How to Empower Volunteers to Host Great Peer-to-Peer Events

A man uses a walkie-talkie to communicate at volunteer event

How to Empower Volunteers to Host Great Peer-to-Peer Events

Peer-to-peer fundraising events give your supporters a chance to do more than donate. When volunteers take action to organize a charity event, rally their friends and family, and introduce new people to your work, your nonprofit organically expands your reach, mobilizes supporters, and raises crucial funds.

But—you can’t expect volunteers to successfully lead these types of events without giving them the support they need. Volunteers who know what’s expected of them, have the right tools at their disposal, and can easily get their questions answered are more likely to feel confident and have a great experience. On the other hand, vague instructions, complicated processes, and poor communication can quickly turn an enthusiastic volunteer into an overwhelmed one who quickly burns out.

Fortunately, empowering volunteers doesn’t have to be complicated. This post will explore four ways to set your volunteers—and their events—up for success.

1. Start With Clear Expectations & Comprehensive Onboarding

The fastest way to frustrate a volunteer is to give them a responsibility without explaining what success looks like.

Before a volunteer hosts a peer-to-peer event, they need to understand their role from start to finish. What are they responsible for? What will your nonprofit handle? What should they do if something goes wrong? Who would they contact with questions?

Start your onboarding process by giving volunteers a clear picture of what they’ll be doing before, during, and after the event. For example, let’s say you’re training volunteers to host a charity golf putting contest. Your training should cover:

Format and rules: Volunteers need to know exactly how the contest works and how winners will be determined.
Payments: Show volunteers how attendees will register and pay, particularly if you’re using online registration or digital payments.
Logistics: Explain how to keep the contest moving, what participation looks like, and what to do if the contest starts to get backed up.
Participant engagement: Give volunteers ideas for welcoming participants, encouraging people to join, and keeping the energy and enthusiasm high.
Your mission: Make sure volunteers can accurately and compellingly explain who your nonprofit serves, what you’re working to accomplish, and how the event supports your work.

Whenever feasible, offer more than one way to complete the training. Some volunteers may prefer an in-person walkthrough where they can ask questions and practice, while others may appreciate a recorded training or online resources they can review on their own time.

2. Create a Robust Volunteer Toolkit

Training is important, but it shouldn’t be the only support volunteers receive. They will inevitably have questions as they plan their events, so instead of making them comb through emails or reach out to staff every time they need something for their peer-to-peer event, create a centralized toolkit they can reference throughout the process.

Think of your toolkit as a volunteer-friendly resource library. It should contain all the information and materials someone needs to plan, promote, and run their event without having to start from scratch. For example, Bonfire’s peer-to-peer fundraising guide recommends including the following resources in your peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit:

Your nonprofit’s mission and vision statements
Key talking points about your organization and its impact
Brand guidelines and logo files
Authentic photos to include on donation pages
Links to your social media channels and newsletter signup pages
Digital marketing templates for social media and email
Frequently asked questions
Event planning checklists
Sample timelines
Instructions for using our event or fundraising software
Contact information for staff who can help

Above all, make these resources easy to find. Your volunteer toolkit might live on your website, in a volunteer portal, or mobile app. Wherever you put it, make sure volunteers know where to go when they need help.

Your toolkit should evolve. After every event, ask volunteers what information they wish they’d had, and use that feedback to improve your toolkit and resources before the next one.

3. Make Event Management Easier With the Right Technology

Just like you and your team, volunteers don’t want to spend their time wrangling spreadsheets—they want to support your mission. When peer-to-peer events rely on paper forms, manual payment processing, multiple spreadsheets, and long email chains, even a relatively small event can create a ton of tedious administrative work and volunteer burnout.

This is where tech can help. The right platform can take many tasks off your volunteers’ plates and make it easier for staff to stay involved without having to manage every detail themselves. Look for tools that bring the most important parts of the event’s management together in one place.

Your tech platform should make it simple to manage:

Online registration: Give participants an easy, convenient way to sign up for the event and provide all the necessary information.
Payment collection: Eliminate the need to manually handle cash, process checks, and track payments and receipts.
Printables: Easily create pre-formatted signage, registration lists, scorecards, and other materials.
Volunteer communication: Make it easy for staff and volunteers to share updates, ask questions, and keep planning on track.
Attendee communication: Give volunteers an easy way to send reminders and other important event information to participants.

The goal of using tech is to make volunteering easier, not add another level of complexity. Make sure volunteers get a quick walkthrough of any software they’ll be expected to use. Provide a simple cheat sheet covering the functions they’ll use the most.

Systems that make holding peer-to-peer events simpler are key to repeatable, scalable programs. Once you have a process that works, you can use it as the foundation for future events instead of having to reinvent the wheel.

4. Show Volunteers You Appreciate Them

Volunteer appreciation shouldn’t be something you tack onto the end of your event checklist—it should be part of the entire volunteer experience and the basis of your training efforts.

‍Research has found that volunteers who feel respected for their contributions are more likely to remain involved over the long term. That makes appreciation an important part of volunteer retention and more than just a nice gesture.

Look for simple ways to recognize volunteers throughout the process:

Celebrate milestones: Recognize volunteers when they complete their training, recruit their first participant, get their first donation, or successfully host their first peer-to-peer event.
Give a small token of appreciation: A branded t-shirt, mug, or other small gift can be a meaningful way to say thanks.
Share volunteer stories: Highlight volunteers in your newsletter, social media, or other communications (with their permission).
Show their impact: Tell volunteers what their peer-to-peer event accomplished, such as how much they raised, how many people participated, or who benefited from the funds.
Host a volunteer appreciation event: Bring everyone together after the peer-to-peer initiative wraps up to celebrate its impact.

Most importantly, thank volunteers whenever possible. Don’t wait until weeks after the event to send a generic, impersonal thank you email. Instead, send a quick message after a volunteer completes training, a check-in before event day, and a personal thank you after the event. When they feel appreciated, volunteers are much more likely to host additional events in the future.

Empower Peer-to-Peer Volunteers by Showing Up for Them

Great peer-to-peer fundraising events happen because nonprofits give volunteers the structure, resources, and support they need to succeed—in other words, they show up for them.

Start by setting clear expectations and providing comprehensive training. Give volunteers a toolkit they can reference whenever they have a question. Use tech to eliminate unnecessary administrative work. And make appreciation part of the relationship from the beginning.

It’s also important to keep communication going. Your volunteer’s experience shouldn’t end when the event wraps up. Follow up, share the impact, gather feedback, and let them know they’re appreciated.

When you show up for volunteers, they’re more likely to show up for your nonprofit. That’s the real opportunity with peer-to-peer fundraising—you’re not just empowering someone to host one successful event. You’re building a group of advocates who can bring new supporters to the table, raise more for your mission, and keep them coming back for future events.