The Power of The Peer

He who persuades and compels others to give shall have a reward greater than that of the giver himself.

(Isaiah 32:17)

Bible references aside, there is nothing more powerful than one peer soliciting another peer in fundraising.

I participated in an ask the other day, with a well known community philanthropist.  Participating with me, was a key volunteer associated with my campaign … a well respected and valued member of the community.  A major donor.  A captain of industry.  But more importantly, he was a ‘peer’ of the prospective donors we were visiting.

The magic of having a peer with me was beneficial to the ask:  (1) it allowed my volunteer to share his story and reasons for why he supports the organization; (2) it provided an opportunity for him to brag about my organization; and (3) most importantly, it presented him a chance to invite the prospective donor to ‘join him’ in supporting my organization.

Using a peer to assist me in making the ask was a very powerful tool, and increased my chances for a successful “yes”.  It also gave my donor volunteer a chance to articulate and verbalize to another person, the reasons why he believes in my cause … a great way to reinforce the reason he supported my organization in the first place, and a reminder to him about why my case deserves continued support.

I have found that recruiting volunteers as peer solicitors requires careful attention however.  Once a volunteer has committed to work with your organization, it’s imperative that you fully educate him/her about your organization/institution and about the fundraising projects you are asking them to help you with.

After you have prepared the volunteer for service, it is time for you to visit with the volunteer about the various ways they can help.  The volunteer can play an invaluable role in introducing you to prospective donors or they can further a relationship that you already have with someone.  This can be done through a small event that they might host, securing and accompanying you on an appointment to see the prospective donor, or by writing a letter of introduction for you.  Volunteer peers can open doors that you could never gain access to.

Volunteer peers can play a significant role in soliciting major gifts.  If the volunteer is willing to participate in the solicitation, their role should be fully discussed.  A briefing memorandum with a script should be given to each person who will be present at the solicitation call, and a rehearsal ahead of time is often very helpful.  Don’t minimize attention to this detail.  This is the time that is most helpful for the volunteer peer to be able to say that they have chosen to give to the campaign.  There is nothing like peer-to-peer solicitation!

So, was I successful .. well, yes I was.  We secured a major gift, and I like to think that the lion’s share of the credit goes to my volunteer peer and the magic that occurred in the peer-to-peer dialogue.