Doing More with Less: Why Automation Is No Longer Optional for Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Nonprofits are operating in an environment defined by uncertainty. Budgets are tighter. Teams are leaner than ever. And expectations from leadership, donors, and participants have never been higher.

Organizations are being asked to do more with less just as their work becomes increasingly complex.

From Simple to Staggeringly Complex

If you rewind 20 years, nonprofit digital engagement was relatively straightforward. You had:

• A website
• One or two emails a month
• Direct mail
• Online and offline gifts

Fast forward to today, and that digital landscape has exploded. Organizations are now managing:

• Social media channels that require constant monitoring and engagement
• Email campaigns sending several messages per day
• A variety of fundraising platforms and databases that most likely don’t seamlessly integrate with one another
• 10+ revenue sources, including company matching platforms, crowdfunding campaigns, donor-advised funds (DAFs), social fundraising, and more

Peer-to-peer fundraising has also evolved dramatically. What was once a simple Walk, Run, or Ride program has expanded into portfolios that often include a mix of:

• Walks
• Rides
• DIY
• Endurance events
• Third-party events
• Social challenges
• Memorials & tributes

The result? More platforms. More channels. More programs. More work. All while budgets are being reduced and staff capacity is shrinking. This reality demands a new way of thinking about how time, talent, and technology are allocated.

The Real Cost Isn’t Just the Technology—It’s Your Staff Time

When organizations evaluate technology, the conversation often focuses on licensing costs. But that’s only part of the equation.

The big question is: How much staff time does this require to use and manage effectively?

If a solution requires half of a full-time employee’s time to manually manage messages, audiences, schedules, and follow-ups, then it’s not truly helping you do more with less. It’s simply shifting the burden.

Nonprofits must be particular (in a good way) about prioritization:

• Are staff members spending their time on work that will create the most value?
• Are there tasks they are doing that can be automated?
• What work requires human creativity and judgment—and what doesn’t?

If a task isn’t a value-add, it’s time to find a more efficient way to achieve it.

Where Automated, Multi-Channel Messaging Fits

This is where automated, multi-channel messaging tools can make a measurable difference: reducing manual work while improving the consistency and timing of outreach across the participant lifecycle.

Automated participant journeys can be designed specifically for peer-to-peer fundraising programs. These journeys are configured by event program and season, allowing organizations to scale more easily. With effective automated messaging tools, the same staff effort can support anywhere from 10 events to 500 events. This can significantly lighten the workload for your team while your reach and consistency increase exponentially.

However, many solutions still require constant manual oversight, so it’s important to look for one that’s designed for both automation and scale. That means fewer hours managing messages and more time focused on strategy, stewardship, and growth.

Personalized, Data-Driven Messaging at Scale

Effective broadcast messaging works best when it’s tailored to each participant’s situation. Many peer-to-peer teams rely on tools that integrate with their fundraising platforms to enable more advanced segmentation. Solutions with real-time data connections, such as the integration between Blackbaud Luminate Online and Nuclavis Messaging, can send effective messages:

• To the right events
• To the right participants
• At the right time
• Based on where each person is in their fundraising lifecycle

A participant who has raised $0 needs a very different call to action than someone who has already hit their first milestone. Tools with real-time data integration can personalize messages based on progress, behavior, and engagement—making each message more likely to resonate and drive action.

A Unified Workflow

When data flows continuously between systems, audiences and segmentation stay up to date and your messages become part of a single, streamlined workflow.

This eliminates platform switching, streamlines processes, and saves valuable staff time.

The Next Generation of Messaging: SMS, MMS, and RCS

To reach supporters where they are, look for a platform that supports the full spectrum of modern messaging.

SMS (Short Message Service)

Plain text messages up to 160 characters are delivered directly to a mobile device. Simple, reliable, and universally supported.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service)

Messages that include images, graphics, or rich media (up to 1 MB) — ideal for visual storytelling and stronger engagement. A call-to-action can be a single URL or a list of URLs.

RCS (Rich Communication Services)

RCS enables branded, interactive messages with images, buttons, rich layouts, and read receipts. This creates an app-like experience directly inside the messaging inbox. There’s no HTML involved; think of the buttons as clear calls-to-action that function more like a lightweight webpage than a traditional text message.

RCS offers richer, more interactive messaging that resonates well with today’s mobile-native audiences. In fact, 74% of people are more likely to engage with a brand through RCS than SMS/MMS, largely because messages come from a verified sender. Instead of a 6-digit short code or unknown phone number, recipients see a recognizable organization name—such as “BT1D Fundraising” with a branded contact icon.

That trust and visibility matter. With political campaigns, retailers, and nonprofits all competing for attention via text, branding is no longer optional. Sending RCS messages as a verified, branded sender helps your outreach stand out, inspire trust, and earn engagement in an increasingly crowded inbox.

Looking Ahead: Text Is the Channel of the Future

Email open rates and engagement continue to decline, especially among younger audiences. As Gen Z gains purchasing power and becomes more involved in peer-to-peer fundraising, texting isn’t optional; it’s essential.

This generation checks email infrequently, but they always have their phones. Some studies estimate they spend an average of 6.5 hours a day on mobile devices.

To engage the next generation of fundraisers and donors, nonprofits must meet them where they are.

And that’s mobile.