8 Winter Peer-To-Peer Fundraising Campaign Ideas

January 2, 2024

Now that the holiday season’s glittering lights are in the rearview, the winter doldrums are starting to creep in. People are drawn toward things that will brighten their spirits, make a positive impact, and be something fun to do. This is exactly why the back half of winter is a great opportunity for running peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns!

Through your organization’s peer-to-peer fundraising efforts, you’ll attract new donors and supporters and build awareness for your organization through social media. Meanwhile, by doing something good for their community, participants and supporters will get that mid-winter serotonin boost they crave.

Below, we’ve got eight creative winter peer-to-peer fundraising campaign ideas to (hopefully) inspire you.

What is Peer-to-Peer Fundraising?

Before we dive into the winter peer-to-peer event ideas, let’s revisit the concept of peer-to-peer fundraising. This strategy empowers your supporters to raise funds on your organization’s behalf. Peer-to-peer participants create personal fundraising pages and then ask for pledges from friends and family members by sharing their pages within their social networks. In doing so, they’re raising money and advocating for your nonprofit organization.

While “walk for a cure” events are a classic example, peer-to-peer fundraising can be adapted for various causes and campaigns. For an in-depth guide, check out our article, “Peer-To-Peer Fundraising: Everything You Need To Know.”

8 Creative Winter Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Ideas

These ideas are great for January, February, and March peer-to-peer campaigns. Though not known for their holiday appeal and actually kind of dreary, these months have a lot of fun inspiration.
Number 1

Dumpling or Dim Sum Eating Challenge.

Who doesn’t love dumplings and dim sum? This year, the Lunar New Year falls on February 10, 2024—get everyone into the spirit with a dumpling-eating challenge. Encourage participants to gather pledges for each dumpling or dim sum they devour at local restaurants. It’s a delicious way to raise funds and satisfy appetites.
Number 2

Dragon Dash.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2024 ushers in the Year of the Dragon. Channel that fierce energy and help people keep their resolutions to be more active with a fun run/walk. Peer-to-peer participants can dress as dragons (or dragon-adjacent characters) and then complete a set distance. Pledges can be based on the number of laps, steps, or miles. Encourage participants to run in teams—anyone seeing a herd of dragons will want to know what’s going on! So, you’ll build awareness not only through your participants’ social networks but also in person.
Number 3

Leap Year Challenge.

2024 is a leap year, which means February will have an extra day. Challenge supporters to do something extraordinary with that extra time, like running a marathon or performing acts of kindness. Come up with a unique social media hashtag so that all your participants can share their Leap Year moment. Encourage participants to use their personal fundraising pages to gather pledges based on their chosen activity. You can also get local businesses to participate, too. They could match donations for a certain number of Leap Year acts of kindness, inspiring more people to pledge money or donate.
Number 4

Super Bowl Fantasy League Challenge.

Tons of people are in one or more fantasy football leagues. Mine that hobby’s popularity and the Super Bowl zeitgeist! Ask participants to solicit pledges for each player on their fantasy football team who scores during the Super Bowl. Make sure you capitalize on the team aspect of fantasy sports and inspire participants to draft everyone in their fantasy league. Then, stir up friendly competition amongst team members with fundraising thermometers and regular callouts for those who have raised the most money.
Number 5

Rom-Com Movie Challenge.

February and March are made for getting cozy on the couch. Encourage supporters to solicit pledges for each hour of a romantic movie (or show—we’re looking at you, Bridgerton) they watch during February and/or March.

Number 6

Reading Challenge.

Curling up with a good book is a favorite winter pastime. For this peer-to-peer fundraiser, you could come up with a reading list that touches on your cause or let participants freestyle it. Either way, pledges would be made for each book they read. You could team up with your local library or bookstore to spread awareness of your campaign to stir up new supporters and participants.
Number 7

Get Out There and Warm Up Challenge.

For those who prefer outdoor adventures, organize a fundraiser that encourages participants to seek pledges for every hour spent outside. Whether it’s ice skating, winter hikes, snowboarding, or shoveling snow, every activity contributes to your cause’s warmth.
Number 8

Indoor 5K Challenge.

Not everyone is a fan of snowy landscapes. Host an indoor 5K challenge where participants gather pledges for every mile or step they take at the mall or gym. It’s a fantastic way to keep the winter blues at bay while supporting your nonprofit’s good cause.

We hope these peer-to-peer fundraising event ideas help spark some hot peer-to-peer fundraising events during the cooler months! If you’d like some more information on how to create a peer-to-peer fundraising page in support of your nonprofit’s mission, watch our tutorial.

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