Beyond peer-to-peer: Building your brand with community fundraising

Peer-to-peer fundraising has fueled nonprofit growth for years, from 5K runs and cycling events to birthday fundraisers on social media. However, many organizations are starting to notice cracks in what was once a reliable model.

Participation across traditional peer-to-peer channels is declining, social fundraising on platforms like Facebook is down year over year, and even when events still draw crowds, individual fundraisers are often raising less per person than in the past.

This doesn’t mean peer-to-peer is broken. It means supporter behavior has changed.

People still give when moved by the people and stories around them, but they want more flexibility and ownership in how they show up. A fundraising page and a carefully curated script are no longer enough to inspire action. That’s where the evolution begins.

Shifting how supporters lead the way

More nonprofits are embracing community-led fundraising activations that empower people to tell your story in their words, through the channels and moments that feel most authentic.

This shift isn’t about walking away from what works. It’s about building on it.

Community fundraising extends beyond traditional peer-to-peer efforts by providing supporters with more opportunities to engage on the channels they already use and to connect with each other. By fostering a sense of shared purpose, this approach helps organizations reach new audiences, reverse participation declines, and build a more resilient fundraising engine.

The difference between peer-to-peer and community fundraising

To understand the future of fundraising, we have to look at where we started. Traditional peer-to-peer campaigns often feel top-down: the nonprofit decides on an event (such as a fundraising gala or a walkathon), sets the rules, creates the graphics, and invites people to sign up. The supporter is a participant, whereas the nonprofit is the director.

Community fundraising flips the script.

In this model, the nonprofit sets the inspiration and, at times, the framework, while the supporter drives the action. They might decide to stream a video game marathon, run 100 miles, host a dinner party, or shave their head. They choose the activity that fits their lifestyle and their network.

This matters because it changes the dynamic of the relationship. You aren’t just asking them for a favor. You’re giving them agency. Even better, you’re inviting them to be a co-owner of your mission.

When people feel ownership over a cause, they work harder for it. They speak about it with passion and become more than donors or fundraisers—they become advocates for your brand.

Why trust is your most valuable asset

Trust in large institutions is slipping as people increasingly seek authenticity over polished corporate statements and generic marketing emails.

The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer report reveals that 48% of people trust recommendations from friends and family when making decisions, compared to 33% for ads and 17% for the news. Similarly, GoFundMe’s The Social State of Giving report highlights the influence of social media creators, with most Gen Zers and Millennials following impact creators online.

Notably, 1 in 4 Gen Z respondents reported donating because of a social media creator, and 51% said they would trust impact creators to make donations on their behalf.

Using a platform trusted by millions, such as GoFundMe, makes it easier for supporters to act, fostering confidence, trust, and meaningful engagement from the first step.

The double trust model in action

When a supporter starts a fundraiser for your organization, they lend you their credibility. They essentially tell their network: “I believe in this mission and trust this organization with my time and money, and you can too.”

This is what GoFundMe refers to as the double trust model. By combining your organization’s credibility with supporters’ personal connections, your brand reaches places it might not otherwise. A generic email from a nonprofit might get deleted immediately, but a heartfelt post from a friend gets read, liked, and shared.

Community fundraising also decentralizes your brand voice. Instead of one voice shouting from the mountaintop, thousands of supporters are having trusted conversations in living rooms, group chats, and social feeds. This creates a web of trust far stronger—and more resilient—than a traditional marketing funnel.

Taking trust one step further: The triple trust model

GoFundMe amplifies this effect through a triple-trust model. In addition to your organization’s credibility and supporters’ personal endorsements, our platform adds another layer of trust.

Supporters feel confident giving on GoFundMe because it’s secure, widely recognized, and designed to make giving simple. Together, these three layers of trust make people more likely to give, share, and return, strengthening your fundraising impact in ways no single channel could achieve on its own.

Expanding your reach into new communities

Every nonprofit wants to reach new supporters, but traditional advertising is expensive, crowded, and often inefficient.

Community fundraising changes the game by introducing your mission to entirely new networks, building awareness in ways traditional campaigns can’t. Even if someone doesn’t give, they learn about your organization from someone they trust, which is increasingly rare in today’s saturated market.

In fact, in 2025 alone, 155,000 people started fundraisers for nonprofits on GoFundMe, including 85,000 first-time organizers stepping up on an organization’s behalf—showing just how much your message can extend into new communities when supporters take action.

Micro-communities matter

Consider your supporters’ networks: colleagues, friends, neighbors, and communities that you might not be able to reach alone. When a supporter launches a fundraiser on GoFundMe, they bring your mission into these micro-communities in a context that resonates.

A gamer connects you to the gaming world. A runner introduces your mission to the fitness community. A baker shares your cause with fellow foodies. You don’t need to be an expert in every subculture—you just need to empower the people who are.

Turn individual efforts into impact with smarter tools

People don’t just want to give. They want to do for the causes that matter to them.

GoFundMe Pro makes that easier, whether by launching a fundraiser, taking on a challenge, or creating a campaign that directly benefits your nonprofit. Even better, once you claim your verified Nonprofit Page, your GoFundMe Pro dashboard automatically captures all donations and supporter details for seamless reporting.

In 2025 alone, supporters created over 80,000 challenge-style fundraisers, from yoga challenges and hikes to readathons and gaming events.

By empowering supporters to take action, you expand your reach, build trust, and turn awareness into meaningful supporter acquisition.

Letting go of the reins

This is often the hardest part for nonprofit professionals because you’re trained to protect the brand at all costs. You’ve established brand guidelines, approved messaging, and strict rules for logo usage, so the idea of letting “random” supporters create campaigns can feel terrifying.

What if they use the wrong font? Or what if they explain the mission incorrectly?

These are valid concerns, but they’re outweighed by the benefits. In the era of community fundraising, authenticity beats perfection every time. A slightly grainy photo of a supporter volunteering is often more compelling than a stock photo of a smiling model. A caption written in a supporter’s voice, even with a typo or two, lands with more emotional weight than a press release.

You have to trust your community. If they care enough to raise money for you, they care enough to represent you well.

How the right technology makes this easier

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you leave them entirely alone. Even with the most enthusiastic supporters, fundraising can feel intimidating. They aren’t experts like you.

Nonprofits create campaign pages that reflect their brand and bring calls to action to life, using drag-and-drop tools to add leaderboards, engagement features, and other interactive elements.

Once the page is live, our platform supports fundraisers from start to finish. Built-in coaching, activity tracking, and nudges spark engagement and motivation. Meanwhile, fundraisers have access to a personal command center with recommended next steps, premade social content, and suggestions for whom to reach out to next in their network.

This approach lets your nonprofit focus on strategy while GoFundMe handles the heavy lifting, supporting fundraisers at scale with insights from our community of over 200 million and $40 billion raised.

Using a platform trusted by millions makes it easier for supporters to take the first step. With the right guidance and resources, they can manage their fundraisers with confidence. When it’s easy for them to succeed, both they and your nonprofit benefit, while the experience stays flexible and personal.

Building a feedback loop

One of the hidden benefits of community fundraising is that it functions as a massive focus group.

When you observe how supporters talk about your mission, you learn what resonates. Maybe you’ve been focusing your marketing on one specific program, but you notice that your top fundraisers are now talking about a different aspect of your work.

Pay attention to that. Your supporters can show you what the public finds most compelling about your organization.

You can also use this to identify your next generation of leaders. The person who raises $5,000 for their birthday isn’t just a donor. They’re a superfan. Even better, they’re a potential board member, ambassador, major donor, or volunteer leader. Community fundraising helps you identify these people to nurture those relationships.

Getting started

If you’re ready to embrace this shift, you don’t need to overhaul your strategy all at once. Start by looking for opportunities to say “yes” to your community. Here are five to get started.

1. Claim your Nonprofit Page

Claim your Nonprofit Page to get started with GoFundMe’s peer-to-peer tools. It’s an easy first step to connect with new supporters and tap into our 200 million-strong community.

2. Create a “fundraise your way” option

Ensure your website has a clear and easy-to-find destination where supporters can start fundraisers. It should be front and center. Celebrate it.

Show examples of other people who have done it. If a supporter has a wild idea for a fundraiser, your answer should be, “That sounds amazing. How can we help?”

3. Equip them with the right tools

Your supporters are busy. If starting a fundraiser is difficult, they won’t do it. You need an intuitive, mobile-friendly, and beautiful platform.

This is where GoFundMe Pro shines. We combine the trust and familiarity of the GoFundMe brand with the custom controls your nonprofit needs.

4. Coach, don’t command

With GoFundMe’s built-in coaching tools, recommended next steps, and helpful resources, we’ve removed much of the guesswork from fundraising, and the heavy lifting is off your nonprofit’s staff.

Remember, when fundraisers feel supported, they stay motivated to keep going.

5. Focus on the story

Remind your supporters that they don’t need to be professional salespeople. They just need to share their “why.”

• Why does this cause matter to them?
• Why did they decide to get involved?

Encourage them to be vulnerable and share their personal experiences. That’s what resonates with donors.

Measuring success beyond the dollar

In a transactional peer-to-peer model, the only metric that matters is the total amount raised. In a community fundraising model, consider a broader set of metrics to understand your brand’s health.

Look at the number of new donors acquired. Did these people enter your ecosystem through a friend? Look at the retention rate of your fundraisers. Are they coming back every year? Look at the social reach. How many people saw your brand because a supporter shared it?

These metrics tell you if you’re building a movement, not just balancing a budget.

The future is community-led

The nonprofits that’ll thrive in the next decade are those that treat their mission as a shared cause powered by community.

When you embrace community fundraising, you move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. You stop worrying about how many emails you can send and start wondering how many conversations you can spark.

This shift requires bravery. It requires stepping back and letting others take the spotlight. The reward: an organization that’s more resilient, more diverse, and more deeply connected to the world it serves.

Your supporters are ready to lead. Are you ready to follow them?

Copy editor: Ayanna Julien