When you first launch a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, the energy is electric. Fundraisers are buzzing, your cause is front-and-center, and donations are rolling in.
But somewhere between kickoff and the finish line, the adrenaline dips. We’ve all been there. People get busy, momentum slows, and even your most excited participants start to lose steam.
The good news is, you can keep your fundraisers going strong from start to finish. These practical, proven ideas have worked for campaigns like Well Aware’s Shower Strike, which raised over $307,000 in 2024, and the H2gO Challenge, which brought in more than $206,000 in its first year. Both used CauseVox to help their fundraisers stay engaged, inspired, and proud to be part of the mission.
Start With the Right Onboarding
If you want fundraisers to stay committed, set them up for success from day one.
Start with a great kickoff, whether it’s a live video call or an in-person meeting. This is your chance to introduce your mission in a way that pulls people in, shows the real impact they can make, and creates a sense of shared purpose.
Give them a clear roadmap. Share a toolkit that includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for setting up their fundraising page
- Guidance for setting personal goals
- Ready-to-use templates for social posts, texts, and emails
- A timeline of campaign milestones
One hub. Zero hassle. In the 2024 Shower Strike campaign, Well Aware hosted their entire fundraising toolkit directly on their CauseVox site, replacing scattered folders and giving fundraisers everything they needed in one easy-to-access place.
Onboarding is one of the many parts of the peer-to-peer fundraising process where the platform you choose really matters. On CauseVox, fundraisers can set up their page in minutes with built-in templates that look great right out of the box. Less time wrestling with tech means more time connecting with donors.
Download Our Free Customizable Peer-to-Peer Toolkit:
Communicate Regularly (But Not Overwhelmingly)
Once your campaign is rolling, don’t go radio silent on your peer-to-peer participants. A weekly check-in by email or text is enough to keep them engaged without overwhelming them.
In each update, you might:
- Share quick tips for success
- Highlight templates from your fundraising kit
- Celebrate a “Fundraiser of the Week” with a short story or photo
- Show collective progress toward your overall goal
During the H2gO Challenge, Well Aware kept participants connected with a live “Most Activity Logged” leaderboard. Fundraisers could instantly see how close they were to meeting their personal mileage goals compared to others in the challenge. This real-time view became a subtle form of encouragement, motivating people to keep going without extra messages that could be buried in their inbox.
A live activity leaderboard kept H2gO participants connected and motivated, showing real-time progress toward each fundraiser’s mileage goal.
With CauseVox’s built-in email and SMS tools, you can pair this kind of visual progress tracking with personalized outreach. Assign follow-up tasks to your team in the platform so every fundraiser gets encouragement tailored to them, whether they’re leading the pack or just finding their stride.
Set Milestones and Micro-Goals
A big fundraising goal can feel intimidating. Breaking it into smaller, more achievable chunks keeps it manageable.
Think beyond the total dollar amount. Instead, try fun mini-challenges like:
- Early Contributors Club
- $100 Club
- Halfway Heroes for hitting 50% of a goal
Celebrate every win along the way. Consider congratulating fundraisers when they get their first donation, after they’ve gotten five, or when they enter any of the above “clubs”.
Shower Strike’s campaign site featured leaderboards for “Most Funds Raised”, organized by individuals, teams, and organizations. The friendly competition kept people checking in and celebrating one another’s progress.
H2gO took it a step further. As participants logged their miles, they saw a digital runner advance through six Kenyan communities. Each stop unlocked stories and photos showing exactly how their efforts were changing lives.
(Fundraisers could watch their progress unfold on a virtual journey, advancing through real Kenyan communities as they logged miles.)
Make It Personal and Fun
People don’t just give to causes, they give to people. Encourage fundraisers to share their “why” on their page and in their outreach. A personal story or a clear reason for getting involved can inspire action like nothing else.
Then, bring in the fun factor. Create challenges, like “Most Creative Social Post” or “Best Donor Thank-You Video.” Offer small prizes (like gift cards or swag), or just the satisfaction of being featured in an update. Teams can add another layer of friendly competition, keeping fundraisers motivated to climb the leaderboard together. Highlighting top-performing teams not only celebrates their success but also inspires others to rally their own supporters.
The Maji Queens topped the H2gO team leaderboard, helping more than 900 people gain access to clean water.
The Shower Strike campaign leaned heavily into fun. Fundraisers posted playful photos with rubber duckies, shower caps, and bubble beards, which created great content for social sharing and drew in curious onlookers.
Shower Strike’s main campaign page, featuring a playful photo carousel
Visual tools also help. Progress thermometers, team rankings, and CauseVox’s custom leaderboards gamify the experience. In H2gO, multiple leaderboards for “Most Funds Raised” and “Most Activity Logged” meant there was more than one way to come out on top.
Recognize and Appreciate Continuously
Recognition fuels motivation. Don’t save all of your gratitude for the end.
You can:
- Give public shoutouts on social media
- Feature fundraisers on your campaign page
- Send quick thank you texts or emails
- Mail handwritten thank you notes
The key is to be specific. Instead of a generic “Great job,” say “You inspired five new donors this week, and that’s making a real difference.”
We’ve included more ideas in our Ultimate Guide to Peer-to-Peer Fundraising; make sure to build recognition into your campaign plan from the start.
Download Our Free Ultimate Guide to Peer-to-Peer Fundraising:
Finish Strong With a Final Push
The last stretch of a campaign is your chance to rally the troops. Host a “final countdown” gathering, livestream, or in-person meet-up to re-energize everyone.
By this point, your community has already made an incredible difference. Every share, donation, and conversation has moved the needle closer to your goal. Remind them of the lives already touched or milestones already achieved, and frame this final push as the last step in turning all that momentum into a lasting impact. Storytelling is powerful here: “Because of you, 50 families now have clean water… let’s make it 100 by the end of the week.”
Consider introducing a fundraising match or time-limited challenge. For example, “Every donation in the next 48 hours will be doubled up to $5,000” creates urgency and gives people a reason to act now.
In both H2gO and Shower Strike, Well Aware ran multiple corporate-sponsored matching gift periods. With CauseVox’s automated matching, donation totals updated instantly and donors saw their gift double in real time. That transparency and immediacy can be the spark you need in the home stretch.
Boost last-minute giving with CauseVox’s automated matching!
Don’t Just Cross the Finish Line. Celebrate It!
The campaign may be over, but the relationships you’ve built are just beginning. Wrap things up with a celebration by hosting a virtual toast, sharing an impact video, or throwing an appreciation event.
Highlight your fundraisers’ stories, not just their totals. H2gO highlighted how participants’ efforts provided clean water to over 10,000 people. Sharing that tangible outcome helped fundraisers see exactly how their miles and dollars changed lives. Remember to thank every participant, not just top earners. They all played a role in your success.
For H2gO, Well Aware highlighted how participants’ efforts provided clean water to over 10,000 people.
Then, lay the groundwork for what’s next. Share how they can stay involved, whether it’s joining another event, volunteering, or becoming a monthly donor. This stewardship keeps your community strong and ready for the next opportunity.
Keep the Momentum Going
Motivation isn’t a one-time spark. It’s something you nurture from kickoff to the last donation. By starting strong with the right onboarding, communicating clearly, setting achievable goals, making things personal, and showing appreciation along the way, you help fundraisers feel supported and inspired at every stage.
Shower Strike and the H2gO Challenge prove that when you combine these strategies with a platform like CauseVox, you create an environment where fundraisers thrive all the way to the finish line and beyond.
Get started creating your peer-to-peer fundraiser for free on CauseVox today.
