When Brecka Putnam comes to Orlando, Fla., in late February to meet with other peer-to-peer fundraising professionals, she will be looking for advice on how to solve a problem that plagues many of her colleagues.
Putnam, a peer-to-peer fundraiser at CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, says her organization is looking to solve the problem of “one and done” fundraisers — volunteers who take part in an event once and never come back.
As the winner of DonorDrive’s annual Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum scholarship, she will have a chance to meet with other peer-to-peer fundraisers Feb. 24-25 in Orlando to learn how they grapple with that challenge.
Putnam’s organization, which funds and supports innovative children’s cancer research, hosts four Ultimate Hikes fundraising events per year — and participants raise an average of $3,100.
But because of the high minimum commitment, she says the organization often has a hard time getting volunteers to come back for a second year.
“I want to know how we keep them engaged,” she says. “Is it to encourage them to come back as a fundraiser, or is it to volunteer as recruiter or coach? We want to know what other organizations are doing on that level.”
How does your organization keep donors engaged from year to year? Post a comment to share your ideas.