What Makes Peer‑to‑Peer Fundraisers Successful? 5 Habits That Set Top Programs Apart
When Marcie Maxwell talks about what separates high‑performing peer‑to‑peer fundraisers from the rest, she doesn’t start with budgets or marketing plans. She starts with a mindset.
“They’re really curious.”
Maxwell, Managing Director of the P2P Professional Forum, has spent years studying the programs that make the annual Top 30 list. Lately, some teams are accelerating while others stall, so what’s driving the difference? It all comes down to five core qualities that anyone can develop.
Unlock Peer-to-Peer Success: Coaching Teams with TeamRaiser
1. Practice Strategic Curiosity
Curiosity may sound like a soft skill, but in P2P fundraising, it can set you apart. The most successful fundraisers and program managers dig deeper on questions like:
What motivates participants?
Effective fundraisers look beyond demographics to understand why people join, what challenges they face, and what keeps them coming back.
What’s really happening in the data?
Curious teams look for meaningful patterns in their reports:
- Why did this recruitment tactic work last year?
- Which participants exceed their goals (and what do they do differently)?
- How do your returning participants compare to new participants?
- What story do the results tell?
They ask why? And then they build strategies to replicate those success factors.
What could we try next?
Curiosity is what drives innovation. It keeps you from repeating last year’s playbook just because it worked “well enough.” When you’re genuinely interested in the people you work with and the difference you’re making, it opens the door to new ideas and stronger connections.
2. Nurture the Next Generation of Fundraisers
A major shift is underway in P2P fundraising teams: more Gen Z professionals are joining frontline roles. This brings new expectations, challenges, and opportunities.
- They’re digital natives with modern expectations. Many started their careers during or after the pandemic, so virtual collaboration is second nature. They expect intuitive tools and get frustrated by outdated, clunky systems.
- They’re fast learners who bring fresh ideas. They pick up new technology quickly, experiment readily, and recognize emerging trends.
- They need intentional relationship‑building. Because many entered the workforce virtually, they’ve had fewer organic opportunities to build professional networks or shadow experienced colleagues.
What Gen Z teams need from leaders:
- Clear, structured mentorship
- Purposeful opportunities for connection
- Tools that genuinely reduce friction
- Guidance on balancing data, technology, and human connection
In practice, this means leaning into modern, intuitive workflows like real‑time dashboards and automated reporting capabilities—and pairing those tools with meaningful coaching that helps young staff turn insights into action.
3. Optimize the Staff Experience (Not Just the Participant Experience)
Most P2P teams are laser‑focused on participant journeys, but Maxwell explains that frontline staff need the same level of care and intentionality.
“I always tell organizations not to just focus on the donor or participant experience, because those are pretty solid already,” she says. “You need to prioritize and think about the experience of your frontline staff as well.”
- Build staff personas. Just as you’d build personas for participants, develop personas for the people logging in each day to run your events. What slows them down? What information do they need at their fingertips?
- Automate the busywork. Reporting shouldn’t require exporting data to spreadsheets. Real‑time dashboards can eliminate manual data digging and free staff to focus on meaningful outreach.
- Use smart notifications. Automated milestone alerts help staff identify the perfect moment to encourage a fundraiser, celebrate progress, or offer strategic coaching.
- Recognize staff achievements. Participants often receive badges or accolades, but staff rarely do. Building recognition systems for internal wins goes a long way in boosting morale.
When staff are supported, informed, and celebrated, they’re better equipped to coach participants. Then, revenue follows.
4. Implement Proven Strategies to Keep Teams Motivated All Year
P2P campaign cycles are long, and motivation naturally rises and falls. Maxwell recommends five approaches that reliably keep teams energized:
- Break down long campaigns into small, achievable wins. Weekly or monthly targets help teams avoid burnout and stay focused on forward progress.
- Consistently connect daily work to mission impact. Just like donors, staff need to see how their efforts help real people.
- Give teams a sense of control. Provide clear, actionable steps tied to visible progress indicators.
- Focus on personal growth over competition. Younger fundraisers, in particular, respond better to year‑over‑year improvement than leaderboards.
- Reinforce purpose. Stories, data points, and participant impact updates help sustain motivation through the longest parts of the campaign.
5. Help Individual Participants Succeed with Support
Understanding top performers helps you coach every participant more effectively.
According to Maxwell, it starts with clarity: “Top peer‑to‑peer fundraisers know exactly what they want to raise. They don’t have a vague idea of ‘I just want to do well.’ They set a specific, concrete target that they work toward.”
Beyond that, successful fundraisers share three traits:
- They take consistent action. They follow up. They ask multiple times. They don’t treat their page as “set it and forget it.”
- They use multiple communication channels. Email, text, social, phone calls, and even handwritten notes. Variety keeps their message fresh and increases visibility.
- They’re willing to be vulnerable and authentic. They share personal stories about why the cause matters. That authenticity builds trust—and trust drives donations.
Program managers can nurture these skills through templates, coaching, and examples that show what meaningful outreach looks like.
Building a More Curious, Connected, and Motivated Program
The most successful peer‑to‑peer programs aren’t defined by budgets or brand recognition. They’re built by curious teams who understand their participants, use their data wisely, and cultivate a staff experience that empowers people to do their best work.
To get started, try these quick wins:
- This week: Ask your team what slows them down most and then focus on fixing the most important friction points.
- This month: Set up at least one automated report that eliminates manual work.
- This quarter: Pilot a staff recognition system that highlights internal achievements.
Small improvements compound quickly when they support teams committed to learning, experimenting, and serving participants well.
