What Is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising? A Complete Guide
Peer-to-peer fundraising is when individual supporters create their own personal fundraising pages on behalf of a charity and share them with friends and family to collect donations. The charity gives you a cause that matters, and each supporter’s network becomes a new source of donations.
If you’ve ever wondered how someone raising money through a marathon or sponsored walk gets started, you’re in the right place. We’ll show you how peer-to-peer fundraising works, how it differs from crowdfunding, and how you can create your own fundraising page.
How peer-to-peer fundraising works
It all starts with people coming together for a cause they care about. One supporter picks a charity, creates a fundraising page, and shares why the cause matters to them. They’ll share what this charity means to them and what they’re doing to raise money for a cause they care about. Once they’ve made their page, they share it with family and friends in group chats or on social media. The process is like this:
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Choose a charity you’re passionate about to support.
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Set up a personal fundraising page and add a target to aim for.
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Share the page with friends, family, and colleagues.
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Donations are collected through the page, helping the charity benefit from every contribution.
Every page runs independently, but they all feed the same cause. If hundreds of supporters are running the London Marathon for one charity, for example, then together they’ll raise a lot for their cause.
Peer-to-peer vs crowdfunding vs direct donations
These three terms are often confused, so here’s the difference between them. Peer-to-peer fundraising spreads reach across a network of personal pages, each one run by a different supporter for the same charity.
Crowdfunding usually centres on a single campaign page, often for a specific project, product, or one-off cause, where everyone donates to the same pot.
Direct donations skip the page entirely and allow supporters to give directly to the charity.
The biggest difference is how many people help spread the word. A crowdfunding campaign relies on one page, while peer-to-peer depends on dozens or more supporters each sharing their own pages within their own circles. That’s why peer-to-peer fundraising is such a powerful fit for events like marathons, where hundreds of people can inspire donations through their own networks.
If you want the fuller picture of how crowdfunding works, take a look at our guide.
How to set up a personal fundraising page
Setting up your own fundraising page takes just a few minutes and gives you the chance to tell your story and rally support behind a cause that matters to you. All you have to do is follow these simple steps:
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Pick a charity: Find a cause that you’re passionate about, be it something that’s affected you or your family, something that would help your wider community, or simply a cause you’ve always wanted to support.
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Tell your story with a free JustGiving page: It’s easy to set up and gives you the space to tell your story. Why this charity? Why now? How will you raise money for your cause? Add a photo so people can see who they’re supporting.
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Set a target: The best fundraising pages have goals in mind, and there’s a real buzz in watching your community’s support help you build towards it.
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Share your page: Send your page to family and friends. The more people who see it, the more support you’ll have behind you for your big challenge, and the closer you’ll get to reaching your target.
Ready to get going? Start a fundraising page today and you’ll be set in minutes, with a full how-to guide to setting up fundraising pages here if you get stuck.
Tips to reach your fundraising target
A great fundraising page is just the start. To bring your community closer and keep the momentum going, try following these steps:
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Tell a clear story: Let everyone know why the cause means so much to you and why you’ve decided to undertake the challenge you have. Give your supporters something to connect to.
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Add a photo: Adding a photo helps supporters put a face to your story and helps supporters connect with you and your fundraising journey.
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Post updates as you go: Offer your supporters updates on your training progress, a countdown to the event, a thank-you to early donors, anything that keeps your supporters feeling as though they’re part of the journey.
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Thank people publicly: Thank donors and celebrate their support. It encourages others to get involved and helps build momentum.
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Share your page around: Add your page to your mobile wallet for quick sharing, print a poster for your office, gym, or anywhere that’ll let you put it up, and connect Strava if you’re training for a sponsored run, ride, or swim, so your activity updates feed directly into your page.
Gift Aid on peer-to-peer donations
Gift Aid is one of the simplest ways to help your chosen charity receive even more from the generosity of your supporters.
If a donor to your page is a UK taxpayer and adds Gift Aid, the charity you’ve chosen to support can claim an extra 25p for every pound donated, at no extra cost to the donor. That turns a £100 donation into £125 for the cause you’re supporting. As a donor, adding Gift Aid is as simple as ticking a box when donating.
You can find the full breakdown of how Gift Aid works here.
Peer-to-peer fundraising: your questions answered
Here are quick answers to some of the most common questions people have around peer-to-peer fundraising.
What is peer-to-peer fundraising?
Peer-to-peer fundraising is when supporters set up their own pages for a charity and share them with their own circles of friends, family, and colleagues, all managed through a platform like JustGiving. Each supporter reaches their own network, helping charities to connect with more people and raise more funds than they could through a single appeal alone.
How does a personal fundraising page work?
You choose a charity that means something to you, create your own page to tell your story so supporters can understand why you’re undertaking the fundraising effort, set a target, and share the link with family, friends, and beyond. The platform will handle the payments and Gift Aid, so you can focus on rallying support.
What is the difference between crowdfunding and peer-to-peer fundraising?
Peer-to-peer fundraising spreads reach through many personal pages, each run by individual supporters for the same charity, which works well because lots of supporters can inspire donations through their own networks. This kind of fundraising is especially popular with large events like marathons, for example. Crowdfunding usually centres on one campaign for a specific cause or project, so it’s better suited to a single shared goal.
How much money can you raise from peer-to-peer fundraising?
What you can raise depends on how many people get behind your page, and the total climbs fast once your community gets involved. Because each supporter targets their own circles, totals climb quickly once lots of people take part, which is why charities often use peer-to-peer fundraising for big events like marathons.
Is peer-to-peer fundraising free to set up?
There’s no cost to set up your own personal fundraising page on JustGiving. Small payment-processing fees may apply to donations, and Gift Aid boosts the total at no added cost to the donor. Always check the latest fee information before getting started.
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