How to raise more with peer-to-peer fundraising on GoFundMe Pro

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a powerful strategy for nonprofits to expand their reach, build community, and raise crucial funding. When supporters fundraise on your behalf, they amplify your message to friends and family in a way that feels personal, trustworthy, and authentic.

To encourage participation, make the process easy and fun. The key is having the right peer-to-peer fundraising platform. 

Below, we’ll walk through the core peer-to-peer fundraising models, including why they matter and how GoFundMe Pro equips you and your supporters with the tools to raise more.

The ROI of peer-to-peer fundraising

Supporter behavior is evolving, with trust levels and peer influence playing a growing role in decision-making. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report, 48% of people trust recommendations from friends and family when making decisions compared to 33% for ads and 17% for the news. 

Additionally, supporters are more likely to give when asked by someone they know and respect. This makes them a powerful extension of your fundraising team, as they can invite new supporters into your cause. Our platform data supports this: 80% of people who donate to a nonprofit’s peer-to-peer campaign on GoFundMe Pro are new to the organization. 

Organization-led vs. supporter-led peer-to-peer fundraising

There are two primary ways to activate your community through peer-to-peer fundraising: campaigns led by your organization and campaigns initiated by your supporters.

Organization-led peer-to-peer campaigns start on your terms and mostly live on your properties. They’re ideal when you want more control over branding, messaging, and the overall supporter experience.

With GoFundMe Pro, you can easily create a peer-to-peer campaign that supports everything from team and individual fundraisers to ticketed events and DIY challenges—all while gaining deeper insights and leveraging our portfolio of customization options.

Supporter-led peer-to-peer efforts, on the other hand, happen when supporters initiate a fundraiser on your behalf, outside of your campaigns. Whether they’re moved by a personal connection to your cause or inspired by a moment in the news, these fundraisers often begin organically and expand your reach far beyond your existing audience. 

GoFundMe is uniquely positioned to support this type of supporter-led action, with nearly 200 million users and a culture of everyday giving.

A strong peer-to-peer strategy harnesses both. Organization-led campaigns give you structure and consistency. Supporter-led efforts bring scale and authenticity. So how do you make the most of each?

How to maximize organization-led peer-to-peer fundraising on GoFundMe Pro

GoFundMe Pro gives nonprofits full ownership over every aspect of their peer‑to‑peer fundraising. Customizable campaign pages and optimized templates help maintain brand control while making campaign-building easy. That combines with powerful built-in tools, like supporter coaching, easy social sharing, and live leaderboards, to empower your community. 

The result is a seamless peer‑to‑peer experience where every dollar, donor connection, and story contributes directly back to your cause.

6 peer-to-peer fundraising campaign ideas

Pair your GoFundMe Pro peer-to-peer campaigns with a theme or event to drive further engagement. Try these ideas to rally supporters around your mission:

1. Cause awareness and giving days: Leverage national events that relate to your cause or offer some fun to help amplify peer-to-peer fundraising, such as Breast Cancer Awareness Day or National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Similarly, make the most of global giving days like Giving Tuesday.
2. Fitness challenges: Host a walk, run, bike, or swim where supporters can join to help raise awareness and funds for your cause.
3. Tribute or memorial campaigns: Help supporters honor someone’s memory with a peer-to-peer campaign that reflects their values.
4. School, alumni, or corporate competitions: Encourage friendly competition among different groups to motivate supporters for a good cause.
5. Registration with fundraising events: Allow supporters to fundraise leading up to an event. Even if they can’t attend in person, they can contribute to your goals and get involved.
6. Do-it-yourself campaigns: Let supporters get creative with their fundraising ideas throughout the year.

Offering different options like these helps build fundraising momentum that feels personalized and accessible for supporters.

Where to start

When you’re ready to launch a GoFundMe Pro peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, follow these steps:

• Select “Campaigns” in your account menu 
• Select “Create New Campaign” 
• Select “Peer-to-Peer” 

Fill out your campaign details in the form that appears. If you aren’t sure what to enter, use a placeholder. You can always edit this information later. 

After you enter your campaign information, set up the basic design of your pages to reflect your brand and mission.

For additional information, check out our support article on how to create a peer-to-peer campaign.

Ways to raise more through supporter-led peer-to-peer fundraising on GoFundMe 

Nonprofits can also benefit from the supporter-led peer-to-peer tools available to GoFundMe’s over 200 million-member community, unlocking another powerful way to grow their fundraising efforts. 

Nearly 70,000 nonprofits have already received support on GoFundMe. Your SEO-optimized Nonprofit Page helps new supporters discover your cause through search and social sharing at a time when donor acquisition is more expensive and competitive than ever.

What makes GoFundMe different is how easy it is for supporters to get involved. People can start fundraising in one click, with AI tools that help them write their story and stay motivated. Features like birthday fundraisers and streaming tools give your community more ways to raise money on your behalf. 

Tools to help mobilize your supporters

GoFundMe is packed with features built to help you reach wider audiences and engage more supporters. Empower supporters to fundraise on your behalf with:

• One-click sharing: GoFundMe invites supporters to showcase their favorite causes and track their collective impact through unique links and Profiles. With a single click, supporters can share any fundraiser, generating a unique link that tracks their impact in real time. Their personal impact dashboard provides detailed insights, including the number of people they’ve inspired, total funds raised, and more. 
• Birthday fundraising templates: GoFundMe provides fundraiser templates for time-based events, like birthdays, or other special occasions, like weddings, graduations, or memorials. These templates offer prefilled text and themed options to get started, with only one or two clicks to create. They also suggest relevant nonprofits to fundraise for based on an individual supporter’s giving history.
• Streaming tools: GoFundMe’s live fundraising tools allow nonprofits and creators to seamlessly integrate fundraising into their livestreams on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. With the option to choose from custom donation overlays—like a live progress bar, donation alerts, and donation QR codes—fundraising becomes more interactive, engaging, and rewarding for supporters.
• AI fundraising coaching: GoFundMe helps supporters succeed with AI-driven goal recommendations that automatically adjust as their fundraisers gain traction.

Best practices for peer-to-peer fundraising success 

Peer-to-peer campaign success requires using the best technology available and adhering to industry best practices as an organization. It also means mobilizing your supporters with the tools and guidance they need to be successful. Here are a few things to keep in mind for earned and owned peer-to-peer fundraising efforts.

3 simple tips for organization-led peer-to-peer fundraising

1. Optimize your campaign page

Your GoFundMe Pro campaign page gets the most eyes, so leverage these elements to drive supporter engagement:

• Hero block: Your hero block is your opportunity to grab supporters’ attention. Greet new and existing supporters with a sense of community around your cause. Start with a bold, clear headline and a strong visual that captures your mission.
• Content blocks: Content blocks help tell your story. Bring in testimonials and powerful imagery to create an emotional connection with potential supporters that encourages them to give. You can also share key statistics to support the urgency of your ask.
• Impact blocks: Impact blocks help supporters visualize how their donations will fuel your mission. For example, “$50 provides five children with a book to read for the summer” can motivate a supporter to give that particular amount rather than stopping at $35. They can see the clear benefit of that gift size and feel connected to what it will do.
• Leaderboard: A leaderboard can foster friendly competition. Showcase your top teams or individuals to provide donors with a reason to periodically check in. This is a great way to recognize supporters and keep them motivated.

2. Streamline your donation page

Your donation page is where you’ll guide supporters through the checkout process to complete their donation. Keep it fast and focused:

• Default to one-time gifts to keep it simple.
• Limit recurring gift frequencies to monthly to reduce decision overload.
• Keep donor questions minimal to prevent form abandonment.
• Use strategic default amounts that align with supporters’ giving patterns.

3. Add momentum to your thank-you page

Don’t overlook the post-donation experience. Use the thank-you page to express appreciation and invite continued involvement. This is especially important as new supporters join your community through a peer’s fundraising page.

Some potential calls to action to include after a message of gratitude are:

• Subscribe to our newsletter.
• Start a personal fundraiser on GoFundMe.
• Share the campaign with their network via social media.
• Invite them to an event.
• Promote a volunteer sign-up opportunity.

3 tips for stronger supporter-led peer-to-peer outcomes

1. Inspire supporters to fundraise for you

One of the most powerful ways to grow your peer-to-peer impact is by showing supporters what’s possible. Spotlight successful fundraisers on your social media, in emails, or at events to celebrate their efforts and spark inspiration. Encourage supporters to personalize their fundraisers with details about their connection to your cause. This helps them feel ownership and makes their message more authentic and compelling.

2. Provide toolkits to help supporters

Set your supporters up for success with ready-to-use toolkits that guide their outreach and fundraiser creation. Include email, social media, and text message templates, along with visual assets they can use to promote their fundraiser. These tools make it easy for participants to get started while keeping their messaging and branding aligned with your organization’s voice and look to build confidence and consistency.

3. Keep supporters engaged

Sustaining momentum is key to peer-to-peer success. Encourage supporters to post regular updates using the built-in tools on their fundraisers to keep donors informed and excited. Thank supporters for their efforts, celebrate milestones, and offer other ways to stay involved—whether volunteering, attending events, or sharing your mission with others. A little appreciation goes a long way in turning one-time supporters into long-term advocates.

Start the conversation, then let supporters take the lead

Successful peer-to-peer fundraising requires a thoughtful balance of organization-led and supporter-led initiatives. Your team’s strategic, branded campaigns provide essential structure and control, while supporter-led fundraisers bring authentic enthusiasm and expanded reach that potential supporters can’t overlook. Together, they create a powerful partnership that drives lasting impact.

GoFundMe Pro gives you the platform and tools to launch and manage impactful, scalable campaigns while also tapping into the organic energy of supporter-led fundraisers through GoFundMe.

Whether you’re starting out or ready to grow, we’re here to help you empower your supporters, strengthen your programs, and raise more for your mission.

Copy editor: Ayanna Julien