Last week, we spoke to fundraising professional, Tom Moosbrugger of Financial Beginnings. He shared the four need-to-know tips he believes every fundraiser should understand when starting. Our fellows often have little to no experience fundraising, and the fellowship prompts them to practice this skill by raising $500 in a peer-to-peer campaign that goes to support the programs and youth the fellow works with.
So then, what is a peer-to-peer campaign? And why is it important for fellows to practice fundraising? The answer involves a combination of formal definitions, proven practice, and, FLIA Executive Director, Kirsten’s personal experience.
A peer-to-peer fundraising campaign is a specific form of crowdfunding, which involves fundraising small amounts from many people. Think Kickstarter. GoFundMe. Generosity. Peer-to-peer fundraising has many individuals run their own campaigns for an organization or cause.
In the case of our fellows, they each create a personal fundraising page and raise money throughout their fellowship. With staff guidance and access to professional fundraising platform, Classy, fellows have raised $4,570 in the past year. But why have them fundraise to begin with?
“After [Saha], I started sharing the value I found in the fellowship with people around me. I began to see the missing piece, which the fellowship helped fill for me. I wished that more people could have access to high-quality professional development and leadership opportunities, especially, people who cannot afford the luxury of unpaid internships or are not provided with traditional leadership opportunities such as non-traditional and first generation college students."
After graduating from college and struggling to find employment, Kirsten did a fellowship with Saha Global where she was required to fundraise over $3,000. Kirsten’s Saha experience not only transformed her job hunt, equipping her with a newfound confidence and experiences to call upon, but also laid the groundwork for the start of FLIA.
The high-quality professional development and leadership opportunities that Kirsten spoke of in her Letter from the Founder includes having the opportunity to practice fundraising. Fellows pitch, persuade, and storytell in their peer-to-peer campaigns. They practice setting monetary goals, handling money, and delivering positive donor relations service. These are all invaluable skills relevant to the social sector as well as across industries.
Have you ever participated in a fundraiser or launched a peer-to-peer campaign? Comment below with a story about your very first fundraising experience.