funds from their networks before they ever clip into their pedals. 

Rise Beyond All Odds bike-a-thon with CauseVox

The format is flexible by nature. You can organize a group ride along a scenic route, a point-to-point challenge across multiple days, or give supporters the option to ride virtually on a stationary bike at home. By removing the barrier of location you open the campaign up to a much wider pool of participants, which means more fundraising pages, more sharing, and a bigger final total. It is also a natural fit for team fundraising, where groups of riders compete to see who can cover the most miles and raise the most money for your cause.

21. Gifts for Grades

If you’re looking for peer-to-peer fundraising examples that can engage a younger audience, look no further! A Gifts for Grades campaign will inspire your young supporters to raise funds for your nonprofit.

Gifts for Grades campaigns involve having the students in your network ask for donations that correspond to the grades that they receive in school. For example, they could request $10 for every A, $5 for every B and so on. 

Everyone wants to see children excel in school. So why not introduce a fundraising element and incentive to this desire. The added bonus is that you can use this event as an opportunity to show your community that you care about education and literacy. 

22. Giving Circles

When it comes to fundraising, sometimes it’s best to keep it as simple as possible. When it comes time for your organization to choose from this list of peer-to-peer fundraising examples, it’s important to select one that is easily achievable. Why not return to the oldest form of peer-to-peer fundraising, the Giving Circle?

Giving circles are groups of philanthropic individuals who meet to pool their resources and support nonprofits. Before the Internet, these groups were responsible for the peer-to-peer element of nonprofit fundraising, since they would share information about organizations and bring in new donations.

Despite their more traditional format, giving circles are still alive and well today. If anyone in your community is a part of a giving circle, you can make an appeal to see if they will consider supporting your cause. 

23. Livestream Fundraiser 

If your supporters are on Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok, there is a fundraising opportunity sitting right there waiting to be activated. Livestream fundraising lets your most enthusiastic supporters broadcast to their own audiences in real time, whether that is a gaming marathon, a cooking session, a workout, or simply a candid conversation about why your cause matters to them. 

Each streamer sets up a personal fundraising page and links to it throughout their stream, so viewers can donate without ever leaving the moment. The real time energy is what makes it work. Donors can see the total climbing, leave comments, and feel like they are part of something happening right now. It also reaches a younger donor demographic that traditional fundraising formats rarely touch. The barrier to entry is low too. All a supporter needs is a phone, an internet connection, and something genuine to say.

24. Trivia Night

Trivia nights are a consistently underrated peer-to-peer fundraising format. They are competitive, social, and appeal to a segment of your supporter base that might not show up for a 5K or a golf tournament. Teams register through personal fundraising pages, rallying donations from their networks before the event, and then compete on the night for bragging rights. 

The team structure does a lot of the heavy lifting, since nobody wants to be the person who let their team down on the fundraising leaderboard. It is also one of the most flexible formats on this list. You can run it in person at a local bar or community space, fully virtually over Zoom, or as a hybrid event that brings both audiences together in real time. Local businesses make great sponsors for prizes, which keeps your costs low and adds another layer of community involvement to the night.

25. Double Dog Dare Fundraiser

You may have noticed that several of the entries on this list of peer-to-peer fundraising examples involve a predetermined challenge. As we’ve mentioned, challenges introduce a competitive element to your fundraising and help drive engagement. With a Double Dog Dare fundraiser, you can shift the power of the challenge to your donors.

Your supporters will set up personal fundraising pages, asking their friends and family for donations. But there’s a catch. In order to receive the donations, they will have to complete a dare submitted by that potential donor. The dares should be easily achievable, such as eating a stack of saltine crackers in under a minute, or running through a sprinkler. If your supporters are tech savvy, you can ask them to film these dares and post them on social media.

A Double Dog Dare fundraiser allows your fundraisers to have fun and connect with their communities while raising money for a great cause. The best part is that they can share their passion for your nonprofit both on their personal fundraising pages and in the videos that they make as they complete the dares.

Try One Of These Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Examples Today!

Did you happen to notice a similar theme in most of these fundraising events?

When you add a fun, funky, creative element, people come out of the woodwork to participate.

Another common denominator behind all of these peer-to-peer fundraising examples is that they all emphasize a quality user experience. Make sure you are set up for success with an optimized website.

Take these peer-to-peer fundraising ideas and incorporate them however you see fit to extend your reach and meet your goal. To use a cliché, you’ll be successful if you keep the “fun” in your fundraising.

Start your own peer-to-peer fundraiser today with CauseVox!

Most people have at least experimented with AI. Maybe you have used it to rewrite an email, brainstorm appeal ideas, or summarize a meeting. And maybe you walked away thinking, “This is helpful, but it does not quite sound like us.”

That reaction is common, and it points to the real opportunity with AI today.

The value of AI for nonprofits is not about replacing fundraisers or automating relationships. It is about reducing busywork, speeding up first drafts, and helping small teams show up more consistently without burning out.

When used thoughtfully, AI can give you back time and mental energy so you can focus on the work that only humans can do.

How AI Tools for Nonprofits Have Evolved

Early conversations about AI tools like ChatGPT focused on novelty. Could it write a fundraising email? Could it draft a grant proposal?

Nowadays, the conversation is more practical.

AI tools are now better at understanding context, tone, and constraints. They work best when paired with clear prompts, real examples, and human review. You get the most value when you use it intentionally for specific tasks, not for everything.

AI has also become part of a broader ecosystem. Fundraising platforms, like CauseVox, are embedding AI directly into reporting, segmentation, and workflow tools, which reduces the need to jump between systems or manually pull data.

The result is less friction and fewer hours lost to admin work.

How Nonprofits Should Think About AI

The most helpful mindset shift is this: AI is a collaborator, not a copywriter.

Instead of asking AI to produce final content, use it to help you think, structure, summarize, and get started. Some of the best use cases for nonprofit fundraisers include:

• Drafting first versions of emails or appeals
• Summarizing campaign results or donor trends
• Brainstorming fundraising themes or event ideas
• Turning notes into outlines or talking points
• Reworking content to fit different formats

This is where prompt quality matters. Let’s explore what makes (or breaks) a great prompt.

Download the Complete Guide To AI in Fundraising

How To Craft Prompts That Actually Sound Like You

The biggest mistake nonprofits make with AI tools is being too vague. If you say, “Write a fundraising email,” you will get something generic. If you want AI to sound like your organization, you need to give it context.

Strong prompts usually include four elements.

1. Describe Who You Are

Share your organization type, mission, audience, and values so the AI understands who it is speaking for. This context helps shape language, priorities, and examples that actually fit your work, instead of generic nonprofit copy. The more clearly you describe who you are and who you serve, the more useful and on brand the output will be.

For example: We are a youth literacy organization serving K–3 students in under-resourced neighborhoods. Our mission is to help kids build confidence and a love of reading early in life.

2. Describe The Task

Be clear about what you want created and how it will be used so the AI understands the purpose, not just the task. An internal draft, a donor facing email, and a social post all require different levels of polish, tone, and detail. When you name the context upfront, you spend far less time rewriting later.

For example: Write a donor thank-you email for a $250 first-time gift.

3. Describe The Tone

Tone matters just as much as content. Words like friendly, conversational, professional, warm, urgent, or hopeful mean very different things in practice, so name the tone you actually want. The more specific you are, the more likely the draft will sound like something you would actually send.

For example: Keep the tone warm, human, and conversational. Avoid marketing language.

4. Give Examples or Constraints

Mentioning what you want to avoid, how long the output should be, or what must be included helps the AI stay within useful boundaries. This prevents overly long, generic responses or language that does not fit your organization. Clear constraints lead to cleaner drafts and far less editing on your end.

For example: Don’t use emojis, hashtags or buzzwords like “empower” or “transform”

Framework for a good AI prompt

A good prompt is one that saves time without outsourcing your voice. If you are ever stuck, just ask your AI tool what a good prompt would be to help you get your desired outcome. 

Using AI Without Losing Authenticity

A common fear is that AI will make fundraising feel robotic. That only happens when AI is used without boundaries (and not edited by a human!).

AI should never be responsible for final donor communications on its own. Donors can sense when something feels impersonal. The role of AI is to help you get to a better human message, faster. This is especially important for thank you messages, impact updates, and stewardship communications.

Use AI to create a base. Then edit with real details, donor names, references to past gifts, and genuine gratitude. This combination keeps fundraising personal while reducing the effort required to stay consistent.

An example of a response to a prompt asking for assistance with a thank you email to donors. This is a template that can be edited and tailored to fit your organization’s needs. 

Saving Time With AI Powered Insights

AI is not only about writing. One of the biggest time drains for fundraisers is reporting and analysis. Pulling data, exporting spreadsheets, and trying to figure out what matters takes hours that many small teams do not have.

AI powered reporting tools are helping nonprofits ask questions in plain language and get usable answers faster. Instead of digging through dashboards, fundraisers want to know:

• Who are my most engaged donors right now
• Which campaigns drove repeat giving
• Who should I follow up with this month

AI is moving fast, and CauseVox is building intentionally to keep up with what nonprofit teams actually need. The thread running through all of it is the same philosophy: AI should live inside the work, not outside of it. Because CauseVox brings fundraising, donor management, and communications together in one connected platform, the AI has better context to work from and can be more useful in the moments that actually matter.

With CauseVox’s CRM you can create AI-powered reports or use templates to help you synthesize data fast.

Ethical Considerations Nonprofits Should Not Ignore

Responsible AI use is not optional in fundraising. Donors trust nonprofits with sensitive information, and that trust must guide how AI is used.

A few principles to keep front and center:

• Do not input confidential donor information into public AI tools
• Always review AI generated content before using it
• Avoid automating personal donor communication without oversight
• Be transparent internally about how AI supports your work

AI should strengthen trust and clarity, not weaken it.

The Bottom Line For Nonprofit Fundraisers

AI is not about doing more. It is about doing the right things with less friction.

For nonprofits the real win is not flashy automation, it is reclaimed time, reduced overwhelm, and clearer focus.

When paired with fundraising platforms like CauseVox that are built around real workflows, AI helps fundraisers spend less time on admin and more time building relationships, telling meaningful stories, and advancing their mission.

Learn how to use AI in practical, responsible ways so you can do more human work in your role.

Download the Complete Guide to AI in Fundraising today.

When it comes to your donation pages, you could track dozens of metrics—scroll depth, button clicks, time on page—but not everything that can be tracked actually helps you make better decisions.

If you don’t know what action to take from a metric, it’s probably not worth your time.

Instead, focus on a short list of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that tell you whether your donation page is working, and what to improve if it’s not.

Here are six donation page KPIs that are vital signs of a healthy fundraising page. They’re easy to track using tools you likely already have, and they’ll help you make smarter, more confident decisions (without drowning in data).

6 Donation Page KPIs You Should Be Tracking

1. Pageviews

One of the first, and simplest, things you want to track is pageviews.

In other words: Are people actually visiting your donation page?

If pageviews are zero, that’s an immediate red flag. The page may not be live, linked properly, or loading correctly. If pageviews are low, people may not be finding the page at all.

Tracking pageviews also helps you spot patterns. For example, you might see a spike after an email appeal, social post, or peer-to-peer fundraiser launches.

How To Track Pageviews

You can track pageviews using Google Analytics. In Google Analytics, navigate to Reports > Engagement > Pages and screens.

From there, you can search for your donation page URL and view pageviews across different timeframes (daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly).

Here you can see the donation page has had 6,496 pageviews in the past week. You can toggle between different date frames as well to see weekly, monthly and yearly performance.

Pro Tip: To increase pageviews, link directly to your donation page in every campaign, email, social posts, text messages, and peer-to-peer pages. Don’t make supporters hunt for it.

With CauseVox donation pages, you can create a fully branded page with a clean, shareable URL and link it directly from your website navigation so it’s always easy to find. CauseVox also supports Google Analytics integration, giving you a clear picture of your donors’ behavior and your page performance.

2. Conversion Rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who land on your donation page and complete a donation.

This KPI tells you how well your page is doing its core job.

If your conversion rate is zero, investigate immediately as there may be a technical issue preventing donations.

If it’s low, your page may not be clear, compelling, or easy to use. Common culprits include too much text, unclear calls to action, or a donation form that feels clunky or untrustworthy.

How To Calculate Conversion Rate

You can calculate conversion rate manually by taking the number of donations ÷ number of page visitors.

You can even take it a step further by tracking conversion rate on a desktop vs a mobile device. Since a large portion of donors now give on their phones, it’s something worth tracking. In Google Analytics, you can do this by viewing your donation page and adding a comparison for Device category (mobile vs. desktop), then calculating conversions divided by pageviews for each. 

Track your conversions on both mobile and desktop with Google Analytics.

If mobile conversion is significantly lower, it’s often a sign of friction, like too many steps, hard-to-use forms, or missing mobile wallet options, and a strong signal that simplifying the mobile donation experience will lead to more completed gifts.

Pro Tip: To improve your conversion rate, focus on creating a simple, seamless donation experience with as little friction as possible. Avoid forcing donors to click through multiple pages, make sure your form is fast and mobile-friendly, and offer mobile wallet options like Apple Pay and Google Pay. The easier it is to give, the more likely donors are to complete their gift.

3. Number Of Donors

This KPI tracks how many individual people donated through your page.

While it’s closely tied to conversion rate, it’s worth tracking separately, especially when you break it down into new vs. returning donors.

Knowing whether your donation page is helping you acquire new supporters or retain existing ones gives you valuable insight into long-term growth.

For example:

• A high number of new donors = strong acquisition
• A high number of returning donors = strong trust and loyalty

Both matter, and your donation page should speak to both audiences.

4. Cost Per Donation

Cost per donation helps you understand how efficient your fundraising efforts are. It’s calculated by dividing your total campaign spend by the number of donations received.

This KPI is especially important if you’re using paid channels like social ads or promoted posts, but it’s useful even for low-cost campaigns.

How To Calculate Cost Per Donation:

• Calculate by channel–Facebook, Google, Instagram, etc by taking your ad spend divided by donations from that channel. For instance,  Facebook ads spend ÷ donations from Facebook would give you the cost per donation on Facebook.
• Calculate overall by taking your total spend ÷ total donations

Tip:
Email, peer-to-peer fundraising, and organic social sharing often produce the lowest cost per donation, especially when paired with a strong, easy-to-use donation page.

5. Average Donation Amount

Average donation amount shows the typical size of a gift on your donation page.

It’s calculated by taking total revenue ÷ number of donations.

The average donation KPI matters because you don’t always need more donors to raise more money. Even small increases in average gift size can significantly boost total revenue.

One of the easiest ways to influence this is through impact-driven donation tiers and good donor stewardship.

Descriptive giving tiers on a donation page help donors see the impact of their gift, encouraging them to be more generous.

Organizations using CauseVox donation pages regularly see higher average gifts when using donation tiers compared to generic payment buttons because suggested levels make the decision easier.

Pro Tip: Include a “stretch” donation amount, which is a higher option that anchors the page and nudges donors upward, even if they don’t select it.

6. Total Revenue

Total revenue is the KPI most organizations ultimately report on, and for good reason!

This number reflects how much your donation page raised overall.

Every KPI above feeds into this one. More pageviews mean more opportunities to give. Higher conversion rates mean more donors. Higher average gifts means more revenue per donor.

With CauseVox, you can track all donation revenue in one place,  including online and offline gifts, so you always have a clear picture of campaign performance.

Customize what campaign data you want to see on your CauseVox admin dashboard 

Sharing your total raised publicly can also boost results. Seeing progress builds trust, momentum, and social proof, all powerful motivators for donors.

Get More Insights Into Your Donation Page KPI With CauseVox

You can track all of these donation page KPIs (and more) using CauseVox donation pages and built-in reporting.

They’re easy to set up, fully branded, and designed to help nonprofits raise more—without adding more work to already-full plates.

Get started for free and see what a high-performing donation page can do for your next campaign.

Here, we’ll explore the benefits and practical ways to revisit your fundraising plan throughout the year. Together, we’ll unlock the potential of using your plan to thrive in changing circumstances.

Revisiting Your Fundraising Development Plan

It’s good to reevaluate and adjust your fundraising development plan at least once a year (mid-year), but it’s better to do it quarterly or even monthly. If you don’t have a fundraising development plan for this year yet, it’s never too late to start. To make it easy, download a copy of our fundraising plan template for guidance.

Download your Fundraising Plan & Calendar Template below:

If you already have a plan in place, it’s time to pull it back up and review the hard numbers. Take a look at your fundraising totals for the year so far, along with any changes in your organization’s budget that need to be accounted for. 

(Sample fundraising calendar)

Be sure to update your quarterly and monthly totals for the year, comparing them to your original goals. Are you on track to meet your goals? Perhaps you’re even ahead of the game? If so, excellent job! Take a moment to recognize and appreciate the efforts of your team, volunteers, and donors. It’s a good practice to celebrate reaching milestones so everyone involved in the process feels valued and motivated to continue.

However, if you find that you’re behind on your goals, don’t worry too much. There is still plenty of time left in the year -including important events like Giving Tuesday and end-of-year campaigns– to reset and get back on track. Let’s discuss how you can adjust your goals to regain momentum and set the tone for the remainder of the year.

(Sample SMART fundraising goals)

Reflect on Your Focus Areas

Begin by asking yourself some key questions related to your goals and focus areas. As you reflect on these questions, feel free to update the answers accordingly in your fundraising plan.

1. How have things been coming along? Evaluate your progress and determine whether you are on track to meet your targets. 
2. Have you encountered new obstacles? Consider any unexpected challenges that have affected your fundraising efforts. This can include external factors out of your control such as changes in policy, economic downturns, or shifts in donor priorities.
3. What about internal factors? Identify any organizational barriers, resource limitations, or operational inefficiencies that may be hindering your fundraising potential.
4. Do you have any focus areas or targets that have changed? We get it, priorities shift, especially as your organization evolves. Assess whether there are new focus areas that should be incorporated into your fundraising development plan or if existing targets need to be modified.

By carefully analyzing your progress, identifying challenges, and considering external and internal factors, you can make informed adjustments to your fundraising development plan. Below we’ll discuss how to take this updated information to set new goals that align with your current circumstances.

Get Back On Track (Or Stay on Track!)

Now that you’ve revisited your original plan, you’ll come to one of two conclusions. You’re either on track to meet your goals…or you’re not. If you’ve recognized that you’re not quite on track (or if you’re out of ideas for what to do next) you might be spiraling into a bit of a panic and wondering what you can do to bring in the needed funds for your organization. 

However, it’s always a good rule to try to avoid taking actions out of panic, and instead be methodical. We’ve got plenty of ideas and steps you can take to get back on track or maintain your progress.  

Identify Where You Can Improve

Begin by identifying the areas that may be hindering your fundraising success. Here’s how:

• Analyze fundraising channels: Examine how each of your fundraising channels is performing. I’m referring to individual donations, corporate partnerships, events, grants, and online campaigns. Identify your strongest channels and consider reallocating resources to those that are most effective.

• Measure donor engagement: Review donor retention rates, average donation amounts, and overall satisfaction of your donor base. Identify any trends or areas where donor engagement may be lacking. Use this information to tailor your strategies and strengthen your relationships with donors.

• Seek donor feedback: Conduct surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one conversations with donors to gain insights into their interests, preferences, and concerns. Listening to your donors will not only provide valuable feedback but it’ll show your donors that you care.

Set New Goals

• Set revised goals: Based on your assessment, establish SMART fundraising goals for the remainder of the year. Ensure these goals align with your nonprofit’s mission and financial needs.  By breaking down large goals into smaller milestones, you’re more likely to stay focused and motivated. Make sure to set dates alongside your goals in your fundraising calendar.

• Explore new fundraising opportunities: Open new doors by identifying untapped revenue streams, innovative approaches, or collaborative partnerships that can diversify your fundraising efforts. Explore emerging trends, digital platforms, or community engagement initiatives that align with your mission. 

• Optimize existing strategies: Fine-tune your existing fundraising strategies by incorporating lessons learned from your evaluation. Optimize communication channels, refine messaging, and leverage technology for increased efficiency. Embrace data-driven decision-making and continuously monitor performance.

We know this can be overwhelming, and that’s why CauseVox is here to help you get on track and stay there. Book a demo to find out how CauseVox can help you reach your fundraising goals today.

Next, we’ll discuss some more specific ideas of fundraising strategies you can implement now to get back on track. 

Plan A New Mid-Year Campaign

After evaluating your fundraising development plan, identifying areas for improvement, and setting new goals, a great next step is to plan a new mid-year campaign. This campaign will help you regain momentum so that you can continue making a difference in the lives of those you serve. Let’s explore how you can plan and execute a successful mid-year campaign.

Craft a Compelling Narrative

One of the most crucial elements of a successful campaign is a compelling narrative. Develop a story that highlights your nonprofit’s impact and the importance of ongoing support from donors. Emphasize the need for mid-year adjustments and frame them as opportunities for growth. Your narrative should inspire donors by showcasing the impact of their gifts.

Engage With Stakeholders

Transparency is key to rallying support for your mid-year campaign. Engage with board members, staff, volunteers, and donors to explain the reasons behind revisiting your fundraising plan and the potential benefits it brings. Create an open dialogue, address concerns, and emphasize the collective effort required to achieve your newly set goals. 

Personalize Donor Communication

No one wants an impersonal generic email. Instead, focus on tailoring your message to connect with different donor segments. Acknowledge the unique impact of each donor’s contributions and show them how their support directly transforms the lives of those you serve. Use personalized emails, handwritten notes, or phone calls to express gratitude and keep donors actively engaged. 

Use Our Platform to Help You Reach Your Goals

To crush the goals outlined in your fundraising development plan, the right tools are a must. With a powerful platform like CauseVox, we’ll help you raise more and make your job easier. Here’s how:

Optimize Your Donation Page

As something that can make or break your fundraising, your donation page serves as a crucial touchpoint for potential donors. With CauseVox, you can customize your donation page to align with your organization’s brand.

Optimize your page for mobile, include donation tiers, and offer multiple payment options that make it easy for visitors to donate from anywhere, at any time.

Recurring Donations And Pledges

In addition, CauseVox enables you to offer recurring donations, allowing donors to make ongoing contributions. Encourage donors to consider becoming monthly supporters by emphasizing the long-term impact of their recurring gifts. 

Along with recurring donations, our platform also takes pledges, allowing donors to spread out their gifts into manageable chunks over time. Think about it: when you ask someone for $1000, they’re unlikely to say yes right away. But if you ask someone for $1000 over the course of a year, it actually comes out to $83 a month. That sounds much more reasonable and impactful.

Pledges are not only a great way to get larger gifts over time, they’re also incredibly convenient. Through CauseVox, pledge installments are automatically charged to the bank card on file according to the set payment schedule. That means you don’t have to worry about chasing your donors down.

Plan a Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Campaign

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerful strategy that empowers your supporters to become advocates for your cause. CauseVox simplifies the process by providing customizable campaign pages for individual and team fundraisers. 

Encourage your supporters to create their own pages and share them with their networks. Set goals, track progress, and foster friendly competition among fundraisers. With our social sharing feature, it’s easy to spread the word and drive donations.

Host An Event

Events provide great opportunities to engage with your community but we know all too well that they can be a monster to manage. From taking donations on one platform and purchasing tickets through another, it can get downright confusing. 

Whether you’re running a virtual, hybrid, or in-person event, CauseVox offers event management features that simplify the process. You can create event-specific pages, sell tickets, and take donations – all in one place. 

If you’re not a fan of events, don’t sweat it. Take your fundraising to new heights and ignite a bidding frenzy with CauseVox Silent Auctions. Our cutting-edge features let you easily showcase auction items and get real-time updates on the number of bids, watchers, and current bid amounts. 

More Learning Resources to Help You Reach Your Goals

Alongside harnessing the power of CauseVox, we have tons of free resources to help you drive donations and inch closer to your goals. For starters, check out our major gifts workshop to learn best practices for cultivating and nurturing relationships with high-impact donors. Additionally, we encourage developing a comprehensive social media plan to engage your audience. And don’t forget to browse our list of fundraising ideas to spark your creativity. 

Implementing Your Plan 

You’ve done it! You’ve taken time to update your goals and plans, and are aware of plenty of ideas you can run with. So now what? It’s time to communicate your freshly updated fundraising development plan to your team and break it down into smaller goals. 

You’re not in this alone. Consistent communication with your team is vital. Involve them in the planning process, keeping them informed about any changes and fostering a sense of ownership and shared goals.

We recommend utilizing the fundraising calendar that is built into our fundraising plan template to assist with setting deadlines. To guide your efforts and break your goals down into manageable pieces, consider implementing a project management approach, which can provide structure, enhance accountability, and improve coordination.

Continue To Revisit Your Fundraising Development Plan

It’s important to remember that your fundraising development plan is not meant to be stashed away and forgotten. It’s a central reference point for all of your fundraising activities; make sure to let it guide you as you move forward and to come back and update it as needed. Set a date on your calendar at the beginning of each quarter to review and refresh your fundraising plan. 

Ready, (Re)set, Go!

Your fundraising development plan is never set in stone – embrace the flexibility to adapt it as needed, and continue to monitor your progress regularly. With dedication and strategic adjustments, you can reposition yourself for success.

From donation page, event, pledge, and peer-to-peer fundraising software, CauseVox is here to help you get on track and stay there. Book a demo or get started with using CauseVox to reach your fundraising goals today.

After seeing thousands of organizations raise millions of dollars with peer to peer fundraising campaigns, we have put together this quick guide to show you how you can engage with your community to run a winning peer to peer fundraising campaign in 2025.

Quick Overview

What is Peer to Peer Fundraising? 

Peer to peer fundraising is a type of fundraising campaign that involves activating your donors to fundraise on your behalf. Your supporters create personal and team fundraising pages and then connect with their social networks to collect donations from friends and family. 

Benefits

Peer to peer fundraising allows organizations to raise more funds and awareness with less effort. On average, peer to peer fundraising raises twice as much as other digital fundraising methods. Running a peer to peer campaign will connect you with new contacts who are receptive to your mission because they know and trust someone who supports your organization.

SOS Children’s Villages used CauseVox to raise over $55,000 with their first peer to peer fundraising campaign. 419 new donors engaged with the campaign, accounting for 75% of their new donors!

Types of Peer to Peer Fundraising 

Peer to peer fundraising campaigns generally fall into two categories:

1. Launched by your organization: These campaigns can be event-based or centered on specific giving days and projects, such as #GivingTuesday.

2. Launched by your supporters: Organizations create a general, ongoing campaign site and invite their supporters to create giving pages for a variety of reasons (birthdays, challenges, memorials and tributes, etc.). 

To learn more about the basics of peer to peer fundraising, check out our Peer to Peer Fundraising Primer.

Platform

Now that you understand the basics of peer to peer fundraising, it’s time to decide on the right peer to peer fundraising platform for your campaign. You have many options for this, but CauseVox makes it easy by allowing your supporters to create visually appealing, easy-to-use and mobile-optimized giving pages. Learn more about how CauseVox can help you run a winning peer to peer fundraiser. 

Whichever platform you choose, make sure that it provides an optimal experience for donors. Here’s a brief checklist of features to look for:

• Personal and team fundraising pages that are simple and easy to set up.
• Easy donation form with mobile payments.
• Flexible metric counting for donations, activity, and impact.
• Ability to set default content, design pages, and clone campaigns.

One best practice when designing your giving page is to showcase the impact of each donation amount. This will keep focus on your mission and will show donors the tangible contribution they are making to help you achieve your mission. You can use CauseVox to embed this information directly into the donation form. 

Plan

Every fundraising campaign should have a solid plan behind it, but planning peer to peer fundraising campaigns is especially important. Here’s a checklist to make sure that you are set up for success.

1. Set a specific and realistic fundraising goal
2. Determine the measurable impact that this goal will have for your mission
3. Create a definite timeline for your campaign (Pro tip: Many organizations opt for a 6-8 week timeline.)
4. Consider how many fundraisers you would like to recruit
5. Figure out whether you would like to use teams. These would be groups of supporters who collaborate to reach their collective fundraising goals. Teams are a great option if your peer to peer campaign includes a competitive component, like a long distance running or biking competition. For more information about how you can use teams to maximize your peer to peer fundraising, check out our deep dive blog post on the subject!
6. Determine whether you will be offering any additional features in your peer to peer campaign, such as activities, prizes/giveaways, or corporate sponsorships

Looking for a fun way to add an incentive program to your peer to peer fundraiser? Consider using a tiered approach, by encouraging donors to meet certain fundraising benchmarks to qualify for incentives and prizes. 

Invest In Kids included a giveaway program in their recent peer to peer fundraising campaign with an accessible starting benchmark of only $175. Thanks to their innovative thinking, they were able to exceed their goal and raise over $300,000 for their mission!

Recruit and Coach

When thinking about who to recruit as your initial peer to peer fundraisers, it helps to create a list of highly engaged supporters. These might be board members, volunteers, program alumni, or anyone else who is likely to put time and effort into this campaign.

Consider starting your recruitment process with a “soft launch,” by reaching out to a few highly engaged supporters to start fundraising first. This will allow you to show a baseline level of commitment and success from your community when you launch the campaign publicly. 

The first two weeks after your public launch is likely when you will recruit the majority of your peer to peer fundraisers. Make sure you are using all social media and communication channels available to you to spread the word about your peer to peer fundraising effort.

Once you have your fundraisers recruited, set them up for success with a detailed fundraising toolkit. This should include templates for emails, texts, and social media posts as well as information about the campaign.

Not sure how to construct a fundraising toolkit that works for your organization? We’ve got you covered. Check out this free guide to learn how to create your own fundraising toolkit!

More Resources on Peer to Peer Fundraising

Peer to peer fundraising works because donors want to help you achieve your mission. Everyone wants to be a part of a winning team. So whenever possible, you should be showing them how close you are to achieving your fundraising goal. CauseVox’s peer to peer giving pages include progress bar options so your donors can see exactly how much they are helping with their contributions. 

If you are looking for another way to show your donors their impact graphically, CauseVox offers a free fundraising thermometer. This easy-to-use virtual tool embeds directly into landing pages, communications, and social media posts so that your donors visually see how their donations move the needle.

To learn more about how CauseVox can help you activate your peer to peer fundraising, schedule a demo today!

What Is A 50/50 Raffle?

A 50/50 raffle works just like any other raffle where participants purchase tickets for a chance to win a prize if their name is drawn. 

The difference is with a 50/50 raffle, you can skip the prize procurement process. Instead, the prize is half of the gross proceeds (aka the amount raised through ticket sales). For example, if you sold 1,000 tickets at $5 each ($5,000 jackpot), your organization retains half of the proceeds ($2,500) and the winner takes home the other half ($2,500). 

The more tickets someone buys, the higher their odds are of winning. Sounds straightforward right?

Benefits Of 50/50 Raffles

A 50/50 raffle is one of the simplest fundraising ideas with a reliable and proven ROI. Unlike a traditional raffle, there’s little to no upfront cost. With a 50/50 raffle, you don’t need to plan and purchase a physical prize. The prize is the pool itself. 

50/50 raffles are also extremely versatile. They can be held at any time during the year as a standalone event or in conjunction with a larger, planned event. 

Best of all, the cost to enter is extremely low. If you host a 50/50 raffle online, anyone anywhere can participate even if they only have a few dollars.

Who Should Hold A 50/50 Fundraising Raffle?

The thing about 50/50 raffles is that they’re a great option for any organization – nonprofits, churches, schools, fire departments, youth groups, etc. – large or small. For grassroots organizations with a shoestring budget or a one-person fundraising team, a 50/50 fundraising raffle may be particularly appealing due to the low-barrier to entry and the amount of time it takes to spin up. 

What Are Some Good Candidates For Raffle Prizes?

Anyone, and we literally mean anyone, can be a good candidate for a 50/50 raffle. Reach out to your board members, staff, donors, volunteers, and social media followers. For someone to participate, all you need is their ticket purchases, name, and a way to reach them if they’re selected!

Reasons To Take Your 50/50 Charity Raffle Online

With virtual events growing in popularity, a 50/50 raffle can be contactless and run entirely online, which means that you don’t have to print and manage physical raffle tickets. Rain or shine, virtual charity raffles also means you can reach more people no matter where they are geographically. 

In addition, you can accept digital payment (digital wallet, PayPal, etc.), which means you’re not limited to cash sales or having to handle loose change. When it comes time to draw a winner, a virtual format gives you the option of doing it in-person or via live stream. You can draw a winner the old-fashioned way by picking one out of a hat or use one of the many online tools out there such as WheelSpinner to randomly select a winner.

How To Price Raffle Tickets For A 50/50 Drawing

The goal of any 50/50 raffle is to sell as many tickets as possible, at a fixed rate. You might be wondering then, how much should each ticket be priced at?

Ticket prices typically start at $1 but can go up to $5 or $10 depending on your target participant and your overall fundraising goal. If you’re unsure of what to price your raffle tickets, think about how much someone would be willing to spend. Remember, the lower the price per ticket, the larger your prospective pool of buyers will be. On the other hand, the higher your ticket prices, the more you can expect to make but your pool might be smaller. There’s certainly a delicate balance; it may take some trial and error.

Be sure to account for the quantity of raffle tickets you think you’ll be able to sell along with any related expenses such as marketing, ads, and cost of software to host online. Oftentimes, nonprofits won’t know how much they’ll raise through a raffle until after the event. Even if you sold a ton of tickets, this is problematic since you won’t know if you’ll be able to reach your fundraising goal.

When in doubt, refer to this quick formula to help you out:

(Raffle ticket price * Quantity of tickets sold) / 2 – Expenses  = Gross organizational revenue

To boost your overall ticket sales, consider offering incentives for multiple ticket purchases. For example, if you’re charging $1 for one raffle ticket, offer 3 tickets for $2 or $5 for 4 tickets. You’re upselling your participant but they’re also getting more bang for their buck and increasing their chances of winning. It’s a win-win!

Using CauseVox Ticketing For 50/50 Raffles

A successful online raffle hinges on having the right tools. With CauseVox Ticketing, we’ll get your 50/50 raffle up and running in no time. 

Our integrated ticketing system is a mobile-optimized 3-step form that: 

• Allows you to set multiple ticketing tiers and quantities.
• Pulls supporters to a single campaign site to purchase tickets with a free-standing ticketing page.
• Lets you set your own promo codes for any discounts you want to offer for a certain amount of tickets purchased or for specific donors.
• Provides an easy way to embed your ticketing form on your website or landing page by simply copy-and-pasting the form embed code.
• Offers a variety of payment options such as credit card or Apple and Google Pay.
• Gives your donors a pleasant, mobile-optimized purchasing experience to help you maximize your ticket sales.

On the backend, our ticketing platform makes customizing forms, reporting, and data exportation simple. You’ll get automatic email notifications on ticket orders right when they’re purchased and you’ll be able to view ticket orders and who bought them at a glance.

Marketing Your 50/50 Raffle

Since you’re not having to handle physical tickets or procure a prize, you can allocate this time to marketing! To generate buzz around your 50/50 raffle, we recommend:

• Routinely updating your supporters on how much has been raised. The higher the total pool, the more the winner gets. Include a visual element like a fundraising thermometer to ramp up excitement and urgency. 
• Promoting your raffle on your website via a dedicated landing page.
• Blasting it out to your email list or in your e-newsletter. Segment and tailor your messaging as needed. 
• Scheduling out regular social media posts about your raffle. Encourage your supporters to share your posts on social media. In addition, utilize Facebook’s stories and Instagram reels to keep your raffle top of mind for your followers and at the top of their news feed. As you get closer to the date of the drawing, ramp up your post frequency to promote a sense of urgency. 
• Investing in paid Facebook or Instagram ads to get the word out to a whole new audience (if your budget allows). 
• Letting people know how funds raised will be used and how this will make a difference. If half of the prize pool is earmarked for a specific project or initiative, market it as such.
• Creating an online event page where people can purchase tickets. Be sure that this page reflects exactly how much is in the total pool.

On average, it takes 7 touches for a user to make a sale online. To make your 50/50 raffle as successful as possible, implement a multi-channel marketing approach. If you know your audience’s communication preferences, focus the bulk of your marketing efforts on those. 

Know The Rules – Legal Considerations For 50/50 Raffles

In the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), raffles are considered “legalized games of chance”, otherwise known as a form of lottery. As such, it’s important to understand the rules and regulations so that you’re protected from any unintended consequences. You don’t want to jeopardize your nonprofit status or have the IRS knocking on your door. 

To start, if the raffle prize amount exceeds $600 or at least 300 times the amount of the raffle ticket price, you’re obligated to report to the IRS. If the winnings exceed $5,000, you are required to withhold 24% (as of the 2022 tax year) of the winnings or pay a withholding tax. Since 50/50 raffles pay out in cash, this amount can be withheld directly from the winnings. Using Form W-2G, nonprofits must report winnings, any federal income tax withheld on those winnings, along with the raffle winner’s name and contact information (Note: Please check with a gaming lawyer, a CPA, or the IRS for any additional paperwork required).

Moreover, state and local laws may apply. To ensure compliance, we highly recommend checking with your local and state gambling laws to make sure raffles are permitted. Certain states have banned raffles outright while others require applying for a permit beforehand. Online raffle tickets sales may also be prohibited in a number of states due to concerns for out-of-state ticket sales. 

Alternatives & Additions To 50/50 Raffles

If you want to put a twist on your 50/50 raffle consider having more than one winner. For instance, if the total pot was $10,000, a grand prize winner could win $2,500, a second place winner could get $1,500, and a third winner would pick up the remaining $500. By using a multi-winner model, you can incentivize donors to give more since they have more opportunities to win. Alternatively, while a 50/50 split is the most common configuration, you can also try out different ratios like a 60/40 or 80/20 split. It really depends on what you think will work best for your purposes.

CauseVox Ticketing isn’t limited to 50/50 raffles. Our software can be applied to other types of raffles or a silent auction. When these types of activities are tied into a larger event, we recommend recruiting sponsors.

Ready To Take A Gamble On 50/50 Raffles?

Learn more about how CauseVox Ticketing can help your fundraising event soar, or drop your email address below to get top fundraising tips in your inbox weekly! 

You’ve probably noticed that the number of emails you receive from nonprofits tend to ramp up around November. So how can you ensure that the eyes of potential donors are on your organization’s message? Start with a great subject line.

As a window into the message your recipient is about to receive, the subject line is an extremely important element of an email. In fact, 47 percent of email recipients open an email based solely on its subject line. Alternatively, 69 percent of email recipients flag an email as spam based on the subject line. So, what does this mean? Subject lines can make or break your email campaign. 

With the average person receiving more than 120 emails per day, it’s easy for your message to get buried in a cluttered inbox. To make sure your email gets read rather than ignored, marked as spam, or tossed in the trash, compelling fundraiser email subject lines are an absolute must. 

Download the free Ultimate 2025 Year-End & GivingTuesday Fundraising Toolkit:

Fundraising Email Subject Line Best Practices

Dialing in on an effective subject line that prompts your donors to want to read more takes work. An effective subject line needs to be creative, informative and intriguing, without coming on too strong. We’ve rounded up some general guidelines to keep top of mind as you spin up different subject lines:

1. Make It Short

Keeping your email subject lines short and limiting the total number of characters ensures that your subject line displays properly across all devices. With the majority of people viewing their emails on mobile devices, this decreases the odds of having the subject line truncated. 

If you’re wondering what the ideal length of a subject line is, the answer varies depending on who you ask. While MailChimp recommends no more than 60 characters (or 9 words), Hubspot recommends less than 50 characters, and Constant Contact dials it down to 40 characters (4-7 words). There’s no exact formula and what works for you will likely fall somewhere in between. 

2. Add Personalization

We can’t emphasize recognizing our donors enough! One of the easiest ways to do this and make them feel valued is by personalizing the communication you send them. For example, our brains are hardwired to involuntarily respond to seeing or hearing our own names. When you personalize your subject lines with your donor’s first name, it instantly makes your email so much more personal and boosts the chances of it being opened by 22%! 

Additionally, if you have access to other information about your donor (such as location, interests, etc.), you can incorporate this into your subject line to really get their attention. 

3. Limit Punctuation

While question marks and exclamations can convey friendliness and excitement, excessive punctuation can trigger spam filters. To ensure that your email reaches your recipient’s inbox, avoid using more than 3 punctuation marks in your subject line. 

4. Mind Your Capitalization

Another way to get caught in your recipient’s spam filter is by overusing capitalization. Rather than capitalizing the first letter of every word, try capitalizing less than half of all words, relative to the length of the subject line. 

Also, you definitely want to avoid using all caps altogether. You may think you sound excited but it comes off like you’re screaming at someone. 

5. Begin With Action-Oriented Verbs

Using action verbs at the beginning of your fundraiser email subject lines sets the expectation upfront for the recipient of what to expect from the body of your email and lets them know what action you want them to take. Some examples of powerful action verbs include:

• Help
• Save
• Change
• Beat
• Donate

6. Avoid Jargon And Cliches

If your email subject line includes industry-specific jargon and cliches (“Help us move the needle”, “Close the feedback loop today”, etc.), it won’t translate very well to your reader. Since it sounds a bit disingenuous, it’s best to remove or replace them with more accessible language.

7. Be Judicious About Emojis

Using emojis in email subject lines is a hotly debated topic. While some people argue that your donor’s eye may be drawn to a subject line with an emoji, others contest that there’s little to indicate that emojis actually increase open rates. 

Still, emojis convey a sense of friendliness – and you never know – they may resonate with your audience or appropriately emphasize a word (i.e. “Help us reach our fundraising target ”). To pull relevant emojis into your subject line, copy and paste from sites such as Get Emoji. It’s up to you to find the right balance of when and how to include emojis in your subject lines – overusing them can make your email look like spam so definitely do so in moderation. 

8. Don’t Guess – Test Your Fundraiser Email Subject Lines

Testing your fundraiser email subject lines can help you learn what gets the best response from your audience. It’ll help you increase your open and click-through rates, which in turn will increase your bottom line. 

Luckily, there’s a whole suite of online tools available to help you check the effectiveness of your email subject lines. All you have to do is paste in your subject lines to get an instant analysis! While there’s always premium and paid options available, we’ve gathered a handful of free tools to get your started:

• Email Subject Line Grade by Net Atlantic evaluates the overall clickability of your subject line based on copy, character count, word count, and word mixture and balance by providing a numerical score out of 100. This tool also offers suggestions on how to improve. 
• SubjectLine.com is similar by testing the overall effectiveness of your copy. You’ll get an overall score for your subject line along with what you did well and where you fell short (i.e. “No capitalization detected = -12 pts”, “Short subject lines stand out  = +5 pts”).
• Email Subject Line Tester by mailmeteor tests email subject lines and provides a score based on length, frequency of punctuation, presence of emojis, and spam words to make sure your email will be well-received. To knock your subject line out of the park, Mailmeteor will also provide a list of alternative subject lines based on the one you entered.
• Refine: The Free Subject Line Tester from Moosend tests your subject lines based on your selected industry and number of subscribers. This tool predicts whether your open rate is above or below your industry’s average and it provides recommendations to improve. For example, “How many lives can you save with $25?” puts your open rate at 0.28% above the charity industry’s average given 10,000 subscribers. To improve this, Moosend suggests things such as making the message more relevant through personalization (i.e. “John, how many lives can you save with $25?”) or adding a splash of color with an emoji (i.e. “ How many lives can you save with $25?”).
• TestSubject from Zurb checks to see how your sender’s name, email subject line, and preheader text looks on popular mobile devices.

9. Avoid Spam Words

To improve deliverability, avoid using promotional words (i.e. “limited time”, “free”, etc.) and phrases (i.e. “will not believe your eyes”, “For just $XXX”, etc.) as it’s a surefire way to get your email routed to spam. For a comprehensive list of spam words, we recommend bookmarking and referring to resources like Hubspot’s ultimate list of 394 email spam trigger words when you’re crafting your next subject line. Alternatively, you can validate your email subject lines for spam before you hit send by using the following free online tools:

• Spam Check by Postmark is a lightweight JSON API that processes the quality of your emails by issuing a spam score. 
• Spam Word Checker by mailmeteor allows you to copy and paste an email message or subject line to highlight and remove spam words. This tool provides an overall score by checking against a list of 750+ words that pressure recipients, are ethically or legally questionable, exaggerate, are related to money, and don’t feel natural.

10. The Sender Matters

An email subject line is accompanied by a sender’s email address. No one likes talking to a robot and emails from unfamiliar addresses can throw a red flag, so ditch the generic organization email (i.e. info@ABC.org, no-reply@ABC.org) in lieu of a specific person. If your email comes from someone your donor knows and trusts, they’re much more likely to open it.

Fundraiser Email Subject Lines to Get You Started

Not looking to reinvent the wheel? Consider this list of year-end subject line concepts when constructing your December email campaign.

Pose A Question

Give your reader something to think about before they open the message by posing a question in the subject line. Questions lead to answers. When you lead with a question, your recipient is provoked to open the message to learn more.

Make your question relevant and thought-provoking to ensure your reader is intrigued. The following subject lines will force your potential donors to consider the answer to your question, thus increasing your open rates.

• Can you help me out?
• “First name,” I have a question.
• Will you help “beneficiary’s name”?
• “First name,” can I have a moment?
• When was the last time you made someone smile?
• Don’t think you have enough to make a difference?
• How many lives can you save with $50?
• How will you change the world today?
• Have you ever wondered when X?

Emphasize Charity

Giving is the reason for the season, which makes the end of the year the most popular time for charitable donations. When sending out your last appeal of the year, consider using a subject line that reminds readers of the giving season to give them an incentive to open your message.

Make the most of the holiday spirit by emphasizing the good your organization is doing. Use your subject line to remind potential donors that their gift can make a difference, especially during the holidays.

• Did you forget someone on your holiday list?
• Last-minute gift ideas
• The best gift
• ____ reasons to give
• Make 2025 the best year yet for ____
• We have a gift for you
• Make a gift, change a life
• Think outside the box this holiday
• Be a hero like “donor name”
• Be a hero for ______
• Help “organization name” deliver hope this season
• Don’t wish you had done more this year
• One click can change lives
• Join us in the _____ challenge
• What we need next year
• ________’s story is so inspiring
• Give the gift that keeps on giving

Create A Sense Of Urgency

Making your message seem urgent is a proven method to compel readers to act. In fact, subject lines with a sense of urgency have a 22% higher open rate. No one likes missing out so when potential donors feel that a deadline is looming, they’re more likely to make a quick decision to give. 

Incorporate words that imply urgency such as “now”, “alert”, “breaking”, and “important”. If you’re counting down to a deadline, use words like “days” or “hours”. 

• Don’t let this year pass you by
• Campaign update: still ______ from our goal
• Every gift doubled – make twice the impact
• We’re so close!
• We’re counting down! X days left to help.
• Time is running out
• Hours left to give in 2025
• It’s never too late to make a difference
• It’s not too late to help
• Join us today
• We’re almost out of time
• Help us reach our goal before midnight
• End 2025 on a positive note
• Time is almost up to make your tax-deductible gift
• Re: Your tax-deductible gift
• The last day to give
• Double your impact – one day left
• Urgent: tax deadline approaching
• 1 day left; 5 reasons to give
• Make an impact with your IRA
• Less than 5 hours left to double your gift

It’s important to remember that you don’t want to overuse this method. Continuously pushing back deadlines or issuing daily urgent call-to-actions can get stale fast. 

Make It Intriguing

Intriguing subject lines work to arouse your reader’s curiosity and pique their interest. Since the ultimate goal of a subject line is to convince your potential donor to open the email, the mystery surrounding your intriguing intro should give your recipients a reason to read on.

The sense of mystery surrounding the following subject lines will provide enough intrigue to convince potential donors to open your message.

• Important news
• Let’s do it!
• Re: Your gift to “organization name”
• “First name” – review your donation
• I have a job for you
• Your donation status
• As you requested
• “First name,” I have great news
• Don’t open this email
• You won’t believe this
• Following up
• FW: thought you’d want to see this
• “First name,” this it it
• Are you ready?
• Here’s what you missed…

Inject Humor

Laughter is the best medicine and injecting humor into your fundraiser email subject lines is a great way to stand out in a crowded inbox. By making your recipient laugh or smile, you’re establishing a positive climate and increasing the chances they’ll engage with your content.  

As another option, you can always use puns. If you appreciate a good pun, other people will too. Not only is it clever and catchy, but you have the chance to get creative and make it relevant by aligning your email subject lines to your nonprofit’s cause. For example, if your organization focuses on hunger and food insecurity, you may consider “Help take a bite out of hunger”.

If you’re unsure of how your humor (or puns) will vibe with your donors, get a second opinion from your staff. 

Say Thank You

Use your end-of year email to say thank you to donors or wish them a happy new year. Thank you messages not only demonstrate gratitude to current donors, but also remind potential donors that your nonprofit is always in need of further support.

The following subject lines give your organization a chance to demonstrate your gratitude and make your donors the star of your year-end campaign.

• Holiday greetings from “organization name”
• Help us celebrate the New Year
• It’s been a great year at “organization name”
• We wanted to say thank you
• Happy New Year!
• Thinking of you this holiday season
• We’re so thankful for you this year
• We couldn’t do it without you
• We’re thankful for YOU this season
• Cheers to you!
• Watch the incredible things we’ve done this year

A/B Test Your Fundraiser Email Subject Lines

We mentioned the value of testing your subject lines earlier and included some free tools to double check your work. But here’s another way to determine which subject lines your donors find the most engaging – with a real audience! 

You could try performing an A/B test, also known as a split test. A/B testing is the process of sending two versions of an email to two similar but separate audiences. There’s many elements worth testing but since the first thing your recipients see is the subject line, it needs to be the most impactful part of your email.

A/B Testing In Action

 If you’re wondering whether a dynamic subject line personalized with your donor’s name (“Bob, can I have a moment?”) will result in better open and click-through rates compared to a general subject line (“Can I have a moment?”), you can use A/B testing to try them both out. For the sake of this example, let’s say that the personalized subject line is the original version (the control) and the general subject line is the other version (the variation). You would send the control to a subset of your donors and the variation to another subset. Once you’ve determined the winning version, use that email subject line across your entire audience.

Remember, small tweaks can make a big difference. Here’s some subject line components to experiment with using A/B testing:

• Personalization (with your donor’s name)
• Asking a question vs making a statement
• Character count & length
• Sentence case and capitalization
• Adding emojis vs using plain text

Pro Tip: These days, email service providers (such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, and ActiveCampaign) offer built-in A/B testing although their features vary. 

Study Your Competitors

Another way to improve your fundraiser email subject lines is to check out the competition! Subscribe to orgs with a similar focus to your cause. If you come across email subject lines that draw you in, save them somewhere and make a note of why you liked them. What enticed you to open it? You can always draw on these later for inspiration when you’re crafting your own.

On the flip side, you’ll also want to take note of which of your competitor’s emails ended up in spam or ended up being trashed. See if you can spot commonalities within these emails as this will be what you’re going to want to avoid. 

The Bottom Line

You should know your potential donors better than anyone else. When constructing your year-end fundraiser email subject lines, put yourself in their shoes. Consider the language and appeal that you believe will spark action among your target audience and apply those concepts to your organization’s message. For more email marketing tips, check out our free guide below.

Download The Complete Email Marketing Guide For Nonprofits:

Grant writing is an essential component of nonprofit development. By hiring a dedicated grant writer to manage this project, you will set yourself up for success.

Just because you can’t find the time to research and apply for grants doesn’t mean you should just forget about this worthwhile way to supplement your budget. In fact, some nonprofit experts suggest that up to 20% of your budget be covered by grant money. Chances are, there’s a grant out there that matches with your nonprofit’s needs, you just need to find and apply for it.

Don’t let time keep you from accessing potential grant money. Consider outsourcing the grant writing process and hire a grant writer today!

There are a number of qualified grant writers out there that are bound to match your organization’s budget, desired qualifications, and timeline. Yes, the process to hire a grant writer may be time-consuming, but it’s well worth the effort! Once you find the right writer, it’s likely that you’ll collaborate on grant proposals for years to come.

Here’s a quick rundown for nonprofits and charities that want to hire a grant writer.

What Does a Grant Writer Do?

If you’re new to the nonprofit sector, or even if you aren’t, you may not be entirely familiar with the roles and responsibilities of a grant writer. For smaller nonprofits, grant writing may be one small part of someone’s larger role, such as the Development Assistant. If you’re reading this, then you’re likely considering hiring a dedicated grant writer for your nonprofit. So what will this person do?

A grant writer is responsible for researching, completing, and submitting grants in order to secure funding for a nonprofit. Grant applications vary widely in length, format, and specificity, but they generally ask writers to make a case for why a nonprofit deserves to receive awarded funds. Grant writers excel at writing compelling and persuasive applications.

Unless you already have a list of grants that you would like to apply for, your grant writer will likely research grant opportunities and get the ball rolling for each application. They will also conduct research on the needs in the community that your nonprofit serves as well as statistics that show how successful your organization is in meeting these needs.

The particular blend of research and persuasive writing required for a grant writer can make this role difficult to fill for a pre-existing member of your staff. Hiring a professional grant writer will remove this burden and place it on someone with the skills to do the job.

Why Should I Hire A Grant Writer?

We’ve already touched on how a grant writer can make life easier for your team by shifting the difficult work to a dedicated person. But besides being a good source of revenue, why are grants such a big deal for nonprofits?

Here a couple reasons why focusing on grants will help your organization:

1. Grants Grow Your Organization

Growing organizations have a range of funding needs. Generating support from different sources can both increase your organization’s revenue and provide separate pools of funding to support various efforts within the organization.

2. Grants Diversify Your Income Stream

If an organization relies too heavily on one source of funding, and that source of support disappears due to the economy, competition, etc., the nonprofit can end up in dire financial straits. Just like balancing your 401k, having different types of income streams, including grants, can help you minimize risk.

3. Grants Relieve Pressure

While some grants are quite small, most awards are significantly larger than individual donations. In fact, it’s not uncommon for grants to be tens of thousands of dollars. Also, grantors often award gifts over years (e.g., $60,000 over three years, which results in $20,000 going to the nonprofit per year), which helps make more significant program-level investments over an extended period.

What to Prepare Before You Hire a Grant Writer

To hire a grant writer, first determine whether that person will both research and apply for grants, or apply to grants already determined by your nonprofit.

If you’ve chosen the grant(s) ahead of time, then you’ll need to get your paperwork in order before you hire a grant writer. Your grant writer will need the following information to get started:

• Strategic plan
• Financials (Form 990, budgets, etc.)
• Job descriptions for positions you’re looking to fund with grant money
• Any other planning documents pertinent to the grant
• Other grants written for the organization in the past (include whether or not you received funding)
• Contact information for a point person at your organization

In some cases, the grant writer will do the research for you. If this is your plan, then outline:

• What you plan to use the grant money for
• Whether you’re interested in foundation or government grants

For example, you may need funds to cover program expenses from a government grant, or research costs from a foundation grant.

The more preparations you make in advance, the easier it will be for you to hire a grant writer when the time comes. So in addition to asking yourself whether your grant writer will work on predetermined grants or find new ones, you should also think about some of the logistics of hiring. For example, how much can you afford to spend on pay scale or salary, job posting, etc. Budget considerations can be especially important for small nonprofits with limited resources to devote to hiring a grant writer.

After you have your budget considerations determined, it may help to come up with a timeline for your grant project. This will include crucial dates, deadlines, and your meeting schedule. Make sure that your grant timeline coincides with your fundraising calendar so that you do not overbook yourself with multiple fundraising initiatives happening at once. This could leave your organization stretched too thin. Having your grant timeline in place will also help your grant writer once they are hired. With a clear timeline, they will have a firm grasp of what you are expecting of them.

TIP: Your writer will have a better understanding of your vision if you complete a SWOT Analysis. This method takes an honest look at your organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats and helps you clarify the end goal.

PRO TIP: “Assess your needs before hiring a full or part time position. There are a number of freelance writers, who may be able to fulfill your grant writing needs. Freelance writers on contract, might be more fiscally responsible than bringing on additional staff.” –Adam L. Clevenger, CFRE, Loring, Sternberg & Associates

How to Find a Grant Writer

Hiring is a stressful process for every company. You may be wondering whether you’ll find qualified candidates, if they will be enthusiastic about joining your team, and a host of other considerations. These worries can be even more difficult when it comes time to hire a grant writer, as this person will be integral to your fundraising success.

Once you have your preparations finished, it’s time to think about the ideal candidate for this position. This involves asking yourself a series of questions. These questions may end up being a part of your interviews, but even if they aren’t, they are essential for you to know.

Here are a couple questions that you want to ask:

• How much and what kind of experience would your ideal candidate have?
• Do you want someone who comes with a proven success rate?
• Do you have a specific process in mind that you would like your future grant writer to follow or are you happy for them to work independently?

By asking these and other questions, you can hone in on exactly what you are looking for, which will make your search much easier.

What to Include in Your Job Ad 

The next step to hire a grant writer is to craft and post the job advertisement. Start by looking at some of the job opportunities for grant writers posted on online job boards. Use a handful of great job postings to customize an advertisement for your specific job based on the needs of your nonprofit or charity.

A good ad will include:

• Description of your organization
• Summary of the position
• Job duties and responsibilities
• Desired qualifications
• Additional requirements

An example of a job posting for a grant writer

These are some of the most popular sites to post your job opportunity:

• American Grant Writer’s Association job board
• Indeed
• LinkedIn
• Association of Fundraising Professionals job board
• Associated Grant Makers

TIP: Ask peers in your nonprofit field or community where they found their grant writers. They may be willing to suggest local sources or writers that produced results.

PRO TIP: “Network through your local Association of Fundraising Professionals chapter. You’ll be able to meet and get to know your local fundraising consultants and freelance grant writers.” –Sarah Cortell Vandersypen, CFRE, Philanthropic Partners

Where to Find Potential Grant Writers

After you post your ad, you may still struggle to hire a grant writer. So here are a couple additional options that you can pursue to broaden your search.

You can be proactive by looking for qualified candidates on freelance hiring sites like Upwork and Fiverr. Businesses around the globe rely on these these services. They can be invaluable to help find and hire skilled workers to assist with specific projects. We recommend this option if you have a tight deadline. It is also helpful for small nonprofits who don’t have the resources to bring someone on full-time.

Freelance grant writers may not have a strong connection to your nonprofit. This connection may be important to you. If so, you can try networking with your community to find a volunteer grant writer to help out. This method may require a bit more training. That is, unless you get lucky and have a grant writer who is already a donor or community member. But at least you will know that your new grant writer cares deeply for the mission of your nonprofit.

What To Look For In A Professional Grant Writer 

Every nonprofit or charity requires a grant writer with different experience and traits. Therefore, an ideal applicant will vary from one nonprofit to the next. It helps to be specific about what experience, tone, area of expertise, pay rate, etc. you want.

Setting particulars aside, every grant writer should have the following six qualifications:

1. Writing Skills

This one should go without saying, but you’re not just looking for any writer to join your team. A grant writer needs to have strong research writing skills and preferably a clear and simple writing style.

2. A Proven Track Record

Don’t take a chance on a grant writer who won’t be able to deliver the results you need them to.

3. Detail-Oriented

Grant applications often include dozens of questions and specific details to include.

4. Data-Driven

Your grant writer should cite data to help build a case why your nonprofit should be awarded a grant.

5. Research Skills

Your grant writer may be called upon to research new grant opportunities for your organization.

6. People Skills

People skills will help your grant writer meet and charm potential donors. They will be more fun to work with if they are personable!

Fine tune your search by adding additional considerations, including:

• Experience in your field (human services, animal welfare…)
• Pay rate
• Shared work ethic and style (ie. organizational tools they use, able to communicate during certain hours of the workday, etc.)

After reviewing applications, including grant examples, narrow your list down to 3 candidates that meet your requirements. Then, schedule phone interviews with the remaining candidates. Once you’ve found a writer that you believe will work well with your team, contact their references to confirm their experience was a positive one.

TIP: If your nonprofit or charity is on a tight budget, you may have to sacrifice experience or industry-specific knowledge. Weigh your options carefully before choosing a candidate. You may find that you are willing to accept a candidate with only 2-years of writing experience, as long as they understand your vision and have a favorable work ethic.

PRO TIP: “When interviewing potential grant writers, be sure to investigate what type of grants they’ve written before. If you’re looking to apply to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), you’ll ideally want a grant writer who has secured NEA grants before.” –Sarah Cortell Vandersypen, CFRE, Philanthropic Partners

What Does it Cost to Hire a Grant Writer? 

If your grant writer will be a contracted employee, you’ll need to put together a contract with the agreed-upon terms. Here’s a great example courtesy of Grant Writers.org.

Within the contract, payment should be addressed. In most cases, grant writers are paid one of three ways:

• Hourly
• A flat fee (normally per grant submitted)
• By retainer based on a predetermined amount of time

Rates will vary depending on experience and scope. Grant writers earn anywhere between $25 to $250 per hour. Flat fees and retainers can range anywhere from $500 for a 3-4 page grant, to $15,000+ for a larger (60+ page) grant. Expect novice grant writers to charge less than writers with five or more years of experience. They may require more time for research and writing however.

Don’t forget to factor in the amount that you will spend on posting your ads and/or reaching out to recruiters to find your grant writer. Depending on the breadth of your search, this can be pricey and you don’t want to forget about the additional costs of the project.

TIP: If you’ve chosen your grant ahead of time, research or request copies of successful submissions from the funder. This will give you a good idea of the size and scope of the proposal, and allow you to budget for your writer appropriately.

Preparing Your Grant Writer And Handling Edits

Chances are, both you and your writer will come into this contract with a preferred method for handling document sharing and edits.

So, give your writer an idea of your nonprofit or charity’s SOPs (standard operating procedures) so that he/she can learn and adapt to your system. Here are a few considerations:

1. Sharing Organizational Information: Consider setting up a shared drive so that your writer has access to the information necessary to complete the grant.
2. Sharing the Document: You may prefer to send the original document and revisions over Google Docs, DropBox, or an online share/collaboration tool such as Asana or Trello.
3. Timeline: Determine a timeline for the editing process so that the grant writer can know when to expect it back for revisions and when you need the final product.

TIP: Discuss the writing and editing process and procedures before you hire the grant writer to ensure that all parties can meet the deadlines.

Keep In Touch

You may find that your grant writer is one-in-a-million. If that’s the case, let them know you’ll be interested in using his/her services at a later date.

Keep record of your writer’s contact information, as well as any notes you’d like to have on file for a later date, such as details about the work they did for you and method of contact.

TIP: An extraordinary grant writer will be in high-demand, so don’t forget to give them a friendly heads up when you know you’ll need them to write another grant for you in the near future.Grants are a great source of income for nonprofits and charities, but they take time to research, write, and follow-up on. If you don’t have the time to handle grants yourself, hire a grant writer who can work seamlessly with you and your team. Don’t forget to have all the preparations in place so that your writer can get to work immediately and help your organization bring in additional funding!

What is a peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit?

At CauseVox, we’ve seen thousands of peer-to-peer campaigns thrive, and they all have something in common: a fundraising toolkit. These toolkits arm your participants with everything they need to know, offering resources and tips to help them reach their fundraising goals.

Don’t have time for one-on-one training sessions? No worries! A toolkit is a super-efficient way to prepare your supporters before they start fundraising. Plus, they can revisit it anytime during the campaign for a quick refresher.

In our guide, you’ll discover:

• Customizable Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Toolkit Template: Jumpstart your campaign with templates that you can tailor to fit your organization’s unique style and needs. From creating engaging fundraising pages to easy-to-use communication templates, we provide you with essential tools that are ready to use.
• Step-by-Step Guide: Learn the ins and outs of what you need to include in your peer-to-peer toolkit so that your peer-to-peer fundraising participants are fully equipped with everything they need to fundraise on your behalf. 
• Expert Strategies and Tips: Gain insights from successful campaigns and learn how to maximize donations with proven peer-to-peer fundraising tactics. Whether you are prepping seasoned fundraisers or guiding newcomers, our guide is packed with practical advice to boost your campaign’s impact.
• Comprehensive Resources: Equip your fundraisers with everything they need—from compelling visuals to impactful messaging tools. Our toolkit template includes dedicated sections for your graphics, videos, hashtags, and more, ensuring your campaign’s message is cohesive and powerful.
• Continuous Support: Understand the importance of a well-prepared toolkit and how it can serve as an ongoing reference for your fundraisers throughout their campaign journey.

Why It Matters

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerful approach to expand your donor reach and increase overall fundraising efficiency. Our toolkit not only simplifies campaign creation but also enhances fundraiser readiness with plug-and-play options. It’s designed to reduce the intimidation factor for new fundraisers and provide a steady foundation of knowledge and resources for all participants.

Ready to Launch

Before diving into toolkit creation, ensure your campaign bases are covered with a clear fundraising goal, a defined timeline, a compelling appeal, consistent branding, and a plan for thanking your donors. Our guide includes these critical planning elements to set you up for success.

Download our guide now for inspiration and actionable tips to create a winning peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit. Equip your supporters, maximize donations, and see your cause thrive. All resources, including the customizable template and real-life examples, are conveniently located in one accessible folder. 

Start empowering your fundraisers today!