Set up a peer-to-peer campaign

How to Create a Peer-to-Peer Campaign on Zeffy

What Is a Peer-to-Peer Campaign?

A Peer-to-Peer (P2P) campaign lets you fundraise online while empowering your supporters to create their own personal fundraising pages — solo or as part of a team — all nested under your main campaign.

All funds raised across every individual and team page roll up into one central fundraising goal. Donors can give directly to the main campaign, to a specific team, or to an individual fundraiser.

Fundraisers are ranked on a public leaderboard by amount raised, and donors can be publicly recognized (or opt to remain anonymous).

Watch a complete tutorial on how to configure your Peer-to-peer campaign

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your Peer-to-Peer Campaign

Step 1: Create a New Campaign

1. Log in to your Zeffy account.

2. In the left-hand navigation, click Campaigns.

3. Click New Campaign.

4. Select Peer-to-Peer as your campaign type and click to begin.

Step 2: Name Your Campaign

1. Enter the title of your campaign (e.g., 10K Walk for Impact).

   • Important: The campaign title will automatically generate your campaign URL (e.g., zeffy.com/10k-walk-for-impact). The URL is locked in the first time the form name is saved.

   • If you'd like a shorter URL, use a shortened name initially and update the full campaign title afterward. Or, enter your full desired title right away if you want that to be reflected in the URL.

2. Click Next.

Step 3: Set Your Fundraising Goal

1. Enter your fundraising goal amount.

   • This can be adjusted at any time during the campaign — start conservative or go big, whichever suits your strategy.

1. Click Next.

Step 4: Add Your Campaign Description

1. Enter a campaign description to tell your story and explain your mission.

   • This description will appear as a pop-up on your main campaign page ("Learn More").

   • It will automatically be copied to all team and individual fundraising pages created under your campaign.

   • Fundraisers can edit their version of the description from their own Zeffy donor account.

2. Zeffy provides a suggested message to get you started — customize it to fit your needs.

3. Click Next.

Step 5: Configure Fundraising Settings

1. Team and Solo Fundraising: Choose whether to allow participants to create teams, join teams, and/or create solo fundraising pages. Toggle each option on or off depending on your campaign structure.

2. Paid Registration (Optional):

   • Toggle this on if participants need to pay a registration fee to join your fundraiser (e.g., a walk-a-thon with a participation cost).

   • Search for and link the corresponding ticketing/registration form you've already created in Zeffy.

   • Note: The registration form only supports one ticket purchase at a time. Group registrations are not available through P2P. For group sign-ups, direct participants to your separate registration form first, then share the P2P campaign link afterward.

   • If your registration form isn't ready yet, leave this toggled off and return to enable it later.

3. Click Next.

Step 6: Customize Your Campaign's Appearance

1. Choose your display mode: Light or Dark, with or without shapes.

2. Select or enter your brand colors.

3. Upload a banner image:

   • Choose from Zeffy's built-in image bank or upload your own.

   • Images display in a 1:1 (square) ratio for optimal viewing.

   • Alternatively, paste a YouTube video URL to use a video as your banner.

4. Click Next.

Step 7: Upload Your Organization Logo

1. Upload your organization's logo.

   • If you've already added your logo in your organization's Visual Identity settings, it will be pre-filled here automatically.

2. Click Next.

Step 8: Set Suggested Donation Amounts

1. Customize the suggested donation amounts displayed to donors. Note that these amounts are suggestions only and donors will always have the option to enter an amount of their choice. 

2. Activate additional donation frequencies if desired:

   • Monthly 

   • Quarterly

   • Yearly

3. Toggle on impact descriptions to add a short message that appears when a donor selects a specific amount (e.g., "$50 provides school supplies for one child").

4. Set a default donation amount by selecting which suggested amount is pre-selected when the form loads.

5. Set a default frequency if desired by selecting which frequency to suggest first on the form

6. Click Next.

Step 9: Tax Receipt Settings (Optional)

1. If your organization is eligible, configure automatic tax receipt generation:

   • US (501c3): Toggle on to automatically generate and send tax receipts.

   • Canada (Registered Charity): Toggle on to automatically generate and send tax receipts.

   • UK: Donors will have the option to add Gift Aid if your account is integrated with SwiftAid.

2. Toggle the option on or off as applicable to your campaign.

3. Click Next.

Step 10: Add Custom Questions

1. Add any custom questions you'd like to ask donors at the time of payment.

   • Examples: "How did you hear about our event?", "I wish to subscribe to communications" (checkbox), date of birth, secondary email, phone number, etc.

   • Questions can be set as mandatory or optional.

   • Note: These questions are for donors only. Questions for event registrants should be added to your separate registration/ticketing form.

2. Click Next.

Step 11: Customize Your Thank You Emails

1. Donor Thank You Email: Customize the email donors receive after completing a donation. This is sent alongside their tax receipt (if applicable) and transaction receipt.

2. Fundraiser Confirmation Email: Customize the email sent to supporters when they successfully create their fundraising page. Use this email to encourage them to share their page, personalize it, and provide any important details about fundraising alongside your organization.

3. Click Next.

Step 12: Configure Advanced Settings

1. Donation Dedication: Toggle on to allow donors to give in honor or in memory of someone.

2. Donor List: Toggle on or off to control whether your public donor list is displayed on the campaign page.

3. Pay by Check: Toggle on to allow check payments for donations of $1,000 or more. Note that Zeffy does not process check payments — donors will be shown your mailing information and are responsible for sending the check directly to your organization.

4. Notification Emails: Add or remove email addresses that should be notified when a new donation is received. Separate multiple addresses with commas.

5. Language Translation:

   • Canada: Option to translate your campaign into French.

   • US: Option to translate your campaign into Spanish.

6. Click Next.

Step 13: Publish and Share Your Campaign

Your campaign is now ready! From the campaign overview page, you can:

1. View your live campaign page.

2. Share your campaign:

   • Copy the direct link to share via email or social media.

   • Download a QR code for use on physical materials like flyers or letters.

   • Embed your campaign on your website — choose from a button, pop-up, or individual components such as the fundraising leaderboard or thermometer.

3. Set up Communications: Head to the Communication section to send a fundraising appeal email to your contact list.

4. Track Progress: Use the Overview section to monitor donations, participants, and fundraising progress in real time as they come in.

Advanced Tips for Peer-to-Peer Campaigns

• Add a manual donation: You can increase the peer-to-peer thermometer by adding donations to the campaign manually: Add manual payments 

• Reassign donations: If a donor made a mistake and donated to the wrong campaign, you can easily reassign the donation in your Zeffy dashboard: Move a donation

P2P URL Customization Options:

• Pre-filling the target amount: You can send your donors a custom link that will have the target amount you’d like them to raise pre-filled. To do this, add the following extension to your campaign URL before sharing it: ?openFundraiser=True&target=20000

• Open your P2P form on the "Create a team page": If you'd like your P2P form to open directly on the team creation page, add the following extension to your campaign URL before sharing it: ?openTeamCreation=True

• Open your P2P form on the "Join a team page": If you'd like your P2P form to open directly on the join a team page, add the following extension to your campaign URL before sharing it: ?openTeamJoin=True