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Learn how to launch and scale DIY peer-to-peer fundraising. A complete guide to supporter-led campaigns that engage, inspire, and grow income.
In Scandinavia, do-it-yourself fundraising is nothing new. It’s how most charities started — driven by volunteers, neighbours, and local communities collecting donations for causes they believed in.
Before online tools, it was supporters themselves who initiated campaigns, creating the earliest form of DIY peer-to-peer fundraising. Just think of concepts such as Dugnad in Norway and Giro 413 in Denmark, getting together for a common good lies in the spirit and history of Scandinavia.
In the United States, the evolution went the other way. Peer-to-peer fundraising began with large, structured campaigns — marathons, walks, and corporate challenges — before expanding into DIY models. European and Scandinavian organisations can now learn from that structured approach: clearer onboarding, stronger supporter journeys, and more deliberate design.
This isn’t about reinventing the wheel; it’s about rediscovering an old strength and scaling it with modern tools.
DIY peer-to-peer fundraising allows supporters to create their own fundraising pages and initiatives — outside of organised events or time-limited campaigns. It’s self-initiated, flexible, and always available.
A birthday, wedding, sporting challenge, or memorial can all become personal fundraising campaigns. The idea, timing, and motivation come from the supporter, while the charity provides the digital tools, branding, and framework.
The best programmes strike a balance between freedom and structure: supporters feel empowered, but your messaging and data remain consistent.
DIY fundraising creates sustainable, year-round income that complements seasonal or event-based campaigns. Once the infrastructure is in place, it grows organically with minimal overhead.
Three main advantages stand out:
This form of supporter-led fundraising also taps into identity-driven motivation. People raise funds because it represents who they are — their values, community, or personal story. Your job is to make that self-expression seamless.
A strong DIY programme begins with clarity of purpose. Define why you are introducing it — to grow income, engage younger supporters, or increase loyalty?
Key preparation steps:
A soft pilot with selected supporters will help identify friction points before a full rollout.
Visibility is half the battle. If visitors have to hunt through your website to find “how to start a fundraiser,” you’ll lose momentum.
Promote your DIY peer-to-peer fundraising opportunity through:
Show real examples — birthdays, memorials, challenges — to inspire creativity.
Consider seasonal “reminders” rather than full campaigns: small nudges that remind supporters they can fundraise anytime.
Once launched, you will have to keep working on your DIY program continuously to secure its success.
DIY peer-to-peer fundraising thrives on storytelling and recognition. Build an ongoing communication rhythm:
Each touchpoint should either inspire, inform, or thank. Quality beats quantity.
Think of engagement as a two-way relationship. Fundraisers give you visibility and income; you give them guidance, motivation, and recognition.
Practical ways to strengthen engagement:
As explored in our article on social capital and peer-to-peer fundraising, success often depends on network structure. Fundraisers with moderately strong, close-knit networks tend to outperform those with very large but weakly connected ones.
Your platform underpins the entire experience. A white-label solution offers full branding control, data ownership, and easy integration with your CRM and marketing systems — all critical for long-term loyalty.
The technology should enable simplicity and storytelling, not distract from it. Platforms like BetterNow are built to support this balance. See our full comparison of platforms versus white label solution here.
Measurement turns DIY from an experiment into a growth engine.
Track both activity and impact:
Read also our full guide on the metrics to measure in P2P fundraising.
Go deeper by segmenting:
Use these insights to refine onboarding, communications, and even campaign design. Over time, your DIY data will shape your broader fundraising strategy.
No guide is complete without meaning what not to do. Here are the pitfalls we have encountered when working with clients.
DIY fundraising is the oldest form of peer-to-peer fundraising in Scandinavia. What’s new is our ability to scale it intelligently — with digital tools, data, and deliberate design.
By merging the authenticity of supporter-led fundraising with the structured practices developed in the U.S., European charities can build resilient, year-round fundraising ecosystems that belong as much to their supporters as to their organisations.
This is not a trend. It’s a return to where we started — but done smarter.
What is DIY peer-to-peer fundraising?
DIY peer-to-peer fundraising lets individuals create their own fundraising pages and activities for a charity, independent of formal events or campaigns.
How is DIY peer-to-peer fundraising different from event fundraising?
It’s always available, not tied to one campaign, and fully supporter-led — meaning the fundraiser decides why, when, and how to raise funds.
Why should charities invest in DIY fundraising?
It creates sustainable, evergreen income and strengthens supporter relationships through autonomy and identity-based motivation.
How much does a DIY fundraiser collect?
The average collected for a DIY fundraiser in 2025 was 1230€. This is based on the activity of BetterNow customers.
