Insights from the 12th Annual Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Report

The 12th edition of the Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Benchmark Report is here! This report compares peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising data from 2020, 2021, and 2022. As peer-to-peer fundraisers are all too aware, those were particularly disruptive years for the industry given the impact of COVID-19 on in-person events. So, we were curious: What would the data tell us about three key questions?

• Have in-person events rebounded? 
• Have people changed the way they donate? 
• What does the future of peer-to-peer fundraising look like?

We encourage you to read the full report where we dive into these questions and more. If you are short on time, you can find a few key highlights below that will give you instant insights and action tips for your work promoting social good.

Key Takeaways

Fewer Total Events

Compared to a baseline of total events in 2020, the total number of events declined by 18.8% in 2021 and by 15.4% in 2022. In other words, there were fewer total events in the last two years.

Is this bad news? Not necessarily…

$$$$$ Is Up!

Revenue was way up in 2022. In fact, it was up by 23% compared to 2021! What’s incredible is that this growth was driven by more people participating in events (a 29% increase from 2021 to 2022). So, organizations did a more effective job of driving participation and fundraising rather than creating more events.

New vs. Returning Participants

People who were returning participants raised more money than brand-new people in all categories. This is a consistent theme that the P2P industry has seen every year, and it makes sense. Returning participants have done this before. They know how to fundraise, and their friends and families are used to receiving requests for donations. That’s whyreturning participants are so valuable and nonprofits need to keep stewarding, engaging, and communicating with P2P participants  so they keep coming back.

But don’t overlook the impact of new participants! This year’s new participant is next year’s returning participant. Invest in onboarding and coaching messaging streams to train your new participants every step of the way.

Read more:How to convert P2P event participants into monthly donors

Walks/5Ks Without a Registration Fee Are Still Huge

Walks/5Ks without registration fees made up the largest category of events and participants, accounting for 48% of all P2P fundraisers on Blackbaud TeamRaiser®.

Conversely, walks/5Ks with registration fees declined year over year in total number, participation, and revenue. This could have been driven by uncertainty in 2021-2022 about cancellation of events due to COVID-19 surges. This metric is one to watch for the future.

Putting Benchmarks into Action

So, what does all this mean for nonprofit P2P marketers and fundraisers? Here’s what the data is telling us you should prioritize:

• Register more participants: Nonprofits can grow revenue by increasing participation in their events.
• Create a plan for boosting revenue: Growing the average gift size is another strategy to increase revenue.
  • Can your P2P fundraisers ask for a bigger gift? 
  • Can team captains encourage their teams to ask for a larger gift?
• Rely on leadership: Team captains remain crucial to the success of team events. The best team captain has experience, enthusiasm, and consistent communication.
  • It is critical to retain team captains for future events
  • It is equally important to thoroughly train and onboard new team captains

Read more: How to get creative with activity tracking events

If you want to dive deeper into the current state of P2P fundraising and see how your performance stacks up, the full report is free and full of recommendations to refine your organization’s fundraising strategy.

Download the full Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Benchmark Report today.