Nonprofits struggling with switch to virtual peer‐to‐peer campaigns

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/nba.30854
• Published date: 01 October 2020
• Date: 01 October 2020

NONPROFIT BUSINESS ADVISOR OCTOBER 2020

6© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved

DOI: 10.1002/nba

Fundraising

Nonprots struggling with switch

to virtual peer-to-peer campaigns

Nonprots have had limited success transforming

their peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns into virtual

programs, new data suggest, showing the struggle

that many organizations are facing in the wake of

the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite moving rather quickly to transform their

long-planned, in-person P2P events into virtual cam-

paigns, recent survey data show that charities expect

to see just half of the proceeds they had budgeted for

at the beginning of the year, according to the Peer-

to-Peer Professional Forum.

The Forum’s annual survey—which was elded in

June—found two-thirds of U.S. and Canadian non-

prots had already either hosted a virtual campaign to

replace an existing program or had completed a new

virtual effort in addition to what was already planned.

And three-quarters of nonprots had campaigns

underway or were preparing to host a virtual cam-

paign later this year.

Thus far, the 2020 gures are a far cry from 2019,

when the 30 largest U.S. P2P campaigns raised near-

ly $1.37 billion. And when all is said and done, the

Forum said, it’s likely that P2P totals will “diminish

signicantly” from 2019, based on results from pro-

grams that have already completed their course.

Examples of some of the largest P2P programs in

the country include:

• The March of Dimes transformed its March for

Babies fundraising walk series into a virtual campaign

dubbed March for Babies StepUp, the Forum said.

But the campaign raised just $25 million compared

to the $48.9 million raised by the March for Babies in

2019. The organization’s goal for the campaign had

been $40 million before the pandemic struck.

• The National MS Society’s Walk MS series

raised more than $41.7 million in 2019, but its virtual

campaign for 2020 raised just $22.5 million as of press

time—a gure that may rise as pledges come in, but

is still likely to remain far from its 2019 totals.

• The Arthritis Foundation’s virtual walk series

raised $3.5 million in spring 2020, down substantially

from the $8 million fundraising goal set for the cam-

paign based on normal operations.

• The American Cancer Society expects revenues

from its signature Relay for Life series to be down 55%

from its original 2020 goal of $151 million.

The data showed some smaller organizations had

seen better results. For example, the ALS Associa-

tion’s Greater Chicago Chapter was on pace to meet

its revised goal of $450,000—down nominally from

the $575,000 expected under normal circumstances.

But overall, P2P numbers are expected to be off

substantially year over year.

However, the switch to virtual campaigns also

brings fewer expenses, the survey found, which is

helping offset some of the losses in revenue. The P2P

Professionals Forum noted that some groups might

even break even—or better—because of the reduced

costs associated with staging virtual campaigns versus

in-person events.

In addition, many organizations are utilizing

multiple virtual campaigns in lieu of single in-person

campaigns to help bolster donor engagement num-

bers and ne-tune initiatives.

For example, in the spring the American Cancer

Society piloted a virtual running event —Determi-

Nation Runs the Country—in which participants

logged their own miles and collectively attempted to

run the length of the United States. A total of 426

runners covered 9,943 miles and raised about $68,000.

That small event was a precursor for something much

larger coming down the pike: DetermiNation Takes

on the World, which will expand the campaign dra-

matically, drawing on lessons learned during the pilot

campaign, organizers said.

For more information, the survey can be accessed

online at https://www.peertopeerforum.com. ■

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