American Cancer Society expands peer-to-peer fundraising by engaging donors on GoFundMe
Mission
To improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer
Challenge
Evolve its peer-to-peer strategy to reach new, younger donors and drive community-led growth
Solution
Launch new supporter-led challenges and build a scalable digital fundraising experience with GoFundMe
“Since integrating GoFundMe into our challenges, we’ve seen strong early adoption and enthusiastic participation from fundraisers.”
– Jay Jump, Senior Vice President, Digital Products
American Cancer Society’s results on GoFundMe*:
45% increase
in lead-to-registration conversion compared to programs on social platforms (from the first 90 days of the GoFundMe collaboration)
46% increase
in the value per individual fundraiser (from the first 90 days of the GoFundMe collaboration)
14-15% of organizers
started multiple challenge fundraisers for American Cancer Society
*Based on 2025 GoFundMe data and American Cancer Society-provided data
Evolution of digital peer-to-peer fundraising
Peer-to-peer fundraising has long been a core part of American Cancer Society’s strategy, including challenges that turn activities like running, biking, swimming, and even dog walking into opportunities to support a good cause. However, in recent years, fewer supporters were participating in traditional in-person activations. While those passionate communities still exist today, they are increasingly engaging and mobilizing on their own terms in digital spaces instead.
American Cancer Society wanted to expand its supporter-led fundraising offering, giving people the freedom to participate in challenges on their own terms, from home, on a platform they already know and trust. This approach made it easier to spark momentum, particularly among younger generations. When the opportunity to partner with GoFundMe emerged, they acted fast – developing, testing, and evolving new business cases in real-time.
From interest to action
By integrating with GoFundMe’s API, American Cancer Society automated the fundraiser page creation process and easily embedded it into its existing challenge workflows. To drive participation, American Cancer Society implemented a multi-channel acquisition strategy, including boosted social media posts, display ads, SMS, email, and influencer content, all designed to direct traffic to create a GoFundMe fundraising page.
GoFundMe’s trusted name has made it easier to rally support, as donors feel confident contributing through a well-known platform. This credibility and the ease of activation have helped us raise significant funds in a short period of time.
This integrated approach yielded powerful results. In the first 90 days of collaboration, American Cancer Society saw significant performance improvements, including a 45% increase in lead-to-registration conversion compared to other social platforms used by American Cancer Society and a 46% increase in the value per individual fundraiser. Notably, 14-15% all organizers who started challenge fundraisers for American Cancer Society went on to start more than one, an encouraging signal of repeat engagement and sustained participation thanks to an engaging, community-forward experience.
And it’s not just American Cancer Society that is seeing results. In 2025 alone, more than 80,000 challenge fundraisers were created on GoFundMe. Organizers signed up to run, walk, bike, and swim over six million miles.
Expanding impact through community fundraising
By partnering with GoFundMe, American Cancer Society unlocked new ways for supporters to fundraise on their own terms and hopes to extend challenges beyond physical activities to include everyday passions like reading, cooking, or creating. This flexibility makes participation more inclusive, empowering cancer survivors and supporters alike to give back in ways that feel personal and sustainable.
With access to GoFundMe’s continuous testing and innovation model, American Cancer Society can confidently evolve its peer-to-peer programs over time. This enables the organization to optimize performance at scale, ensuring every act of generosity goes further, fueling critical cancer services and expanding the organization’s ability to support more people when they need it most*.
*Results in this case study reflect American Cancer Society’s campaign strategy and may vary for other organizations.
The collaborative partnership with the GoFundMe team has allowed us to explore new opportunities. The platform has already made a measurable impact on our fundraising goals, and we’re excited to continue building on this momentum.
