Peer to Peer Fundraising: A Great Example from Charity Water & Chris Guillebeau

 

 

I'm a big fan of Chris Guillebeau and have subscribed to his newsletter for the last year. He's a great example of someone who has grown a business by giving (see Hugh for a detailed description of what this means) and built a tribe of like minded people who he inspires through his writing and ideas.

So I was really interested to receive this e-mail, which outlines his plans to raise $500,000 for water wells in Ethiopia.

It is one of the best examples I've seen of 'peer to peer' fundraising and there are a number of reasons why I believe Chris will achieve his target.

• Chris tells a compelling story about the need for clean water in Ethiopia. By concentrating on two villages he is setting a clear and realistic goal and can make people feel part of something tangible.

• There is complete transparency about where the money is going and what Chris is specifically going to do himself. From the trust he has built through his e-mails you know that his pledge is genuine and honest.

• By assisting Chris achieve his goal you know you will be part of something and that it will be a lot of fun helping along the way. Chris will make it interesting and will provide regular feedback on how he is doing.

• He encourages his own fans to use their own contacts: "Many of you have your own circle of influence or your own small army. When you speak, they listen to you because they trust you." This ripple effect will attract other donors.

I believe that this type of appeal will become increasingly popular with people taking on specific projects and focusing their energies on encouraging their networks to raise money. It's a powerful combination as the compelling story and the trust/respect of the person asking makes you want to give.

Now what Chris is doing is nothing particularly new or revelationary. In fact, his approach isn't all that different from this great fundraising letter from Sofii from Bruce Barton in 1925 (registration required) that produced a 100% response rate.

What is different is that social media makes it so much easier to run this sort of appeal and gives you the ability to provide instant feedback and gratification. As a fundraiser you need to be looking for the people like Chris on your database and then giving them the tools and freedom to go off and do something similar.