Jillian Stewart, grundare och CEO på Peerworks Consulting har över 19 års erfarenhet av P2P och hjälper idag insamlingsorganisationer att optimera sin P2P-insamling. Vi passade på att ställa några frågor inför hennes pass på Insamlingsforum.
How did peer-to-peer fundraising become your area of expertise?
I never planned on becoming a peer-to-peer fundraiser….but back in 2001 I registered for a 500-mile bike ride in an event called the Alaska AIDS Vaccine Ride. As part of my participation I was required to raise over $3000 for AIDS vaccine research. At that time, I didn’t own a bike, I had never been to Alaska and I had never fundraised. But, what drove me to do it was the idea of challenging myself to do two things that seemed ”impossible”–cycling and fundraising–and doing them for a good cause. Long story short…after six tiring and tough days of cycling, I crossed the finish line in Anchorage, Alaska.But that incredible ending was also an incredible beginning. At that moment, I realised how fulfilling the whole peer-to-peer fundraising experience was for me, and I wanted to share my love for P2P with as many people as possible, to inspire them to raise money for causes they cared about. I quit my job in sales and got a job at Pallotta TeamWorks–the producer of the Alaska AIDS Vaccine Ride and the pioneer of large-scale charity events in the US. Thus, the beginning of my 20-year love affair (and career) with P2P.
Why is it important that organisations use this type of fundraising?
No other form of fundraising as the ability to attract brand new donors and advocates like peer-to-peer fundraising. It’s basically a ”friends asking friends” form of fundraising where charities ask their current constituents (donors, volunteers and even board members) to ask their personal networks for donations. In a way, it’s a type of crowdfundraising.
P2P is a very stable fundraising method because it raises a lot of money through many fundraisers and many donors. Conversely, major donor fundraising is more risky because it relies on a lot of money from very few donors. If one of those donors stops giving, the charity suffers significantly. P2P is also quite scalable because people tend to trust their friends’ recommendations. Fundraising participants not only attract new donors to your organisation, but they also attract new fundraisers (who will attract their friends as donors).
What’s the main thing the delegates will take away from your session at Insamlingsforum 2020?
Delegates will learn the many different types of P2P and pros/cons of each.They’ll learn ”best practices” from top programs around the world and understand what it takes to properly invest and implement P2P fundraising at their organisations After this session they will also be able to set proper timeline and budget expectations with their staff and advisory board.
Jillian kommer även hålla en masterclass den 23 April, “Discovering the Power of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising”. Detta är ett separat event och inte del av Insamlingsforum. Mer info kommer inom kort.
