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#  How to make your peer-to-peer fundraiser a success 

 

 

 There are a range of software options out there for conducting peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraisers -- from fully-hosted products, to open source DIY options. Whichever route you go, **look for these features when making your selection or building your own.**

## Focus on the user experience

- **Make it fully responsive** so people can donate from their tablets and smart phones
- **Make it easy** for donors to set up their own fundraising pages
- **Make it personal** by giving participants options to add their own images, video and text
- **Make it shareable** by email and social media
- **Make it exciting** with leader boards and visuals to show progress towards each fundraising goal

## Automate and integrate administrative tasks

- Make receipting and acknowledgements automatic
- Allow administrators to adjust amounts, donor information or other items on the back end
- Where possible, integrate the donor and donations information with your existing contact management system and accounting system

## Be aware of hidden fees

Some software charges a percentage of the total amount raised, plus transactional fees. That can quickly add up! **Using an open-source solution such as CiviCRM allows you to know your costs up front.** Have a system custom-built to meet your needs, and avoid the monthly fees that proprietary software charges.

## Consider the big picture

Organizations that are successfully leveraging P2P fundraising have one common denominator: web-based CRMs (contact management system). When the donation information from peer-to-peer fundraisers can flow into an existing donor database it makes it easier to use. [CiviCRM](http://civicrm.org) is one tool that can manage donations, event registrations, payments, email distribution, case management, and more. **Learn how the** [**University of Minnesota Foundation**](/portfolio/university-minnesota-foundation) **used CiviCRM to grow the University's giving day by more than 50 percent!**

Related article: [WHAT UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PEER-TO-PEER FUNDRAISING](/blog/peer-peer-fundraising)

*Photo credits:* [*Cash Register*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/acousticskyy/3668722547) *by Allen Sky*