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P2P DATA BOOST is your one-stop source for the stats that will help you better understand the field, create more impactful presentations to share with colleagues and achieve greater program success.
Take a look at the statistical highlights we’ve gathered below. Then use the provided links to dive deeper into the source data.
Have an idea to share about research that should be included in Data Boost? By all means, please email us.
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising at a Glance
It wasn’t long ago that peer-to-peer fundraising was a tactic that was embraced by only a small subset of North American nonprofits. Today, it is embraced by nearly a third of all organizations and has become the most popular tactic for reaching donors.
No. 1 — Rank of peer-to-peer fundraising as a tactic that has prompted donors to give to charity. (Source: YouGov 2019 poll)
39% — Of Americans who say they’ve donated to charity based on a request from a friend or family member. (Source: YouGov 2019 poll)
38 — Average age of peer-to-peer fundraising participants. (Source: Social Fundraiser Study)
33% — Percentage of nonprofits worldwide who are using a peer-to-peer fundraising platform. (Nonprofit Tech for Good: 2019 Global NGO Technology Report)
$391 — Average amount raised online for participants who set up personal fundraising pages in 2020. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
$91 — The average gift made through participant fundraising pages for peer-to-peer fundraising events in 2020. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
Peer-to-Peer Fundraising During COVID-19
COVID-19 had a massive impact on peer-to-peer fundraising in 2020. Here are some figures that show just much the pandemic impacted our field.
$900.1 million — Amount raised in 2020 by the top 30 U.S. peer-to-peer programs. (Source: Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum: 2020 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty)
33.9% — Decrease in fundraising by the top 30 U.S. programs in 2020 compared with the previous year. (Source: Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty)
2.2 million — The number of people who took part in peer-to-peer fundraising programs in 2020. That figure totaled 6 million during 2019, prior to the pandemic. (Source: Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty)
14.7% — Percentage of 2019 peer-to-peer fundraising participants who returned to participate in the same event in 2020. That figure is down from 25.1% during the previous year. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
$416 — Average amount raised per participant in 2020 for larger peer-to-peer programs. That number is up 83 percent from $227 per participant in 2019. (Source: Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty)
$187 — Average amount raised per participant in 2020 for all peer-to-peer programs (all sizes). That number is up 35 percent from $139 per participant in 2019. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
54% — Percentage of participants who fundraised online in 2020 — up from 45% in 2019. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
$83.12 — Average amount per online donation in 2020, up from $75.31 in 2019. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
5.32 — Average size of a peer-to-peer fundraising team in 2020 — down from 7.95 in 2019. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
Fundraiser Behavior
Return fundraisers are incredibly valuable for peer-to-peer campaigns — but it isn’t often easy to get them to come back. Fewer than one in five P2P fundraisers return to raise money for the same organization.
$501 — Median amount raised by return fundraisers. (Source: Classy — The State of Modern Philanthropy 2019)
$222 — Median amount raised by one-time fundraisers. (Source: Classy — The State of Modern Philanthropy 2019)
14% — Percentage of peer-to-peer fundraisers who become fundraisers again for the same organization. (Source: Classy — The State of Modern Philanthropy 2019)
$4,425 — Average amount raised by individuals who participate in the same peer-to-peer program for at least five consecutive years. (Source: The DonorDrive State of Fundraising Report)
18% — Average increase in the amount of money raised each year by returning P2P participants. (Source: The DonorDrive State of Fundraising Report)
80% — Share of P2P event participants who raise $0 for campaigns that do not require a minimum fundraising threshold. (Source: The DonorDrive State of Fundraising Report)
47% — Share of peer-to-peer fundraisers who send personal thank you notes to those who donate. (Source: OneCause Social Fundraiser Study)
59% — Share of peer-to-peer fundraisers who reported accessing their participant page through mobile devices.(Source: OneCause Social Fundraiser Study)
53% — Share of peer-to-peer fundraisers who reported accessing their participant page through a desktop computer.(Source: OneCause Social Fundraiser Study)
Facebook and Social-Media P2P Fundraising
Peer-to-peer fundraising through Facebook has exploded in recent years. Today, roughly two in five participants are using Facebook to solicit donations — a share that will likely continue to grow as nonprofits become more sophisticated in teaching their fundraisers to use the platform effectively.
$5 billion — Amount raised on Facebook and Instagram through peer-to-peer fundraising, from 2014 through 2021 (Source: Facebook)
15% — Share of peer-to-peer fundraising participants who create Facebook Fundraisers. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
30% — Share of online gifts that come through Facebook for peer-to-peer programs that register their events through Facebook Fundraisers. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
$47 — Size of the average gift made through Facebook to peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns through Facebook Fundraiser. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
$1.77 — Amount raised through Facebook for every $100 raised online in 2018 (Source: M+R Benchmarks)
$225 — Average amount raised on Facebook by peer-to-peer fundraisers who raise money through the platform. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
$310 — Average amount raised on Facebook by cycling participants. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
$333 — Average amount raised on Facebook by DIY participants. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
40% — Share of peer-to-peer fundraising participants who used Facebook to solicit donations. (Source: Social Fundraiser Study)
Do-It-Yourself Fundraising Campaigns
Do-it-yourself campaigns represent one of the fastest-growing segments of peer-to-peer fundraising — giving supporters the opportunity to design their own fundraising campaigns on behalf of their favorite causes.
11% — Share of all peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns that are classified as do-it-yourself (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
66 — Average number of annual participants in DIY programs (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
$791 — Average amount raised per DIY fundraiser (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
46% — Average retention rate for DIY campaigns. (Source: The DonorDrive State of Fundraising Report)
$16,111 — Average amount raised per event. (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
Cycling Campaigns
Cycling campaigns have been a P2P staple for decades — and it’s easy to understand why. Cycling participants are more likely to raise money — and become return participants — than those who participate in other traditional P2P campaigns.
25 — Number of U.S. single-location cycling events that raised $1 million or more in 2020 — down from 46 prior to the pandemic. (Source: Cadence Sports Million Dollar Club survey)
$144 million — Amount raised by 45 large U.S. cycling programs in 2020. This figure is down 37 percent from $229 million in 2019. (Source: Cadence Sports Million Dollar Club survey)
$211 — Average fundraising minimum for U.S. cycling campaign participants in 2020. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the average fundraising minimum was $973. (Source: Cadence Sports Million Dollar Club survey)
58.9% — Decline in the number of donors who made contributions to participants in U.S. cycling events in 2020. (Source: Cadence Sports Million Dollar Club survey)
$661 — Average amount raised per cycling fundraisers. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
61% — Of all cycling campaign participants are men. (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
$706.50 — Average amount raised per cycling participant online (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
$97.01 — Average online donation amount by cycling campaign participants (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
46.8% — Percentage of cycling participants who self donate (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
$153.70 — Average self-donation by cycling participants (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
42.5% — Retention rate of cycling participants (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
28% — Share of all peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns that are classified as cycling events. (Source: 2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Survey)
Endurance Campaigns
Endurance campaigns provide supporters who want to challenge themselves in events like marathons and triathlons to give back to their favorite causes.
$329.27 — Average amount raised per endurance participant online (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
$985.32 — Average online donation amount per endurance participant (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
26.1% — Percentage of endurance participants who self donate (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
$136.25 — Average self-donation by endurance participants (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
27.7% — Retention rate for endurance participants (Source: 2019 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study)
Source Data
Looking to dig deeper? Here is a collection of key reports that are useful to peer-to-peer fundraisers who are looking to gain greater insights into industry best practices and benchmarks.
2020 Blackbaud Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study
Source: Blackbaud
Summary: An analysis of peer-to-peer fundraising events at 687 nonprofits in 2019 and 2020.
Cadence Sports Million Dollar Club
Source: Cadence Sports
Summary: An annual survey of cycling programs that raise $1 million or more annually.
The DonorDrive State of Fundraising Report
Source: DonorDrive
Summary: An annual report that provides data, case studies, and thought leadership around fundraising trends.
2019 Global NGO Technology Report
Source: Nonprofit Tech for Good
Summary: A biennial research project that seeks to show how nonprofits worldwide are using technology.
Source: M+R
Summary: An annual study of online giving habits.
The Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty
Source: Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum
Summary: An annual survey of the 30 largest U.S. peer-to-peer fundraising programs.
Source: Facebook
Summary: A report detailing Facebook and Instagram exceeding $5 billion in global donations.
People Raise Over $2 Billion For Causes on Facebook
Source: Facebook
Summary: A September 2019 news release spotlighting trends in do-it-yourself fundraising through Facebook.
Source: OneCause
Summary: The online survey of more than 1,100 social fundraisers between July 11-26, 2019
The State of Modern Philanthropy 2019
Source: Classy
Summary: A downloadable report that explores the behavior of new versus returning fundraisers.
The UK’s 25 Biggest Charity Mass Participation Events
Source: Massive
Summary: An annual survey of the 25 largest peer-to-peer fundraising programs in the United Kingdom.
Source: The YouGov Omnibus
Summary: A November 2019 poll of more than 1,200 U.S. adults